Malaysian “binalot” = nasi lemak: Soften banana leaf over hot stove. Place a cup of coconut rice at the center. Add a spoonful of sambal,* sliced boiled egg, spicy squid, a piece of chicken curry. Garnish with peanuts, dilis and cucumber. Wrap then serve.

This is a sneak peek at Makan Ria! A True Taste of Malaysia, a cooking class I attended at Enderun Colleges recently. Instructed by the school’s corporate culinary head, Chef See Cheong Yan, this was part of the school’s Food Lovers series of one-day culinary courses. Featuring traditional Malaysian cuisine, this particular class presented popular hawker fare that Chef See grew up with and cooks for his family to this day.

Pulut bubur hitam: Black glutinous rice porridge drizzled with freshly squeezed coconut cream, a popular afternoon repast.

Some parts of the class brought back memories, such as Chef See’s stone mortar and pestle (left) used by old women cooks in my family and black skinned, overripe bananas (right) which my mom liked to turn into banana fritters when we were kids.

Goreng pisang: A common afternoon snack, the Malaysian version were crunchy and chewy banana patties with whole monggo beans.

My kind of chef, Chef See prefers to create most things from scratch and refuses to settle for mediocre. Showing us the instant variety versus the real thing, e.g. teh tarik (“pulled tea” in a sachet) and fresh, hard-to-find flat rice noodles for the char kuay teow (below) gives us students a complete perspective, and lets us appreciate real food and the slow, painstaking process more.

Authentic ingredients: Chinese sausages from Penang (left). “I drive for hours just to eat these things!” says Chef See. Killer ingredient: Char kuay teow won’t taste the same without the deliciously deadly pork lard (right).

Char kuay teow: Originating from Penang Island, this Chinese all-day snack is a savory mound of stir-fried flat rice noodles with sambal, shrimp, pork, Chinese sausage, egg, bean sprouts, kutchay (see garlic chives) and cockles (batotoy). Chef See’s version using fresh rice noodles was just divine.

The intimate class size allowed for more interaction with our instructor as well as easy learning. (from left to right): Classmates Noelle Cruz (Aubergine), Jennifer de Jesus (Manila Bulletin) and Trixie Hafalla (EDSA Shangri-la).

Curry from scratch: Cinnamon bark, cardamom, star anise, fennel roasted together with peppercorns, then ground with turmeric and chili powder. My curry standards would never be the same!

The photogenic chef ( ) dilutes belacan (shrimp paste) in water (left), a main ingredient in *sambal (right). The “mother sauce” of Malaysian cooking is a heady, laborious mix of onions, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, chili paste, tamarind paste, salt, sugar, oil and belacan.

Students Ronnie and Trixie help with the plating.

The nasi lemak unwrapped, ready for sampling.

With this short course, I didn’t just learn about cooking. I gained more knowledge about a place I once visited but whose cuisine made an impression. The class also reinforced pride for my own multicultural heritage. Chef See’s witty anecdotes, engaging historical references, great life stories and future plans to help the provincial poor make a living by cooking were all inspiring food for thought.

“After you leave here, you have to deconstruct. (Ask yourself): How can I make this better than him? Then it becomes your own style. Then you become a better cook than whoever taught you.”
– Chef See Cheong Yan

To know more about Chef See’s Malaysian cooking class and schedule, call (+632) 6385555, (+63917) 8077986, or email admissions@enderuncolleges.com. Food Lovers by Enderun also features French, Spanish, Italian and various cuisines.

Related post:

Enderun’s Culinary Foundation Course Batch 2: Graduation Day