Halal Food Adventure at Filipino Night Market

Assalam-alaikum!

I once asked my Persian friend if he eats pork. And I was expecting to hear a 'no' answer, but I was a bit surprised when he guiltily answered, 'yes, it's tasty'.  Oh, aren't Muslims supposed to be strict with their no pork and halal only diet? 

Well, what are they to do when there is no halal food in a city where they live? Besides, they hate Arabs for integrating Islam to their culture.

Anyways, Halal is not about the type of cuisine. In Arabic, the word halal means permitted or lawful. It's about the Islamic dietary guidelines that ingredients should come from religiously lawful sources. No khmr, alcoholic beverages and wine used in the cooking, no running blood, no carcass of animal killed by improper butchering, no haram i.e. forbidden types of meat such as pork. 

Allowed meat or halal meat should be from an animal slaughtered in a lawful manner. The kill is always done in the Islamic halal way, and respect and thanks are shown to the animal which is about to become the next meal.

Moreover, I've also read that the animal must be fed normally and given water just prior to the slaughter. Other animals cannot view the kill. The knife blade must be extremely sharp and should be four times the width of the animal's neck. The animal should also be positioned facing Makkah.

When I went to Sabah with my friend, we made sure we get to experience Halal food in Filipino Night Market. Sabah is small and we stayed in Gaya street which is said to be near the night market scenes of KK. Not all locals are familiar with Filipino market, it seems that the place creates a buzz more to foreigners than to the locals. But surely, hotel people know so they are the right ones to ask for infos. We followed the direction the hostel lady gave us and after a long a tiring walk, we found Filipino night market located at Jalan Tun Fuad Stephen along Waterfront and opposite Le Meridien Hotel.

Terima Kasih!in English means thank you. You'll see the phrase printed on tarpaulins hanging in every spot, featuring pictures of mouthwatering dishes they offer. Most of the vendors and people there speak Filipino but they are Sabahans. And I couldn't quite surmise why the place was named Filipino Night Market I think they should change it to Halal Night Market instead. Well we all know that late President Marcos fought to claim back the region said to be historically ours. However, it has been designated a current “non-issue” in the interest of improving diplomacy and security relations with the government of Malaysia.

It was hot and smoky there. The women wear their niqabs and all were conservatively dressed. While we were both wearing sleeveless top, I felt ashamed for having so. I Just tried to hang loose and let it not bother me.

Every table has this plastic kettle pot and we were clueless of what it's for. We thought it's what Sabahans use as pitcher, luckily a local family joined our table and we've seen them use such to wash their hands.

Mee Goreng

Mie Goreng is a flavorful and spicy fried noodle dish. It is made with thin yellow noodles fried in cooking oil with garlic, onion or shallots, fried prawn, chicken, pork, beef, or sliced bakso (meatballs), chili,Chinese cabbage, egg, and other vegetables

Battered Squid

Our meat of the sea

Nasi Goreng

Just like how I like eating rice paired with pancit, Mee Goreng goes well with Nasi Goreng or fried rice. In 2011 an online poll by 35,000 people held by CNN International chose nasi goreng as the number two of their 'World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods' list after rendang.

Night market that is alive and full of vibe. You can watch the cooks fire away cooking your dish on large woks. Sabahans are very cordial and they smile a lot as well.

Seafoods are one of the highlights of the market. You can choose from variety and see your seafood be cooked in front of you. Though there are flies flying over the rows of food displayed, a lot still buy them for viand.