Introducing The Noodles Of Sabah

        My previous post on having Sarawak's kolo mee gave impetus to this post, which is on its lesser known cousin. Many are familiar with both the kampua and kolo mee of Sarawak, and fans are delighted to find them at many places in Peninsular Malaysia. My first taste of a reddish kolo mee was at a coffee shop in Penang, and I have also spotted it sold at a Tanjung Sepat shop that caters to tourists.
     Both kampua and kolo mee are basically springy egg noodles that are made without the use of any alkaline water. Both are traditionally eaten dry, tossed well with lard and sauce. In fact, both the names kampua and kolo mean "dry tossed".  The differences lie in the thickness and texture of the noodles, as well as how they're served.
      As the focus of this post is not on Sarawak's pride and joy, I shall not elaborate on the difference. I would like to introduce their lesser known cousin, the kolo mee of Sabah. From my four-year stay in the Land Below The Wind, I know Sabahans love their noodles and can boast of many different varieties, but have chosen to remain low-profile. Hence, not many people know of the different ways kolo mee is served in Sabah.
      The simple egg noodles are treated differently in different towns in Sabah. Visitors to Sabah are encouraged to try the famous Tuaran mee. The handmade noodles are made using only egg yolks. They are first toasted in oil in the wok to prevent them from clumping together, then blanched to reduce the stiff crunchy texture, before finally stir-fried to a dry finish with eggs, vegetables, and meat or seafood. On our recent trip to Sabah, I took hubby to the town of Tuaran to try its famous specialty.

      Tamparuli, a town that is 12 minutes away from Tuaran, has also garnered fame from its Tamparuli mee. It's very similar to Tuaran's version, but the noodles that are made in Tamparuli are rounder, slightly larger and has a springier texture.  The location of Tamparuli, which is along the route to Mount Kinabalu, has ensured that the Tamparuli mee has its own loyal fans.

Picture of Tamparuli mee is taken from the Internet

       During my four-year stay in the Cowboy Town of Kota Belud, I often visited an unassuming stall hidden behind the UMNO building. It was run by a student's parents. Their version of the kolo mee is tossed with dark soya sauce, served with chicken meat or char siew (which, by the way, is often referred to as sasau in Sabah), a bowl of chicken broth and a small helping of fried shallots on the side. Passing by Kota Belud during our recent drive from Simpang Mengayau to Kundasang, I was busy showing hubby Kota Belud's Tamu, the school where I taught, the church that I attended

My first posting was at this school

St. Edmund's Church, where I was baptised

and the house that I rented. By the time we decided to have lunch, it was rather late and the kolo mee stall had closed for the day.

Photo of Kota Belud's kolo mee is taken from the Internet

Photo of this bustling kolo mee stall in Kota Belud is also taken from the Internet

        Fortunately, I had another chance to revive my memories of Sabah's kolo mee and this was in the sleepy town of Kuala Penyu. I personally think Kuala Penyu's kolo mee cannot hold a candle to Kota Belud's kolo mee. I chose to have my kolo mee with sasau instead of sauyuk (roast pork), while hubby ordered a bowl of Kuala Penyu's egg noodles with seafood in soup, which he enjoyed very much.

Kuala Penyu's sasau kolo mee and seafood mee in soup

       I've been told that other towns like Beaufort and Tawau also dish up different renditions of kolo mee. I guess if one decides to try all the different ways Sabahans enjoy their egg noodles, a visit to almost every town in Sabah would be necessary.