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Food guide

Sabah Traditional Food: 10 Dishes to Know

A field guide to Sabah's traditional dishes, from hinava and pinasakan to tuhau, linopot and latok: what they are, how they taste and where to eat them.

Updated

A traditional Kadazandusun meal of leaf-wrapped rice parcels and side dishes on banana leaves

Sabah's traditional food comes from more than 30 indigenous groups and the Chinese, Malay and other communities that settled alongside them. It is sour, fresh and resourceful: lime-cured fish, wild ginger, forest fruits and rice wrapped in leaves.

Start with the Kadazan-Dusun dishes below, then explore the coastal Bajau and town noodle traditions.

Quick recommendations

Start here
Hinava
Bravest bite
Tuhau
Sweet ending
Hinompuka
1

Kadazan-Dusun essentials

The core Kadazan-Dusun dishes are hinava, pinasakan, tuhau, bambangan and linopot, usually eaten together as a shared meal.

Penampang, next to KK, is the easiest place to try them all.

  • Hinava: strips of lime-cured mackerel with red chilli, shallot and young ginger on a banana leaf

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Hinava

    Hinava is a Kadazan-Dusun dish of raw fish cured in lime juice and tossed with chilli, shallot, ginger and grated bambangan seed. It is fresh, sour and sharp, and it's served as a side with rice.

  • Pinasakan: whole mackerel in a yellow turmeric broth with chillies, served in a bowl on a woven mat beside fresh turmeric, shallots and dried chillies

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Pinasakan

    Pinasakan (pinaasakan sada) is a Kadazan-Dusun dish of fish, often mackerel scad, simmered without oil in a sour broth of takob akob fruit, turmeric and salt until the liquid reduces and the fish keeps for days.

  • Tuhau: chopped wild ginger relish with red chilli in a jar and a small bowl

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Tuhau

    Tuhau is a pungent Kadazan-Dusun and Murut relish made from the stems of a wild ginger (Etlingera coccinea), chopped and mixed with chilli, lime or vinegar and salt. It is eaten in small amounts with rice and fish.

  • Tubs of jeruk bambangan, pickled wild mango, for sale

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Bambangan

    Bambangan is a large wild mango (Mangifera pajang) native to Borneo, with rough brown skin and bright yellow-orange flesh. In Sabah it is best known pickled with salt and its own grated seed, as a sour relish for rice.

  • Linopot: rice parcels wrapped in leaves, stacked in a basket

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Linopot

    Linopot is rice, usually hill rice or a mix with sticky rice, wrapped in a doringin, tarap or banana leaf into a neat parcel. It is the traditional Kadazan-Dusun, Murut and Rungus way to carry and serve rice with side dishes.

  • Hinompuka: banana-leaf parcels, one opened to show the brown rice cake

    Kadazan-Dusun

    Hinompuka

    Hinompuka is a Kadazan-Dusun steamed rice cake made from glutinous rice flour and palm or brown sugar, wrapped in banana leaf. It is sweet, chewy and fragrant, and especially associated with the Kadazan of Penampang.

2

From the coast

On the east coast, Bajau and Suluk cooking brings latok (sea grapes), grilled fish and cassava staples.

  • Latok sea grapes dressed with lime, chilli and shallot

    Bajau

    Latok

    Latok is an edible seaweed (Caulerpa lentillifera) made of tiny green bead-like bubbles that pop in the mouth. On Sabah's coasts it is eaten raw with lime, chilli and shallot as a salad.

3

Town noodles

Sabah's Chinese communities created noodle dishes named after places: Tuaran mee and Beaufort mee, plus KK's ngiu chap.

  • Tuaran mee: fried egg noodles with char siu, egg and greens in a takeaway box

    Sabahan Chinese (Hakka)

    Tuaran Mee

    Tuaran mee is a Sabah noodle dish of hand-made egg noodles fried hard in a wok until springy and slightly crisp, served with char siu, choy sum and egg roll. It comes from the town of Tuaran, north of Kota Kinabalu.

  • Beaufort mee: egg noodles in glossy gravy with char siu, chicken and greens

    Sabahan Chinese

    Beaufort Mee

    Beaufort mee is a 'wet' fried noodle from the town of Beaufort in south-west Sabah: springy egg noodles tossed in a hot wok, then finished in a garlicky gravy with char siu or chicken and crunchy greens.

  • Ngiu chap: a bowl of beef noodle soup with sliced beef, tendon and beef balls

    Sabahan Chinese (Hakka)

    Ngiu Chap

    Ngiu chap ('mixed beef' in Hakka) is a Kota Kinabalu beef noodle soup with brisket, tendon, tripe and beef balls in a spiced broth, served with noodles either in the soup or dry on the side.

Map

South China SeaSulu SeaCelebes SeaKota KinabaluSandakanTawauSempornaTuaranPenampangKundasangRanauBeaufortLahad DatuKudatKeningau

Schematic map, not to scale. Select a town to see where to eat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sabah's most famous traditional food?

Hinava, the Kadazan-Dusun dish of raw fish cured in lime juice, is Sabah's best-known traditional food and a national heritage dish.

Where can I try Sabah traditional food?

Penampang near Kota Kinabalu is the easiest place, especially during the Kaamatan festival in May. Tamu markets across the state also sell traditional food.

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