After the encouraging feedback on our first Bruneian flavour (alhamdulillah), the Teh Tarik and Kuripit bonbon, we felt inspired to create more. We've since been quietly working on two new expressions of local taste and felt it was time to share them.
We now present two new interpretations: the Pisang Ganache with ‘Kubal’ Crunch Bonbon and the Kaya Pandan Ganache with Bread White Chocolate Bonbon.
These are not attempts to reinvent, but rather to reflect and to capture something recognisable yet nuanced.
Pisang (banana)with Kubal Crunch
My father has always enjoyed banana. Back then when he was living in Kampong Ayer, he used to eat it together with our local delicacy, known as Kubal. Kubal is a traditional mixture of dry-roasted sago (or ambulong) and freshly grated coconut. Nutty and coarse, it adds a gentle crunch and a warm, toasted note that complements the banana’s natural sweetness. Once a staple in many household, Kubal now can only be found in certain market places such as Tamu Kianggeh.
So an idea came about to recreate the taste of eating Banana with Kubal for our Brunei inspired chocolate collection. For this bonbon, the top layer is a banana ganache made from real banana purée and dark chocolate. Beneath it sits a crisp almond Kubal praline—our own interpretation of the original mixture. Together, they form a modest and unique play of both modern and traditional taste and texture.
Kaya Pandan Ganache with Bread White Chocolate Bonbon
I don’t know about you, but I find Roti Kawin has its own allure in Kopitiams, especially if they use Roti Kuning as the bread. The thick slab of Kaya and butter plus its sweet and comforting aroma is just difficult to ignore. With this vision in mind, we thought, why not we turn this into a bonbon?
So after looking through quite a few Pandan Kaya recipes, we identified its main ingredients and worked out how to turn it into a ganache. Real pandan, coconut milk, egg yolk and our in-house white chocolate form the basis of this ganache, resting on a base of toasted wholemeal bread and Belgian white chocolate. The dark chocolate shell provides balance, tempering the sweetness while allowing the familiar hints of Kaya taste to come through.
These flavours are now available for those who wish to explore them.
Shop our bonbons here
