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Host: Catherina

Malacca, Malaysia

USD
$84-$114 per person

Traditional Peranakan and Malay cooking in Malacca

Host offerings
  • Apartment
  • Home cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Catherina

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!

What to expect

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.

Languages spoken: English, Mandarin, Malay

Sample menu

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.
  • Welcome Drink: Blue Pea Flower & Pandan or Lemongrass Gula Melaka Drink
  • Appetizer: 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)
  • Main: Chicken Pongteh with Potato (chicken in fermented soy bean) or Stir-fry Tamarind Prawns or Ikan Chuan Chuan (fish in fermented bean paste)
  • Vegetable: Spicy Okra Sambal or Pucuk Paku Masak Lemak (vegetables in coconut milk) or Kangkong Masak Titek (morning glory in fermented krill broth)
  • Dessert: Kuih Ee (sticky glutinous rice balls in syrup) or Ang Ku Kueh (sweet dumpling)
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
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

Traveler reviews

5.0 (1)
Catherina is a good host , she provide a good services . And the food taste is good , the food quality is good also.
- 139RK139 December 03, 2019
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Catherina

$84-$114 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • No waiting! Booking confirmed instantly
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $99 $84 $84
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $114 $99 $99
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $99 $84 $84
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $114 $99 $99
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 1:00pm-3:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 12:00pm-3:00pm

Meet Catherina

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!

What to expect

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.

Languages spoken: English, Mandarin, Malay

Sample menu

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.
  • Welcome Drink: Blue Pea Flower & Pandan or Lemongrass Gula Melaka Drink
  • Appetizer: 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)
  • Main: Chicken Pongteh with Potato (chicken in fermented soy bean) or Stir-fry Tamarind Prawns or Ikan Chuan Chuan (fish in fermented bean paste)
  • Vegetable: Spicy Okra Sambal or Pucuk Paku Masak Lemak (vegetables in coconut milk) or Kangkong Masak Titek (morning glory in fermented krill broth)
  • Dessert: Kuih Ee (sticky glutinous rice balls in syrup) or Ang Ku Kueh (sweet dumpling)
PERSONALLY VETTED REVIEW
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

Traveler reviews

5.0 (1)
Catherina is a good host , she provide a good services . And the food taste is good , the food quality is good also.
- 139RK139 December 03, 2019
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $99 $84 $84
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $114 $99 $99
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ people
In-Home Meal
 $99 $84 $84
Cooking Experience + Meal
 $114 $99 $99
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
 Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
 1:00pm-3:00pm
Cooking Experience+ Meal
 12:00pm-3:00pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

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.

FAQ

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

    Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

    Your host's detailed contact information, including their phone number, address, and direction notes, will all be provided immediately upon successful confirmation of your experience (after your hosts accepts your booking and your credit card is successfully processed). This information will be emailed to you to the email address you used to sign up, and will also be visible on your Traveling Spoon profile.

    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

    Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the “Notes” section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.