Host offerings
Cat first learned to cook traditional Malay dishes from her late grandmother and mother. A fussy eater, she later joined cooking courses to further expand her knowledge and learn new cooking skills and techniques. She enjoys traveling within Malaysia and South East Asia and often takes cooking classes wherever she travels to learn more about other cuisines and cultures. Cat is also passionate about baking and loves to bake her own breads and buns. Cat believes in eating healthy and only uses the freshest high-quality ingredients in her cooking. She enjoys meeting people and sharing stories. This has often been the highlight of her travels and she hopes to offer the same experience to travelers coming to Malaysia!
Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.
In-home meal (1 - 6 guests) Cat lives in a simple but modern condo in a high-rise building just outside the city center of Malacca. Cat will serve either Peranakan or Malaysian cuisine, dishes that stem from a mix of Chinese and Malay cultures specific to certain parts of Malaysia, including Malacca. The base for Malay cuisine is spicy and salty and is usually prepared using sambal-chili paste, shallots and belacan or shrimp paste. Peranakan cooking is an endless concoction of flavors, not all dishes are spicy and the level of spiciness can easily be adjusted to match each traveler's taste. After you sip on a refreshing welcome drink, join Cat at her table to enjoy a meal that might include dishes such as keropok & cucumber with sambal ikan bilis (fish crackers with white bait sambal) or otak otak (ground fish wrapped in a leaf parcel and steamed or grilled) or pineapple kerabu (salad) or jiu hu char (stir fried jicama with shredded cuttlefish). For main you will enjoy chicken pongteh with potato (chicken in fermented soy bean) or stir-fry tamarind prawns or ikan chuan chuan (fish in fermented bean paste), served with spicy okra sambal or pucuk paku masak lemak (vegetables in coconut milk) or kangkong masak titek (morning glory in fermented krill broth). End your meal with kuih ee (sticky glutinous rice balls in syrup) or ang ku kueh (sweet dumpling), traditional bite-sized desserts popular in Malaysia.
Cooking experience (1 - 6 guests) Cat offers a hands-on cooking class in Malacca, during which you will get to cook along with her. Learn to cook a main dish and dessert in your 1.5 hour Peranakan cooking class in Malacca. Help Cat cut ingredients, cook them and add finishing touches to a traditional Malay meal. Learn to make chicken pongteh with potato (chicken in fermented soy bean) or stir-fry tamarind prawns or ikan chuan chuan (fish in fermented bean paste) and kueh (a traditional dessert). After cooking enjoy the meal you helped prepare together.
Notes: Please include your spice preference and any food allergies you might have when making your booking.
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This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
A Traveling Spoon ambassador visited this host. Here is their personal review.
I can’t say enough great things about my experience with Cat. Not only is she an incredible host and cook, she has such an abundance of knowledge about local cuisine, traditions, and history and I really enjoyed our chat throughout the meal experience. I was so curious and asked so many questions about the ingredients, different cooking processes and techniques, in addition to about local customs and traditions related to the food and she was so passionate about sharing her knowledge with me, it was so refreshing and fun to see how much fun she was having as well. She is so warm and personable, and really made me feel comfortable and at ease at her home as soon as she greeted me. Cat went above and beyond and also took me on a market tour when I inquired if that was an offering. The market tour was one of the highlights of my experience and I highly recommend it to any other Traveling Spoon visitor. Cat is very accommodating and passionate about hosting and cooking and goes out of her way to tailor the experience to each guests interests/passions and i found that really extraordinary.
Natasha, Traveling Spoon Ambassador
Pricing (per person)*
| 1 person | 4 people | 5+ people | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-Home Meal | $65 | $55 | $55 |
| Cooking Experience + Meal | $75 | $65 | $65 |
| *Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout. | |||
| Lunch | Dinner | |
|---|---|---|
| In-Home Meal | 1:00pm - 03:00pm | |
| Cooking Experience + Meal | 12:00pm - 03:00pm |
Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.
