SEA
Deep Sea Tiger Prawn, Yam
Gnocchi & Buah Kulim Bisque
We have travelled from river to forest, mountain to coast, and now we venture into the open sea – a vast blue that connects Sarawak to the world. This course is simply titled “Sea,” yet there is nothing simple about the treasures it holds. For Chef James and the team, this course is particularly close to their hearts, for it combines the ocean’s bounty with the warmth of community cooking.
Envision a crackling longhouse hearth at night, set by the South China Sea shore – elders telling stories, children tending the fire, and seafood roasting in leaves over the embers. This dish brings that scene to life, marrying refined technique with ancestral wisdom.
The star here is the Sarawak Deep Sea Tiger Prawn, a large, succulent crustacean known for its sweet, firm flesh. We marinate the prawn lightly with bruised bunga kantan (ginger torch flower) and a sprinkle of sea salt. The ginger torch, a pink tropical blossom, imparts a floral ginger fragrance that is iconic in our Malay and Nyonya recipes. Then, in true Chef James’ fusion philosophy, we wrap the prawn in an aromatic daun bungkang leaf – a tribal hidden secret for flavour, often used when cooking meats in bamboo.
Enveloped in this leaf, the prawn is roasted over a low wood fire – the heat of the hearth slowly teasing out its juices and the leaf’s oils. This method infuses a smoky, herbal aroma, as if the spirit of the longhouse fire has kissed the seafood. The prawn is served shell-off for finer appeal, but split for easy tasting, its charred leaf unwrapped like a gift from the coals.
Accompanying it are hand-rolled yam gnocchi, our playful nod to Chef James’ Hakka cultural influence once more. We use local purple yam (taro) to create these pillowy dumplings. They are first boiled and then pan-seared on the same woodfire stove, picking up a whisper of smoke and a golden crust. These gnocchi bring comfort and a starchy heartiness, much like yams roasted in the ashes at a village feast.
Now, the sauce – a luxurious prawn tomalley and buah kulim bisque. Buah kulim, often called “jungle garlic,” is a rare Bornean fruit with a truffle-garlic aroma. We simmer the prawn heads and shells with buah kulim, local aromatics, and a splash of tuak rice wine to extract every drop of flavour (again, zero-waste in action).
The result is a velvety bisque that we emulsify with a touch of Enkabang confit oil from the first course and garnish with herb oil. It’s poured tableside around the prawn and gnocchi. The bisque is deeply umami – imagine a classic French sauce Américaine, but with an earthy, garlicky rainforest undertone courtesy of the buah kulim. This ties the ocean to the forest in one stroke.
As you taste this course, you will experience the smoky sweetness of the prawn, the cozy earthiness of yam, and the heady savouriness of the bisque. It is both sophisticated (with French-Japanese-Italian techniques) and comforting, carrying the soul of Sarawak’s communal cooking. This dish is about sharing stories: the way seafarers and villagers share their tales while cooking together.
In fact, the very preparation of this course was a mentorship moment – our team’s young indigenous chef learned the art of leaf-wrapping and live-fire roasting from Sarawak elders and from Chef James’ French training, blending old and new. Around our kitchen “hearth,” we too shared stories and techniques, passing on knowledge. Thus, the Sea course symbolizes not only the merging of marine and land flavours, but also the passing of the torch (or ginger torch!) to the next generation of chefs. May you taste both the depth of the ocean and the warmth of our cultural heritage in this bowl.`
Deep Sea Tiger Prawn
Large wild prawns prized for their rich, sweet flavor and firm texture.
Bunga Kantan
(Ginger Torch Flower)
An aromatic flower used in Malaysian dishes for its citrusy, floral notes.
Daun Bungkang Leaf
A local Sarawak leaf traditionally used for aroma and natural coloring.
Purple Yam (Taro)
A starchy root vegetable known for its earthy sweetness and vibrant hue.
Buah Kulim
(“Jungle Garlic”)
A rare rainforest fruit with pungent garlicky aroma used in indigenous cooking.
Prawn Tomalley
The creamy liver of prawns valued for its deep umami richness.
Enkabang Confit Oil
Nutty, aromatic oil extracted from illipe nuts, used for richness and texture.
