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Queen reveals secret about her ‘belacan diplomacy’ between Singapore and Malaysia
- Tunku Azizah disclosed that she was, for a time, the ‘official supplier’ of the shrimp paste to the city state’s first prime minister
- According to her tweet, the royal still ‘supplies’ the sauce to the republic, which is now being enjoyed by PM Lee Hsien Loong
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Who knew that the humble “belacan” – the shrimp paste used in many Southeast Asian dishes – could be instrumental in strengthening the ties between two neighbouring countries.
According to the Malaysian queen, the “sambal belacan” – or shrimp paste sauce – she makes frequently was a tremendous hit with former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
In a tweet on Friday, Tunku Azizah disclosed that she was, for a time, the “official supplier” of sambal belacan to Singapore’s first prime minister.
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According to her tweet, the queen still “supplies” the sambal belacan to the republic, which is now being enjoyed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“I had long wanted to share this (secret) with Malaysians. I was once the official sambal belacan supplier to the prime minister of Singapore … Lee Kuan Yew … and now supply to his son, PM Lee,” the queen had said, as translated by Malaysian news agency Bernama.
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