LAHAD DATU: Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah prepared four dishes - ikan bilis masak kicap, ikan bilis masak asam, udang berlada and bubur lambuk - on Monday (Sept 4) for the people of Lahad Datu.
Her Majesty prepared the dishes for the Santapan Bersama Rakyat, held in conjunction with the "Kembara Kenali Borneo", at the Dewan Perdana grounds here, which was the focus of hundreds of residents who wanted to see for themselves Tunku Azizah's well-known culinary expertise.
"An abundance of anchovies here, so I prepared dishes made of anchovies - ikan bilis masak kicap and ikan bilis masak asam,” Her Majesty said, while busy slicing garlic, onion and red chillies.
Tunku Azizah prepared the dish with the help of the staff of Istana Negara and members of Association of Wives of Civil Servants and Women Civil Servants (Puspanita).
Her Majesty also checked the preparation of bubur lambuk, and even measured and added the spices needed for the dish.
Lahad Datu Puspanita deputy chairman Mahasitah Amin, when met by Bernama, said that the opportunity to help the Queen prepare meals was an opportunity that does not come often and may even be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Excited beyond words when we received news that Puspanita is helping the Raja Permaisuri Agong, other members of Puspanita are also nervous and started making preparations since yesterday; we are also working with the palace and we are preparing all the materials as much as we can for Her Majesty,” she said.
She added that 31 members of Puspanita prepared the ingredients, especially looking for "daun lamiding" (a native vegetable), which is the choice of many here in flavouring the bubur lambuk.
"Daun lamiding is very difficult to find, our members had to go to the corners of the villages to look for them, and we were able to get them today as one of the main ingredients of the Raja Permaisuri Agong’s bubur lambuk,” she said.
Mahasitah said that Puspanita members also cooked other dishes, such as kam heong chicken, kerabu peria and kari ikan mamak, for the event.
A resident of Kampung Sri Aman, Ain Balkisyah Mat, 23, said that she was mesmerised by Tunku Azizah's style and way of cooking, besides being an expert in handling kitchen tools.
"I am honoured to be able to see for myself how the Raja Permaisuri Agong prepared meals in the crowded place. Before this, I had seen Tunku Azizah cooking, and read news about her hobby (cooking) and now I can see Her Majesty preparing the meals and I get to taste them too!” she said.
For Kampung Sepagaya resident Fadhil Seli, 27, he was quite excited and grateful to be able to taste meals prepared by Her Majesty, namely udang berlada, which is his favourite dish.
"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Her Majesty for preparing four types of dishes, even though they look easy, but if you look at Her Majesty’s journey from Tawau to Lahad Datu, starting at 8.30am in the morning and arriving here in the evening, you can imagine how tired she is but still able to cook,” he added.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Tunku Azizah are currently on their "Kembara Kenali Borneo", from Sept 3 to 13, starting from Tawau, Sabah, and ending in Telok Melano, Kuching, across the Pan Borneo Highway, which connects Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.
Also accompanying the royal couple on the 2,154km journey are their children, Tengku Arif Bendahara Tengku Muhammad Iskandar Ri’ayatuddin Shah; Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Jihan Azizah 'Athiyatullah; Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Ilisha Ameera and Tengku Puteri Raja Tengku Puteri Ilyana. - Bernama
