Rice Wine - Tribal Version

I am going to zonk out soon and I am reminded of how my imsomniac problem has dissipated due to my daily commute and adventures. Gone are the days when a six-pack or more is needed for medicinal purposes. For all my homies whom we have spent time cooking and drinking at my old crib, I wanted to show some pics of how the natives really drink here. The local natives of Sabah aka KadazanDusun whom are the majority tribe calls their version of rice wine "Lihing". Other names such as tapai, hiing, linahas, etc. are used depending on the tribes. As you can guess, this is not your high class crystal clear Grey Goose-like Japanese Sake, Korean Soju, nor Chinese Mau Toi.

This is as down to earth as you can get. The pic below shows a "tajau" aka big jar already set up for action. Notice the steel bucket of water and a glass. Basically, it's all about physics. Oh yeah, once you have tried this, you will definitely be convinced that the Kadazans knew about atmospheric pressure prior to Belti, Berti, or whatever his name was ...hic... Anyways, the concept is pretty simple. Your relatives (the fun/evil/good ones - it's all very subject to your point of view) will ask/demand/force you to partake n where n = the number of glasses of water. Water is good for your health. You should drink at least 8 glasses per day to maintain optimity.

So, in the beginning, there will be a fresh tajau filled with lihing which is actually made from glutinous rice and yeast - about 90% full and close to the brim. The formula and process of making it is always guarded with Coke-like security as no one can ever duplicate the "one" that everyone likes.

This particular party was to celebrate the "Full Moon" aka first month of my cousin, Ivan's son. The eggs are dyed red.

Banana leaves are cut and shaped enough to cover the largest diameter of the tajau. The leaves will be laid gently inside of the tajau so that it appears to be floating. Then a bamboo straw/tube or a plastic IV tube (yes, the clear see-thru type), will be poked through the leaves until the end of the tube reaches the bottom.

As with everything, benchmarking is very essential to the success of endevour. A marker of sorts will be made so that all will know how much has been imbibed. For example: a line will be made on the wall lining inside the jar, or for the more experience or professionals, they will measure on site or sight, or sometimes, like in my case, until your elders say it is 1 glass or 2 glasses of water.

The pic on the left is my cousin, Royal whom is a reporter for the New Straits Times. The pro on the right is Ivan's father-in-law. All of the lihing are believed to be donated by him.

Anyways, after it is publicly announced that you will consume n, you will start sucking on the straw/tube. Let me tell you from personal experience and my Uncle Paulo's advise, make sure that you take lots of antibiotics, etc. as this is a community-type event. Lots of mouths are gonna or have used that straw/tube. The water in the glass(es) that you have pledge to drink will be slowly pour into the jar. The objective of this exercise is to ensure that the original level inside the jar is always maintained. Since you are drinking from the bottom of the jar, the level will lower thus causing people to delay pouring your glass(es) of water back into the jar.


Well, does it taste like chicken? Or Bud Lite? Well, the finish will send you on a green warm bambooey journey through padi fields with a slight hint of arugula spiced with rosemary and cherry...heh...just kidding, I will just say that the texture of the liquid is heavy and/or even syrupy sometimes. It is sweet and sometimes, it does comes with a slight bitter aftertaste. The colour is more of a S4 - yeah, a real rough diamond. It is guaranteed to come with a water buffalo kick at the end if you are not careful...as in...when it hits you, it really hits the spot and there is no turning back.

I had only tried this once since I came back and all that I can say is, luckily enough, the venue was held on a Saturday night as the rest of the following day was spent wondering where did the 3rd one go ...