Sarawak is famous for its rich cultural diversities and natural attractions. But no visit to the ‘land of the hornbill’ is complete without a taste of the wide array of local food available here.
One of the unique delicacies is none other than the ‘sesar unjur’, otherwise known as smoked prawns.
Though the ‘sesar unjur’ may look similar to the popular ‘hae bee’ (dried shrimps) often used in Chinese cuisines, this traditional delicacy of the Melanau is prepared using a smoking process whereas ‘hae bees’ are sun-dried.
The production of ‘sesar unjur’ can be found in the Mukah Division, which is believed to have started producing these flavoursome prawns approximately 400 years ago.
The process starts with the procurement of fresh prawns, which are de-shelled before they are washed thoroughly for a period of up to three hours. This is to ensure that the prawn meat is completely free from dirt.
They are then arranged and laid out neatly onto a ‘kilak’, which is a mat made specially to dry the prawns before transferred to a smokehouse for drying.
Image source via Facebook/Sarikeians
Smoking the prawns is the most complicated part of the process as the intense heat of the burning wood needs to be controlled with the smoking processing taking from five hours onwards. The type of wood used also has a significant effect on the taste of the prawns.
Once dried, the straight-shaped dried smoked prawns have a delightfully sweet taste and can be cooked in a variety of methods to enhance the flavour of a particular dish or even eaten on its own.
Sesar unjur
Have you tried Sesar Unjur?
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