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Kadazan-Dusun · side

Hinava

Also called: Hinava ginapan

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.

  • Sour
  • Fresh
  • Spicy
  • Clean

Updated

Hinava: strips of lime-cured mackerel with red chilli, shallot and young ginger on a banana leaf
Hinava quick facts
OriginWest Coast and interior Sabah
CommunityKadazan-Dusun
Typeside
FlavourSour, Fresh, Spicy, Clean
Typical priceRM6–15 per side portion
WherePenampang, Kota Kinabalu, Kudat

Origin and culture

Hinava is one of the defining dishes of the Kadazan-Dusun, Sabah's largest indigenous group. It is a fixture at the Kaamatan harvest festival in May and at weddings, engagements and other family gatherings, where a large bowl is shared alongside rice and other sides.

Malaysia's Department of National Heritage listed hinava as a national heritage food in 2009, together with umai, a similar raw-fish dish from neighbouring Sarawak.

Ingredients

  • Fresh firm fish

    Mackerel (tenggiri) is most common

  • Lime juice

    Cures the fish and turns it opaque

  • Bambangan seed

    Grated, for a tart, slightly bitter edge

  • Bird's eye chilli

  • Shallots

  • Young ginger

  • Salt

What does Hinava taste like?

Bright and acidic first, then heat from chilli and a warm ginger finish. Good hinava tastes clean, not fishy. The fish should be firm, with a bite like ceviche.

How Hinava is made

  1. 1

    The fish is filleted, skinned and sliced thinly, then soaked in plenty of lime juice until the flesh turns white and opaque.

  2. 2

    Excess liquid is squeezed out before the fish is mixed with sliced chilli, shallot, julienned ginger, grated bambangan seed and salt.

  3. 3

    It is served cold and usually eaten the same day.

Where to eat Hinava

Kadazan-Dusun restaurants in Penampang and Kota Kinabalu, stalls at the KDCA grounds during Kaamatan, and coastal stalls where fish is landed the same morning.

Restaurants serving Hinava

  • Kadazandusun dishes and leaf-wrapped rice parcels on banana leavesRestaurant

    Penampang · Kampung Pogunon

    Borneo Spice

    Sources mention: Siga set (ambuyat, pinasakan, hinava and sides), Hinava

    Kadazan-DusunSabah LocalNon-halal
    Researched from 3 sources · not yet visited
  • Leaf-wrapped linopot rice parcels in a basketCafe

    Penampang · Pavilion Bundusan

    Housia Cafe

    Sources mention: Tavantang set (linopot, hinava, fried basung, tuhau), Hinava

    Kadazan-DusunSabah LocalStatus unconfirmed
    Researched from 2 sources · not yet visited

Is Hinava halal? Dietary notes

The ingredients are halal by nature (fish, lime, vegetables). Whether a particular serving is halal depends on the kitchen it comes from. Kadazan-Dusun restaurants often serve pork and rice wine too, so check the restaurant's status.

Hinava dietary information
PorkNo pork
SeafoodContains seafood
VegetarianNo
RawServed raw. Eat only very fresh, same-day versions.

Hinava FAQ

Is hinava raw fish?

Yes. Hinava is made with raw fish that is cured in lime juice rather than cooked with heat. The acid firms the flesh and turns it opaque, much like ceviche.

What is the difference between hinava and umai?

Both are raw fish cured with acid. Hinava is the Kadazan-Dusun dish from Sabah and typically includes grated bambangan seed and ginger. Umai comes from Sarawak's Melanau community and varies in ingredients.

Is hinava safe to eat?

Hinava is safe when made with very fresh fish from a trusted source and eaten on the day it is prepared. People who are pregnant or immunocompromised are generally advised to avoid raw fish.

Sources and further reading

Related dishes

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Guides and trips with Hinava