The KitchenUpcoming cooking Classes
A place to cook, taste and understand Southeast Asian food — from its ingredients and techniques to its cultural and ecological roots.
A little cooking, plenty of toppings, and good company around the table.
Inspired by my memories of Malaysian street vendors, this social cooking session celebrates economy meehoon: simple stir-fried rice noodles served with a tempting selection of accompaniments. The joy is in choosing—something spicy, something crispy, a spoonful of curry and making every plate your own.
Come on your own or bring a friend for a relaxed gathering with time to cook, chat, discover new flavours and enjoy a meal together. Beginners are welcome.
A little cooking, a shared meal
Join me to prepare and stir-fry the rice noodles together, then tuck into side dishes I’ve prepared ahead. This is a partially hands-on experience: the cooking focuses on the noodles, while the accompaniments are ready for you to taste and enjoy.
What’s on the table?
Build your own plate and mix and match flavours and textures. The selection may include:
Sambal: a vegan version, alongside a separate version containing belacan (shrimp paste).
Tofu: a plant-based accompaniment to enjoy with the noodles and sambal.
Peanuts: for a little crunch.
Potato curry: potatoes cooked with aromatic spices.
Fried eggs: to add to your plate.
Fishcakes and fishballs: served fried or braised in soy sauce.
Seafood accompaniments: varying with the session’s menu.
Seasonal plant-based sides: additional dishes inspired by available ingredients.
Plant-based and mixed-menu options
Both plant-based eaters and those who enjoy eggs, fish and seafood are welcome. The plant-based selection includes noodles prepared without animal ingredients, vegan sambal, tofu, peanuts, potato curry and seasonal sides. Egg, fish and seafood accompaniments are offered separately.
Please indicate each participant’s meal preference when booking. Other dietary requirements can be requested; please contact me before booking so I can confirm whether they can be accommodated. Ingredients vary between sessions, and the kitchen handles allergens, so please check with me in advance about food allergies.
Come hungry and make yourself at home at the noodle table.
A sensory exploration of flavour, food traditions and living ecosystems.
Discover herbs that play an important role in Southeast Asian cooking and explore the connections between plants, people and the environments in which they grow.
Join me for a class that combines sensory exploration, discussion and hands-on preparation of nasi ulam—Malaysian herb rice. Through touching, smelling and tasting, become familiar with the character of different herbs and learn how to bring their flavours into your cooking.
Explore through your senses
Examine the leaves, textures and aromas of herbs used in Southeast Asian kitchens. Discover how cutting, crushing and cooking can change their character, and learn when to use them fresh or add them during cooking.
Understand their place in the ecosystem
Look beyond the kitchen to discuss how these plants interact with their surroundings, including their relationships with soil, insects and other plants. Explore how growing, sourcing and harvesting herbs connects everyday food choices with biodiversity and the knowledge of communities who use them.
Share ideas and discover local alternatives
Exchange ideas for using herbs in everyday meals, from rice dishes and salads to soups, curries and accompaniments. Explore how herbs grown locally, sourced from farms or gathered responsibly from the wild might offer alternatives when Southeast Asian ingredients are unavailable.
Consider substitutions through aroma, flavour, texture and culinary purpose, while recognising that each plant brings its own character to a dish.
Bring your discoveries to the table
Put your sensory observations into practice by preparing nasi ulam. Learn to handle and finely slice herbs, combine aromatic ingredients and balance flavours and textures. Finish by enjoying the dish together, with time to share observations and ideas for your own kitchen.
Who is this class for?
Suitable for culinary students and food enthusiasts who want to deepen their understanding of Southeast Asian herbs and explore creative ways to use them. No previous experience with Southeast Asian cooking is needed.
Come with curiosity and leave with a deeper appreciation of the plants that flavour our food—and the ecosystems and food traditions they belong to.
For larger group bookings or to arrange a different date or time, please contact me directly.
Stretch, fold, cook — and discover the joy of making roti canai from scratch.
Soft, flaky and crisp around the edges, roti canai is one of Malaysia’s most loved breads. In this hands-on cooking class, you’ll learn how to make roti canai from the beginning — mixing and working the dough, stretching it thin, folding it into layers and cooking it on the pan.
Alongside the roti, we’ll prepare a comforting dhal — a gently spiced lentil stew made for scooping up with freshly cooked bread.
Come on your own or bring a friend. Beginners are welcome, and no special equipment or previous bread-making experience is needed.
What are we making?
During the class, we’ll prepare:
Roti canai: Malaysian-style layered flatbread, stretched, folded and pan-cooked until golden and flaky.
Dhal: a warming lentil stew cooked with spices and aromatics, served alongside the roti.
Once the cooking is finished, we’ll sit down and enjoy what we’ve made together.
More than a recipe
Roti canai is also part of Malaysia’s everyday food culture — something eaten for breakfast, lunch, supper or whenever the craving appears.
During the class, I’ll share a little about how roti canai is eaten in Malaysia, the dishes served alongside it and the food culture surrounding the roti table.
Dietary requirements
Please let me know about dietary requirements when booking. If you have food allergies, contact me before booking so I can confirm whether they can be accommodated.
The kitchen handles allergens, including gluten, so cross-contact may be possible.
Want to take it further?
After learning the foundations of roti canai and dhal, returning participants can continue with Session 2.
We’ll explore dalcha — a Malaysian lentil, meat and vegetable curry that pairs beautifully with roti — and take the roti-making a little further by trying different variations, including filled roti and sweet dessert-style roti canai.
It’s a chance to build on the techniques from the first class, experiment with different ways of shaping and filling roti, and discover just how versatile one dough can be.
Come ready to stretch some dough, get your hands a little oily and eat plenty of warm roti.
Re’itas IS AN INDEPENDENT INITIATIVE I AM DEVELOPING TO CONNECT INDIGENOUS FOOD KNOWLEDGE, BIODIVERSITY AND FOOD EDUCATION BETWEEN MALAYSIA, SOUTHEAST ASIA AND FINLAND. I STARTED THIS WORK BECAUSE I WANT IT TO CREATE MEANINGFUL CHANGE IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND SUPPORT FUTURE GENERATIONS. BY BECOMING A SUPPORTER, YOU HELP ME CONTINUE THROUGH CONSENT-BASED DOCUMENTATION, LEARNING MATERIALS, WORKSHOPS AND PUBLIC ACTIVITIES, AND MAKE THIS EDUCATION MORE WIDELY ACCESSIBLE.
helsinki-based BAKING LITTLE BITES OF MALAYSIA ONE “KUIH” AT A TIMe, KEEPING GRANDMOTHERS' RECIPES BUSY IN THE NORTH.
Kuih & Co.
Curious about kuih-muih? Start here, available for pickup and delivery.
