I was invited to judge a sago cooking competition on 25 Nov 2019 in Daik in Lingga Regency of Indonesia's Riau province (which include the long chain of islands south of Singapore).
Travelling to Daik from Singapore by ferry is quite a labourious journey. The sea journey required 3 legs (one way) and a total of 6 hours at sea (i.e. waiting and land transfer time not included).
First leg from Singapore's Harbourfront to Batam's Harbour Bay. The comfortable ride via Horizon Fast Ferry took less than an hour.
From Harbour Bay in Batam, we took an hour long taxi ride to Telaga Punggur Ferry Terminal for the 2nd ferry leg to Dabo town on Pulau Singkep island.
We passed the 4 hour journey semi consciously slipping between dozing off and catching snatches of the movie. They were screening the action filled movie, Beanstalk - Jack the Giant Slayer ๐ (without sound) ๐
It was drizzling slightly when we stopped briefly at Pasir Panjang (a small fishing village) near our destination to drop off and pick up a couple of passengers.
Finally in Dabo after 4 hours on the boat.
For the 3rd and final leg from Dabo to Daik, we boarded a smaller boat for the 1 hour journey.
The cockpit of our hour long ride from Dabo to Daik. Our captain was a study in concentration.
You can see the joy and relief on our faces when we were finally here in Daik.
The sago cooking competition known as "Lomba Lingga Culinary Exploration" is part of the annual Lingga Festival held in Daik.
The festival or carnival is held with a picturesque backdrop of Gunung Daik mountain in the background. The row of white tents were little street food kiosks.
Colourful cultural performances were held throughout the day and into the evening at the Daik town square.
Organisers and judges pre-contest conference.
The 10 teams were ready and raving to go. The teams represent the districts of Lingga Regency.
Three, two, one, let's go! The teams were given 1 hour to whip up a main course and desserts which must use sago pearls or flour as the main ingredient.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Sago sold commercially in the form of pearls or flour is made from the spongy core or pith of palm stems, usually Metroxylon Sagu. Sago was the staple of many indigenous peoples throughout Indonesia, but it has been replaced by rice nowadays. It is still a staple in Papua and the Moluccas.
During the war between the Dutch and Riau-Lingga Sultanate, the Dutch blockaded Lingga, preventing supplies of rice from reaching the islanders. The sultan directed his people to switch to sago for their daily carbs.
Rice have since replaced sago as the staple in Lingga. Today, the Riau government is supporting the revival of sago growing by encouraging domestic consumption and export (e.g. to China). The sago cooking competition is one of the activities supporting the promotion of sago.
The contestants were experienced home cooks.
After cooking, the contestants carefully laid out their freshly cooked creations on their assigned tables.
The participants put in a great deal of meticulous effort and much pride in putting forth their best creations.
The dishes were judged on their presentation and visual appeal.
They were rated on their innovativeness and creativity.
Of course, the test of the pudding is in the tasting - the sago dishes were scored according to how their textures, flavours and aromas impressed the judges.
A nutritionist in the panel of judges rated the contestants' dishes on nutritional value.
The teams were also scored on hygiene during preparation, cooking and serving.
I was amazed by the versatility of sago as an ingredient which, when combined with the creativity of the participants, produced so many attractive, delicious, and nutritious dishes.
Judges and officials hard at work tallying the scores. It was a very difficult task to separate the teams as they were all excellent and scores were very close.
Finally, the winners were decided.
Congratulations to all winners and participants.
The festivities continued into the night featuring traditional dances from throughout the Riau province.
Job done, Head of the Department of Tourism, Youth and Sports of Lingga Regency, Drs. Raja Fahrurrazi graciously showed us the sights of Daik. Thank you Pak Acai for your hospitality.
A jaywalking local on our way to Resun Waterfall, one of Lingga's most famous landmarks.
It was time to leave beautiful Daik for the long trip back to Singapore via Dabo and Batam.
For the leg between Batam and Singapore, I chose Horizon Fast Ferry. I like it that I can just buy return tickets online or at Harbourfront in Singapore.
Pay everything just once in Singapore. In Batam, just go to the Horizon Fast Ferry counter to exchange my ticket for the boarding pass. No additional fees, no hidden fees, no upsell, no hard sell, no hustle, no hassle, no pressure, I like ๐
After clearing immigration, checked in at the Horizon Fast Ferry business lounge to cool my heels before boarding.
Hot coffee, keropok (crispy fried crackers) and a thick comfortable sofa. I so... needed that!
Relax all the way to Harbourfront in Singapore.
See you again next year wonderful Lingga!
Date: 25 Nov 2019
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