Come weekend, one question pops up in everyone’s head: “Where to go?” And a popular suggestion is: “The wet market.” Although there are many wet markets throughout Sarawak, only a select few truly stand out. One of them is the Serian Wet Market.
The Serian Wet Market is located at 19, Jalan Bandar Serian. That’s 61.3km from Kuching City. You need to drive slightly over an hour to get there but fret not… the road is smooth and amazing to drive on. Even better if you have cruise control so you can have your car gliding smoothly at a predetermined speed while you relax your feet (foot?), needing only to brake when necessary.
Not sure how to get there? Click HERE for directions.
Spoilt for choice
The two-storey Serian Wet Market is always crammed on the weekends, and for good reason. There are so many things to buy there. You’re bound to see something you’re interested to buy at almost every turn. For example, you’ll find rows of stalls as far as the eyes can see selling fresh fish and seafood. And when we say fresh, we mean “alive” fresh. Some of them at least, such as catfish, razor clams and cockles. Even the non-live ones are as fresh as they come.
As you walk around the fish stalls at the Serian Wet Market, you will notice some vendors selling smoked catfish (salai), which goes great with terung assam (sour eggplant). Another unique find is siput sedut (river snail). The locals usually stir fry them with soy sauce, lemongrass, ginger, chilli and some sugar for balance. A traditional way of preparing them would be to cook them with pekasam daun ubi (preserved tapioca leaves). The Malays would have them cooked “masak lemak” style, with a rich coconut broth.
Walk further into the Serian Wet Market and you will arrive at a food vendors area. Here, stall owners fry up a storm. Keropok lekor, banana fritters, kuih penyaram, apam balik… everything just looks so good, and they’re so cheap too! Buy some for a quick munch in the car. Drink stalls are plenty as well, selling beverages like sugar cane juice, canned drinks and packs of ready-made air batu campur, or famously called ABC.
Among the sea of vegetables and fruits, you will find exotic ones like midin, water kangkong, yam stems, paku uban, bitter gourd leaves and wild mushrooms, among many. One of the fruit stalls offers local langsat (lanzones), which are delightfully sweet with a bit of tartness to them.
Need a new chopping board? At Serian Wet Market, you can find high quality chopping boards handmade from local hardwood, sold at just RM15 or 25 per piece, depending on the shape and size. That’s a real bargain!
There’s even something for pet lovers here. Browse around and you may find stalls offering live fish for your aquarium. Kalosoma, Tengadak, climbing perches and giant gouramis, even baby tortoises are sold here at Serian Wet Market.
Other offerings at Serian Wet Market include general groceries, clothing, poultry and meats. The upper floor houses food stalls where hungry customers can fill up on some delicious food before heading off home.
To put it simply, Serian Wet Market is a haven for unique finds. It is one of the best wet markets in Sarawak other than the more famous Sibu Wet Market in Sibu. Go ahead and check it out… and please prepare lots of cash – you might end up buying a truckload of stuff. Just kidding.
