Cookery Course - Hotel Equatorial

The best souvenir you can bring home from Melaka is the cuisine. The Hotel Equatorial runs the only cookery course in town, which is available both as part of a hotel package and as an independent course. Instruction in Nonya cooking is given at the hotel's Seri Peranakan Restaurant by its head chef, Bong Geok Choo.

The hotel package, the 'Wok and Walk', includes a one-night stay in a 'superior' room, one buffet breakfast, one Nonya set lunch, one buffet dinner, two cooking workshop sessions, a walking tour of historical Melaka and a souvenir cookbook. It's quite a bargain when you consider that the published price of a one-night stay in a superior room without all the extras is nearly twice this amount.

If you'd rather take the course à la carte, two-hour classes are given for either lunch or dinner and include a set meal and a certificate of completion. You'll cook three Nonya dishes, including specialities such as ayam pong teh (miso soy chicken) or udang lemak nenas (prawns with pineapple and spicy coconut), hands-on with the chef.

It's advised to book these courses at least one month in advance to secure the availability of the chef, but if you're running late you could always contact the hotel to see if there's space available on an already scheduled course.