Nuba Laya · Kelabit Traditional Rice Cake with Bario Rice |Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture

They say go to Sarawak must eat, if not at least buy home some Bario rice. I was excited about it and tried it a few times.

But truth be told, I couldn't get the proportions of Bario rice and water right when cooking it at home with an electric rice cooker 😬

So, I was not sure what the fuss about Bario rice is, until I tried nuba laya, that is.

Nuba laya was Bario rice epiphany for me.

When you come to Bario, you will see rice paddies everywhere 🌾

In Bario, you can buy rice at the weekend market at the town square. You can also buy it in Miri (probably more easily as there are many more shops / dealers).

Bario rice is nice boiled but there are other interesting ways to enjoy it 😁

While visiting Lembaa long house in Bario, we stumbled upon this lady making nuba laya or soft rice. It is a traditional way of preparing Bario rice by the Kelabit people.

According to Kelabit legend, there was a great flood long ago (beginning of time). The Kelabit people climbed to live up in the highlands while others moved to the coastline. Since then, the Kelabit tribe live in the highlands by cultivating rice and hunting animals.

Nuba laya is also the traditional staple rice dish of the Lun Bawang people whom are related to the Kelabit by ancestry.

Highland Bario rice is central in Kelabit life and culture.

Nuba laya is made by boiling Bario rice, stirring, squashing it with a wooden spatula until it is a soft paste, then wrapping it in a hot moist lump in daun isip leaf (phacelophrynium maximum).

The hot rice package is rested and allowed to cook inside the isip leaf wrap. The soft rice becomes like a cake which is smooth and moist.

Kelabit people is said to be eating nuba laya for centuries, men carrying it with them on hunting trips in the forests. The rice can keep for up to three days this way.

Oh.... nuba laya tastes so wonderful with side dishes. The fragrant rice cake which took on some of the smell of the isip leaf is sweetish in a delightful way. Nuba laya turns the usual side dishes into something more delicious than usual. Until now, I am still thinking about nuba laya and looking forward to the next chance to taste it.