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If you are a tourist or a traveler who use the road transport system returning from Sabah famous island resort of Sipadan in Semporna to the state capital Kota Kinabalu, you have to pass through Kunak, a small town located just at the deepest mouth of Darvel Bay. Seconds after passing through the main roundabout of Kunak, you would notice a row of stalls on the left hand side shoulder of the road. Items sold are mostly locally produced food items as well as canned and bottled drinks including, of course Coca Cola and Pepsi. If you are a passenger of one of the express coach buses chances are good that you will have the opportunity to stop by at the stalls as bus drivers and conductors are among the regular customers of those stalls.


Presently the most popular item among tourists and travelers is the Kerepek Ubi, a kind of wafer or cracker with cassava or tapioca (Manihot esculenta) as the main ingredient. It is often referred to as the Giant Cracker as a piece of kerepek ubi measures about 10 by 15 inches compared to normal tapioca crackers or chips that measure to only about one square inch. A packet of kerepek ubi that contains 3 pieces of the giant size crackers is sold at RM 2.00 per packet.


Health conscious consumers prefer the Kerepek Ubi of Kunak as it is free of chemical preservatives. The ingredient is simple and made up of only four items, i.e., fresh tapioca, tapioca flour, white sugar and cooking oil (for frying).

The production Line: The schematic diagram below shows how the kerepek ubi is produced.

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