Deep fried ‘gonjeng’ keeps RWMF festival-goers coming back for more

Deep fried gonjeng by Borneo Rednecks. Photo taken on June 28, 2024.

By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, July 1: ‘Gonjeng’ fish or ‘Hong Boi’ in the Hokkien dialect is a favourite of many in Sarawak.

The locals would normally deep fry gonjeng fish in hot oil until they turn golden brown and crispy before eating them with rice.

However, Borneo Rednecks Bistro—a local vendor at Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2024, really left a great impression on the festival-goers when it transformed the local dish into a mouth-watering snack.

In a single snack box priced at RM15, there are about 13 to 15 crispy gonjeng fish topped with chilli and mustard sauce.

Peter Bargeon

Borneo Rednecks manager Peter Bargeon, 38, said it is their first time participating as a vendor in the RWMF and with that, they wish to play their part also to promote food which is considered special to Sarawakians.

“Gonjeng fish is actually seasonal, so that is why we have a minimal stock of this product, and they would be sold out in half a day.

“Many international tourists were inquiring about the fish, and upon trying it for the first time, they seemed to like it.

“Some of them even returned twice or thrice for the deep-fried gonjeng snack,” he told DayakDaily at the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) here yesterday (June 30).

Apart from deep fry, he explained that the gonjeng fish could be cooked in many ways, such as ‘ikan gonjeng masin’ or ‘sup ikan masin gonjeng’.

“However, we choose to fry the gonjeng fish deep so that RWMF goers, especially international tourists, can enjoy them as deep-fried food is globally popular due to its distinct texture and taste.

“We feel that this is the best approach because not all international tourists can eat ‘asam pedas’ or prefer Asian cooking styles,” he added.

Other dishes by Borneo Rednecks included ‘Fried Chicken Wing’, ‘Fried Soft Shell Crab’, ‘Buffalo Chicken Wing’, ‘Soft Shell Crab Burger’, ‘Crispy Chicken Skin’, ‘Truffle Fries’, and ‘Sweet Potato Fries’.

Their physical outlet is located in Jalan Padungan, Kuching. — DayakDaily