5 Cooking Classes In Melaka: 5 Highest-Rated in 2023!

Are you looking for a cooking class in Melaka?

If you want to learn and cook authentic Melaka cuisine but don’t know how and where to start, taking a cooking class in Melaka can help you enormously.  

Melaka is well known for its Malay-Peranakan Cuisine, a labor of fusion food between Malay and Chinese cultures. From this very historical city, the Baba and Nyonya cuisine spread out to Melaka and ultimately to the world. 

It might be scary at first, especially if you are a beginner. I was once in a similar situation and taking a cooking class helped me tremendously.

I lived and grew up in Malaysia and often visited Melaka, and I know more than the average person about amazing Melaka cuisine. So, I have curated the best cooking class in Melaka and Kuala Lumpur for you to choose from. 

Chef, are you ready? Let’s get started!

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The Best Cooking Class In Melaka: 5 Highest-Rated in 2023!

1. Authentic Peranakan And Malay Cuisine In A Local Home In Malacca

⭐️ RATING: 5 out of 5 stars | ⌛️ TOUR LENGTH: 2 hours 

Why Choose This Tour?

Melaka is famous for its authentic Peranakan cuisine.

Peranakan cuisine or also known as Baba and Nyonya cuisine comes from the descendants of Chinese migrants who settled down at Melaka and Penang and married local women in the 15th and 16th centuries. 

Baba Nyonya cuisine is created by combining local spices and ingredients with Chinese wok cooking styles. 

It is known for its flavorful taste combination of sweet, sour, spicy, and salty. 

If you are wondering where you could learn Melaka home cooking class? 

Then you should meet Catherina, your host and also your teacher that will teach you how to make Baba Nyonya cuisine from scratch.

She learns to cook from her late mother and grandmother. She then perfected her techniques and skills by joining cooking classes while traveling around South East Asia. You will enjoy her company and appreciates her insight into cooking skills and get food styling tips. 

The Authentic Peranakan And Malay Cuisine In A Local Home In Malacca includes: 

• Private home-cooked lunch with your host Catherine
• Non-alcoholic beverages
• All taxes, fees, and handling charges
• Gratuities

What past guests loved about the tour:

“We had a lovely time with our host, Catherine! Due to our preferences, she prepared lunch with lots of seafood. The quality was very good and everything tasted delicious. Catherine answered all our questions about the food and how she prepared it. 

After the meal, we had a really nice and informative conversation with her, she also gave us helpful travel advice. It was a great experience and we totally recommend it!”

– Lara S (read more reviews)

2. Make Nyonya Kuih In Melaka

⭐️ RATING: 5 out of 5 stars | ⌛️ TOUR LENGTH: 2 hours 

Why Choose This Tour?

Melaka or Malacca was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Melaka has a rich history and its story was recorded as early as the 15th century.

 Melaka was discovered by a Sumatran prince that ran away from current-day Singapore after killing a high-ranking officer appointed by the King of Siam.

He then forges alliances with the Chinese Ming Dynasty. 

This drew the Chinese traders to Melaka port. As they needed to stay in Melaka for about 6 months while waiting for the monsoon to change before they could go back to China, these men married local women.

This is where the Baba and Nyonya history, cultures, and cuisines thrive. A Peranakan man is called Baba while a woman is known as Nyonya. 

The Nyonya desserts or kuih consist of colorful cakes and various sticky delicacies. They are made from a variety of flavorful ingredients including coconut milk, sweet potatoes, tapioca, palm sugar, and pandan leaves. 

Nyonya Kuihs are enjoyed during tea time and as part of the menu on festive occasions. Traditional Peranakan girls are trained in these culinary art skills for a better marriage. 

You can learn basic baking classes in Melaka here with your teacher and host Li Ting. This young Peranakan lady with her mom will teach you their family’s secret recipes. 

Did you know traditionally, Nyonya recipes were very closely guarded among Peranakans?

In this Melaka home cooking class, you will learn how to make Angku Kuih a glutinous  rice dumpling with sweet mung beans filling, pineapple tart a crispy open-faced tart with pineapple topping, and Onde-onde a Malaysian mochi with liquid Gula Melaka filling. 

The Make Nyonya Kuih In Melaka includes:

• Ingredients to make Nyonya Kuih (Pineapple jam and pastry will be pre-made and provided)
• Coffee and/or tea
• Use of kitchen utensils
• A copy of the recipe

What past guests loved about the tour:

“We had an awesome time with Li Ting. She was very patient yet very professional in how she handled our questions. There was another family besides ours and with the smaller class size, we could really achieve a lot. 

We made three different types of kuih and she was able to explain the steps in detail. Even my son, a novice at baking could understand her instruction clearly.

It was a delight to be able to eat the fruit of our labor and both Li Ting and her mom went around to ensure that our kuih was shaped correctly and done properly. 

It is truly worthwhile to learn about Nyonya culture through the kuih we made. I would recommend this class to anyone visiting Malacca because it was a fun, enjoyable, and great experience. ”

– Faith Y (read more reviews)

3. Market Visit And Private Hands-On Cooking Class At Daun Senja

⭐️ RATING: 5 out of 5 stars, with more than 24 reviews! | ⌛️ TOUR LENGTH: 4 hours 

Why Choose This Tour?

If you don’t have time to learn cooking classes in Melaka, you can always learn authentic Peranakan and Malay cuisines of Baba Nyonya Melaka in Kuala Lumpur.

Meet your host and teacher Patricia, you will learn Melaka’s home cooking class in her humble abode home in Cheras.

 She will take you on a ride to the wet market, where you can learn the ingredients needed to make authentic delicious home-cooked Peranakan meals from your very hands. 

Patricia and her two beautiful daughters will help you around in the kitchen.

 This is perfect for those who are a beginner. The classes will be conducted in English and kept in a small company of 1 to 4 guests to ensure proper supervision and attention. 

You will learn how to prepare an authentic Malaysia three-course meal, including such dishes as Roti Jala, Nasi Lemak, and Chicken Pong Teh. 

The Market Visit And Private Hands-On Cooking Class At Daun Senja includes:

• Visit a wet market for an authentic Malaysian experience
• Hands-on homestyle Malaysian cooking class
• Lunch

What past guests loved about the tour:

“The most incredible experience in Malaysia. Patricia is such a kind, funny, knowledgeable, and humble soul – with two beautiful daughters. We will forever be grateful for taking us into her home and allowing us to film the whole experience.

The local market and area are so different from central KL – it’s calmer, slower, and more peaceful. We could not see any other tourists there – a truly authentic experience. 

The people in the local market were incredibly friendly and kind. I would highly recommend this cooking class: the food we cooked was amazing, the company was amazing, and the whole experience was authentic. 

Patricia and her family really make you feel welcome. She’s an amazing woman. Her communication before the class was also brilliant – she keep us in the loop and up to date. 10/10 would recommend it!”

– Shelina H (read more reviews)

4. Malaysian Cooking Classes

⭐️ RATING: 5 out of 5 stars, with more than 31 reviews! | ⌛️ TOUR LENGTH: 4 hours 

Why Choose This Tour?

You might be surprised that you could enroll in Melaka cooking class in Kuala Lumpur. This is perfect for those who are not planning to travel to Melaka but want to learn the Peranakan and Malay cuisine at the heart of the city of Kuala Lumpur. 

After pick up from your hotel, you will be greeted at the local market by your host, Ana. You will get to learn all the ingredients needed to make authentic Malaysian food. 

Ana and her team are very passionate about preserving Malaysian recipes. A rich heritage in diverse multicultural backgrounds and different flavors of the Malay, Chinese, and Indian descendants.

You will get a chance to learn more and pluck herbs and spices used in Malaysian cuisine with Ana’s homegrown organic herbs and spices in her garden. 

You then will prepare your own three-course lunch, consisting of an appetizer, main course, and dessert.  Ingredients can be adjusted according to your own needs and desires. 

They also provide options to make a vegetarian-friendly menu and can cater to other dietary requirements. 

Who said you can only take a cooking class in Melaka? 

The Malaysian Cooking Classes includes:

• Each participant will get an individual set of equipment; gas burner stove, countertop, cooking utensils, traditional utensils, mortar, and pestle.
• Snacks
• Coffee and/or tea

What past guests loved about the tour:

“This cooking experience was certainly beyond our expectations. It began with a punctual pick-up from our hotel. Next came the market visit where we had breakfast and learned the names, smells, textures, tastes, and looks of the ingredients we were to cook with. 

We learned how to respect and love the ingredients just as much as we should love the experience of cooking for ourselves and our loved ones. Zeera was a great guide, very informative and experienced. 

Then we drove off to the cooking school which was located in a magical-looking place in KL. We were greeted by two amazing women Irene and Ana. The house was designed perfectly for the cooking experience. 

As much as I explain what a wonderful experience we had cooking local delicious recipes, I can say this is a trip not to be missed. 

Irene explained step by step how we were going to cook each separate recipe. Everything was provided from utensils to ingredients to an individual cooking area (stoves etc) and we even had our own recipe book to take home.

The whole staff from owners to chefs to kitchen helpers all worked in harmony to provide us with a great learning experience.   

We were teamed up with another couple who were similar in age and we also had a great time together. I could go on and on but what I would love to say is thank you to Ana, Irene, Zeera, and your whole staff team for this unforgettable cooking class.

We highly recommend it! ”

– Arforever (read more reviews)

5. New Malaysian Kitchen Cooking Class And Garden Tour

⭐️ RATING: 5 out of 5 stars, with more than 37 reviews! | ⌛️ TOUR LENGTH: 4 hours 

Why Choose This Tour?

Sara Khong is one of the famous YouTubers and professional cooks in Malaysia. She also writes her own cookbook and shares the recipes and techniques that she learns over the years from her mother and friends. 

You will feel welcome at her home and will be shown around her organic edible garden with over 50 herbs, spices, and flowers used in everyday cooking. 

Sara and her mother will supervise and give their utmost attention to you in helping you to apprehend your new skills. You will enjoy this one-to-one attention from Sara as this will be a guide in a small group limited to six students. 

You will make, hands-on, five Malaysian food of your own choosing in a real Malaysian kitchen. You will also bring back a recipe booklet so that you can cook all the dishes that you have learned for your family and friends. 

Taking a Melaka home cooking class with Sara and her mom would be an enjoyable and memorable memory for years to come. 

The New Malaysian Kitchen Cooking Class And Garden Tour includes:

• Breakfast
• Hands-on homestyle Malaysian cooking class

What past guests loved about the tour:

“It was such a pleasure to visit Ms. Sara’s kitchen and garden. We thoroughly enjoyed the cooking class and the wider experience. We cooked Hokkien Mee, Chicken Rendang, and Fish Curry. 

We started by picking some of the ingredients from the vegetable garden and moved into the kitchen. Both of us were pleasantly surprised with the taste of our own efforts! 

The class was extremely well-prepared. All utensils were ready and there was an excellent cookbook to help guide us. 

Ms. Sara was very accommodating with our dietary needs (one of us doesn’t eat meat). Absolutely recommended!”

– A Tripadvisor reviewer (read more reviews)

How To Prepare For A Cooking Class In Melaka?

It might be quite humid and hot in the kitchen, and being comfortable is a must! Here are items that I would recommend you pack: 

• Water Oil Resistant Apron

• Recipe Notebook

• Comfortable Sandal

• Breathable Shirt

• Lightweight Pants

• Tripod for cellphones

FAQs on Cooking Class In Melaka

What Activities Can We Do In Melaka?

There are a lot of activities that you can do while visiting Melaka:

• Dutch Square
• Malacca River
• St Paul’s Hill and Church
• A’Famosa Fort
• Jonker Street
• Baba and Nyonya Heritage Museum
• Harmony Street
• Christ Church
• The Stadthuys

What Is The Opening Hours of Jonker Street?

Jonker Night Street in Melaka is open from 6 pm until 12 pm every weekend on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 

What Food Is Melaka Famous For?

Famous food in Melaka that you should try is Hainanese chicken rice, satay celup (grilled meats, seafood, and vegetables on skewers in peanut sauce), and ayam pong teh. 

Is Melaka Worth Visiting?

Yes. Melaka is worth visiting! This charming UNESCO World Heritage city is the perfect place for your next weekend’s gateway. Melaka is the best way to learn about the past and what makes Malaysia now. From its rich history, strolling ancient colossal buildings and savoring the delicious local Peranakan cuisine will make your visit to Melaka worthwhile.  

Ready To Feel Hands-On Experience Cooking Class In Melaka? 

I am thrilled for you to experience and upskill your cooking skill in Melaka. And if you are a traveler who loves food, I bet you will be having the best of times as I did mine!

Unless you are living in the big cities, where you could get Asian food easily. It is best to take on skills in authentic local cuisine thereby you could cook for yourself and even impress family and friends.

You never know, maybe in the future you will be selling these cuisines in your city!

Now, it is all up to you to choose the best course that is valuable to your time and money.

If you think this article has provided valuable insight in helping you to make the decision, I hope you could help spread this article to your family and friends. I am looking forward to hearing about your experience. 

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