A must-have treat for Gawai

Each and every single ingredient must be perfect to get the right crispiness for PENGANAN JALA, a must-have delicacy for Gawai Dayak.
    It was not difficult to make it, but one needed patience and perseverance to get it right. It cannot be tough or too brittle. The main ingredient of the delicacy are palm sugar, rice flour and water, and is made by trickling the batter into a coconut ladle with hole. Then we need to tap the ladle as the batter goes into the cooking oil. Just after a few second, we take the cooked batter and fold it into triangle, making it look like a folded fishing net.
The brown, sweet and crispy Iban deep-fried cake made for the Gawai celebration is similar to kuih sarang semut found in the peninsular. It use as part of the items offered during the Miring ceremony, a traditional ritual giving thanks to old ancestor spirit, believe to be roaming around the village during that particular festival.
As some of the Iban said,"Without penganan jala, Gawai Dayak will not complete or perfect". It is a must-have in every household.
Gawai which mean a festival in Iban and Bidayuh, which were once the only tribes that celebrated Gawai Dayak in the state. But due to mixed marriages among the tribes, the festival is celebrated throughout the state.
Traditionally, Gawai Dayak is a thanks-giving celebration  to the rice gods for providing a good harvest and also to keep bad spirit at bay.