A cafe owner from Sibu messaged me last month. Short message: "Eh, can dabai do toast or not?"
I stared at my phone for a moment. Then I looked at the tub of dabai paste sitting on my workbench. Then I stared at my phone again.
Of course lah.
First, What Is Dabai?
For non-Sarawakians reading this: dabai is a small, dark olive-like fruit harvested from the jungles of Sarawak. We soak it in warm water to soften the flesh, then eat it with soy sauce and sugar. It is rich, buttery, and slightly smoky. People call me Budak Dabai for a reason.
At SFE, we source our dabai from upriver areas around Ulu Kanowit, Ngemah, Kapit, and Song. Harvest season runs from roughly November to February, and every batch comes down the Rajang river by boat. The paste we produce is cooked, ready-to-use, and shelf-stable. No soaking required on your end.
Why Dabai Works on Toast
Dabai paste has a fat-rich, almost avocado-like texture. The flavour sits somewhere between black olive and roasted walnut. It is savoury but not sharp.
That profile makes it very easy to build a spread around. It does not fight butter. It does not fight salt. It actually gets along with almost everything, which is more than I can say for some people I know.
The Base Dabai Butter Spread Recipe
This is the version we recommend to cafe and toast bar buyers as a starting point.
- 100g SFE Dabai Paste
- 80g salted butter, softened to room temperature
Blend until smooth. That is genuinely it.
The butter smooths out the natural bitterness of the dabai skin. The result spreads cleanly on sourdough, white toast, or even a thick brioche.
Variations to Try in Your Menu
Dabai Butter with Honey
Add one teaspoon of raw honey. Good for a sweet-savoury toast option. Pairs well with a fried egg on top if your kitchen does that sort of thing.
Dabai Butter with Garlic
Add half a teaspoon of roasted garlic paste. This version works well as a base for open-faced savoury toasts or even as a warm dip for breadsticks.
Dabai Cream Cheese Spread
Mix dabai paste 50:50 with full-fat cream cheese. Slightly tangy, very creamy, very easy to portion with a piping bag for a cleaner cafe presentation.
Scaling for Commercial Use
SFE dabai paste comes in 1kg packs. For a toast bar doing 30 to 50 covers a day, a 1kg pack will produce roughly 2kg of finished spread depending on your butter ratio.
The spread keeps well refrigerated for up to seven days. For longer shelf life, freeze it in portioned blocks and thaw overnight in the chiller.
One thing to note: when dabai paste is mixed with butter, the spread takes on a light purple hue. On the plate it looks quite striking. Some cafes lean into that and call it a premium point. Others add a small garnish to play up the colour further. Both approaches work.
Ready to Try It in Your Menu?
If you want a sample pack to test before committing to a bulk order, WhatsApp me and I will sort it out. Just tell me what format works for your kitchen and we go from there.
— Budak Dabai, Sarawak Fruit Enterprise