Thursday, September 24, 2009

Donggongon Tamu Again

If you come to KK, you must visit the Donggongon Tamu on a Thursday morning. and especially during the months from mid-August to October. Why? Let's count some of the reasons:

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Wild jungle durians that taste a thousand times better than regular durians, so creamy that the texture is nearly waxy. Proudly found only in Borneo.

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Fresh veg, most of them from the jungle (ferns and native veg) or home-grown, all freshly picked.

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Nearly extinct fruits called yew gum jai, very sour and eaten with salt or pickled in sugar-vinegar-chili solution.

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Common ginger and its flowers.

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Native pickles; bambangan; mangoes and the fruits of the season--tarap (proudly only found in Borneo!) and kampung durians.

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Handicraft; yeast for making rice wine; pepper roots (I was talked into buying--by a Singaporean-- a bundle to make soup) and chopping boards.

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Singaporean tourists buying unpolished multi-colored hill rice (and ginger, mustard green sprouts, dried shrimps, fried tofu--I was like, "What, no fried tofu in Singapore??" Answer "They don't make them so authentic anymore!"); another Singaporean trying out the gongs; native handicraft and lady selling areca nut paraphernalia.

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Bananas & tapioca (cassava); rambutans (hairy fruit); rosella flowers and dragonfruits.

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Clams; dried fish; dried shrimps & anchovies and whelks.

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Bunga kantan; wild jungle orchids (going for RM10-15 only! But should we buy them and speed up their extinction?) and an assortment of houseplants.

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Petai (giant stinky beans); tuhau (a variety of ginger); chilies, breadfruit and the freshest and strongly scented (not the wimpyly-flavored variety in western salads) watercress found growing in running streams.

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Frogs; tortoise (or maybe turtle); terrapins and eels,.

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How to make a betal nut snack with tobacco, slaked lime (I think), areca nut and betel leaf.

And if all that fails to move you to visit Donggongon Tamu, how about some juicy creamy...

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...sago worms? I hear they are delicious.

p.s. This is Sabah, Borneo, Land Below The Wind, the sandstorms, wildfires, typhoons, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, droughts and volcanic eruptions. Sadly, we are not exempted from politicians.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Terri,
I was at the tamu today too...bought some tilapia. Anyway I heard from a reliable source, whose grandma has a stall at the tamu that there's some talk that the tamu might be moved elsewhere, cos the present site has been sold to a developer to develop who-knows-what...donno how true this is tho.

Schnitzel and the Trout said...

Thank you for sharing the wonderful photos of your part of the world.

Anonymous said...

this is so interesting.. i hope one day i get to set my foot there.. :)

Gal1 said...

Looks Like you have a competition, www.recipies4everyone.blogspot.com. Check it out and comment LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. How long have you been here.LLLLLLLLLLLLLL. our stuff is better than yours.

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

wah, these are just lovely, especially the kampung durian, I'm drooling. I have never been to Sabah, my husband always said nothing much in Sabah, I think he was wrong, I will definitely make a visit to Sabah soon.Thanks for sharing. Not an easy task to take so many photos..

Anonymous said...

Wow, Terri, thank you for sharing the photos and your commentary. Love your blog - visits it everyday when I am at the computer. Keep it going .... :)

terri@adailyobsession said...

anon: oh no. tt sounds real. i hope they find a good place to move the tamu, n not too far frm donggogon:(

susan: i enjoy ur photos of montana too--such a beautiful n pristine state.

hantumakan: now what does tt mean, hantumakan? hungry ghost??

gal1: well, first of all, get yourself a good camera or nobody will believe those are tested n tried recipes....

sonia: aiya, there's more to do here than singapore or kl. of course, there's more shopping in sing, n more good food in kl, but we hav the islands, the corals, the mountains, the rivers...

anon: thnx for ur encouragemt. now rmber to keep in touch whenever ur comp is on.

Lyrically speaking said...

the pics in here are fascinating, impressive, glad I stopped by

spunkz said...

am flying to KK today. I do hope I've got the time to drop by the market. It looks chockful of goodies. :)

Anonymous said...

Great pics. Homesick already. Must visit this tamu next time I am in KK.

Tigg3r said...

Terri

Ohhhhh! the wild durian looks so exotic. Wished I could have a bit...

Bunnies said...

Terri...

You have just inspired me to go to Sabah!! The pictures you took were so tempting and pretty!! I must go and even if i dont get myself those orchids, I will at least snap plenty pictures of them!

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

Terri, I'm now looking for a good camera, do you mind share with me the brand and model of the camera that you use, your photos look shape and clear.

tracieMoo said...

wild jungle durians? wow, I've never seen them! They look so orangy compared to the normals ones.. would love to have a taste of it..
thanks for sharing the experience.. =)

Anonymous said...

hahaha, not as much as hungry ghost the one chinese got a month for them, hahaha..

more of that i love food, sampling and stuffs, strictly food story, nothing supernatural.. hahaha

Shan said...

Woah this looks great! I had heard that it was good, but your photos make it look like an awesome experience.

Have you ever tried chewing betel nut before? As a smoker I must say I'm a little curious.

Shan said...

@ Gal1 : Oh be quiet and go do something productive, little Gal.

terri@adailyobsession said...

lyrically speaking: thank u. ur blog pics n poems are great!

spunkz: will i see u at the market?

anon: yes, make sure u do :)

tigg3r: i do feel sorry for those who haven't eaten wild durians. they are wayyyy better than regular durians, have i said tt already?!

bunnies; an orchid lover! high 5!

sonia: i use a panasonic lumix FZ 50, but tt's 3 years old n considered obsolete now. there are better n cheaper cameras now tt, so do some hoework b4 you buy a new camera. i always recommend a digital single lens reflex (dslr) if you can afford it n like taking photos. both canon n nikon are good, canon being more affordable.

tracie: tracie, you must try them. they are very different from regular white or yellow durians. they are the best.

hantumakan: ah, so...

shan: 'big sister' to my rescue again. :D hey, organise a betel nut (actually it's areca nut and betel leaf) chewing session but count me out. i hate it when ppl spit. but red spit is porllu better than green. i hate it when i walk around n see these little puddles. tt's about one of things i hate most about living here.

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

Thanks Terri, ya, I prefer Canon, and I'm making some researches now.

timjaymom said...

great pics! maybe can borrow some in our book (part 2?!).. :p

mycookinghut said...

THis is the first time have seen this kind of durian!

TRACE said...

i tried sago worm(yeah,just one...)
looks disgusting but taste not bad, taste like coconut drink....=P
Terri, i guess i will go to donggongon tamu someday....thanks for blogging it! its a creative way of promoting Sabah...=)
Keep it going! will visit hunger hunger more often! thanks!

fishm0i said...

The BAMBANGAN!! I had it almost everyday thanks to my kadazan colleagues... They tasted so good! Even though tuhau tasted better

terri@adailyobsession said...

sonia: good. i'm sure u'll have fun with yr new camera

aifuah: anytime, dear, but i'm afraid my photos aren't good enough to print!

cookinghut: this is SABAH, land of wild durians!

trace: u had sago worms n they taste like COCONUT MILK?!! eww!!

agnes: n it's not just the taste, but the wonderful scent, isn't it, tt our tropical fruits have

Unknown said...

Awesome flicks Terri! You've got better as the days go by~

Anonymous said...

hi. i suggest you go on wednesday after 3pm. the stuff are more fresh as the people station themselves on wednesday. enjoy =)

Anonymous said...

I love the picture of the wild durian! How does the taste compare to that of the yellow type?

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