Recently, we hosted two lovely sisters, Wendy & Bev from Australia, who wanted to enjoy a different activity apart from the usual mangrove tours and sunset cruises when they arrived at beautiful Langkawi.
They were part of a tour group which had a choice of an activity to do, and they chose the Buluh & Tebing cooking class – the only outdoor cooking class offered on this island paradise – nestled in nature’s embrace on a hillside near Durian Perangin waterfall.
And according to them, it was definitely the right choice! After picking them up from their hotel at 8.30am, we proceeded to visit the local wet market in Ayer Hangat town, where they marvelled at the bountiful catch from the local fishermen.
There were tunas, garupas, snappers, rays, mackerels, barracudas as well as plentiful prawns and mud crabs that were as fresh as if you caught them yourself. Besides that, they also learnt a few of the local vegetables and fruits which they have not seen before and a variety of homemade local snacks and biscuits that are unique to this country.
After a brief tour of the market, we proceeded to Buluh & Tebing where the fun truly began. The class was taught in an open kitchen restaurant encircled by lush greenery, a pond, an herb garden and a stream nearby, which make up 5-acres of working farm.
Bev and Wendy got to ‘work’ after arriving and cooling down with our floral-scented ice water. They began the class – taught by our enthusiastic instructor Cik Rose – with satay, which is Malaysia’s traditional and quintessential hor d’oeuvre – sweet marinated meat on a skewer.
Both the sisters relished the task and did a great job preparing the satay! Their expressions tell it all and the dish turned out amazingly tasty, with the guidance from Cik Rose.
Next, they tackled mi goreng, or fried noodles. A dish so beloved, you can find them in every corner of this country! The combination of chicken pieces, fresh prawns, yellow noodles and vegetables in savoury sauce tossed together in a hot wok was well executed by both of them and they thoroughly enjoyed their own ‘handy work’.
Being amidst nature, they inevitably soaked up the serene environment while cooking and also spent some time exploring the 150-year-old kampung house situated in the farm before preparing dessert, the Onde-onde. Made from glutinous flour filled with gula melaka (palm sugar) in the centre and desiccated coconut on the outside, it was a sweet ending to the cooking class, which concluded around half past noon.
To say the least, it was an experience which both Bev and Wendy will not soon forget. And hopefully, a cooking lesson they will put to good use when they return home to Australia.
