Chinese Foods in Tawau

1) Malay/Indonesian Foods 2) Indian Foods 3) Chinese Foods

1) Hawker stalls 2) Coffee house or cafe 3) Restaurants

Chinese Foods

Chinese culture considers cooking an art and consider the preparation of food a craft. This art of Chinese cooking has been developed and refined over many centuries. To the Chinese, food and friends are inseparable. A gathering without food is considered incomplete and improper.

Confucius loved and respected the art of cooking. He established culinary standards and proper table etiquette. Most of these are still considered to be the standards of today. The tradition of cutting foods into bite size pieces during preparation and not at the table is unique to the Chinese culture.

Good cooking depends on the blending of various ingredients and condiments rather than the taste of the individual elements. In order to become a good cook one must first be a good matchmaker. The flavors of The ingredients must be blended with harmony. Without this harmony there is no taste.

Taoism was responsible for the development of the hygienic aspects of foods and cooking. The principle objects of this philosophy were the nourishment of the body and the search for longevity. In contrast to Confucianists who were interested in the taste, texture and appearance, Taoists were concerned with the life-giving attributes of various foods.

Over the centuries the Chinese have explored the world of plants, roots, herbs, fungus and seeds to find life-giving elements. They discovered the nutritional value of vegetables could be destroyed by improper cooking and that many items had medicinal value. For example, ginger, a favorite condiment, is also used to soothe an upset stomach and as a cold remedy.

海南鸡饭、各式面食

檳城炒貴刁

Most of Malaysia's Chinese are from the south of China, it is quite easy to find Hainan and Hakka food in Tawau. One of the most common economical meal is the Hainanese Chicken Rice which cost around RM4.00.
Hakka dish is easily found in food stalls. The best know hakka dish is the Yong Tau Foo (stuffed seafood beancurd) with soup or thick gravy.

"捞生' (鱼生) - 里面有鱼等等, 象征吉祥, 如意. 是广东人的吃法

Uniquely known for the Technicolor array of ingredients and the distinctively interactive way it is prepared, the dish known as "Yee Sang" very much occupies the same role amongst the Malaysian and Singaporean Chinese as the proverbial Christmas pudding or Thanksgiving turkey in the West. Yee Sang, or raw fish salad, is an entree that is served during Chinese New Year as a prelude to a Chinese family dinner.

This exotic salad consists of a variety of pickled and shredded vegetables, plum sauce, roasted sesame seeds, finely crushed peanuts, shredded pomeloes and thinly sliced slivers of raw fish, with each ingredient neatly and separately heaped on a large flat dish. Others substitute the fish with slices of abalone, lobster or other exotic seafood, though the dish can be enjoyed by vegetarians with little loss in flavor by omitting the seafood.

When the dish is served on the table, all the diners stand up, hold their chopsticks and then start mixing the ingredients with gusto by tossing them as high as possible while uttering "loh hei" - meaning to "lift up" - to usher in the coming new year with prosperity, longevity and success. This is the only time that children are encouraged to play with their food, and even the adults do it, since the higher you toss the "Yee Sang", the better your luck is believed to be. Combined together, the various ingredients form a sweet piquant flavor with a crisp bite.

Its origins are obscure, but Yee Sang is believed to be a practiced started amongst Chinese in the southern provinces of China who comprise many of the migrants in Malaysia and Singapore. Today, Yee Sang is primarily enjoyed in these two countries, though it is fairly unknown elsewhere. However, revelers In Hong Kong and parts of China are beginning to enjoy a resurgence of this New Year delicacy.

In the old days, it was commonly served only on the seventh day of Chinese New Year, or what Chinese believe to be Mankind's universal birthday, when everyone turns one year older. This practice has waned, and it is now enjoyed throughout the Chinese New Year period - sometimes everyday by those who can't get enough of the stuff!

Chopsticks

Chopsticks are made of various materials that include bone, wood, bamboo, plastic, metal and ceramic. Besides Malaysia, chopsticks are used in Mongolia, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Laos, Philippines and Indonesia.

Chopsticks were usually sold in packets of 10 and there was a meaning to this. It is easy to break one pair of chopstick, but difficult to break 10 pairs at once. This means unity and when people share a meal together using these chopsticks, they are united.

Food Index : February 18, 2008 09:33:14 AM