A Malay Gem: Cooking with Pearly

market squid. fresh.
Market squid. Typical fresh malay ingredients.

We miss cooking at home. A LOT. Luckily, people all over the world love to cook, and the nature of food is sharing, and spending time with friends and loved ones. So, taking cooking classes has been one of the best things we’ve done on our trip so far. And Pearly’s class was truly a treat.

We started at the local wet market where she showed us ingredients that we would be using (and some super weird ones that we wouldn’t be using…) We got to try different foods along the way, and that made the market a pretty amazing treat in itself.

stingray!
stingray!
crab sashimi?
crab sashimi?
BLACK CHICKENS! don't be racist.
BLACK CHICKENS! don’t be racist. (Their feathers look normal. When they are alive, you can only tell they are black by their feet!)
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Traditional Nyonya cooking at its best.
Making a delicious pancake/peanut/waffle treat. (See below.)
Making a delicious pancake/peanut/waffle treat. (See below.)
Right?
Right?
pearly describing how these black eggs taste... appetizing, right?
Pearly describing how these 100 year old eggs taste. They are soaked in horse urine, covered in charcol, and set for years until they are sufficently full of estrogen. Women eat them to curb menopause symptoms. Appetizing, right?
Fish heads... Full of collogen and other really good stuff.
Fish heads… Full of collogen and other really good stuff.
"Want to hold the fish?" "YES I want to hold the fish." "Hold the tail in this hand, and hook your finger in the eye socket." He did it without hesitation.
“Want to hold the fish?” “YES I want to hold the fish.” “Hold the tail in this hand, and hook your finger in the eye socket.” He did it without hesitation.
Cooking in the back of a van. Parked on the side of the road.
Cooking in the back of a van. Parked on the side of the road.
Rice "noodles" steaming on the sidewealk.
Rice “noodles” steaming on the sidewealk.

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Final product. Yes thats sugar. You roll the noddles up and bite it like a spring roll. A spring roll from heaven...
Final product. Yes thats raw coconut and brown sugar. You roll the noodles up and bite it like a spring roll. A spring roll from heaven…

We were feeling pretty stuffed with coconut, sweets, rice and all sorts of traditional “nonya” foods as we strolled out of the market and made our way to Pearly’s home to start our cooking.

cooking stations!
cooking stations!

On the menu? Curry captain, beef rendang, and prawns with cashew sauce. When asked how chicken curry got the name “curry captain” Pearly explained.  Long ago, Malays were cooking for a ship’s crew. They made their famous curry dish for supper and when the captain asked what it was, their language barrier stopped them from explaining it, so they simply said “curry, captain!” Thus, the dish was named.

Curry paste ingredients, chopped and organized all OCD style. Just how we like it.
Curry paste ingredients, chopped and organized all type-A style. Just how we like it.
Curry sauce cooking down in a clay pot into a paste.
The ingredients aboce were blended into a paste and now that curry sauce is cooking down in a clay pot.
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Raw chicken, chopped red onion, coconut milk, and lime juice with sugar and salt.

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Just add chicken, coconut milk mixture, and onions to make heaven...
Just add chicken (with bones in to maximize vitamin intake), coconut milk mixture, and onions to make heaven…

Onto the local favorite, beef rendang. Think: beef stew with a coconut flavor and a spicy bite.

Pearly showing our friends Simon and Kamille the technique for stirring the beef in the clay pot so it cooks through perfectly and doesn't get dry.
Pearly showing our friends Simon and Kamille the technique for stirring the beef in the clay pot so it cooks through perfectly and doesn’t get dry.
Veggie prepping and washing.
Veggie prepping and washing.
Toasting the fresh grated coconut in the clay pot to give the rendang its amazing flavor.
Toasting the fresh grated coconut in the clay pot to give the rendang its amazing flavor.
Good stuff is brewing...
Good stuff is brewing…
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Sorry (not sorry) we couldn’t share with you.

Last but not least (in fact, probably favorite) the eggplant with prawns in chashew sauce.

Tiny eggplants!
Tiny eggplants!
Pearly's invaluable expertise comin' atchya!
Pearly’s invaluable expertise comin’ atchya!
Prawn prep!
Prawn prep!
Oh, just ripping heads off.
Oh, just ripping heads off.
Expertly deveined.
Expertly deveined.
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Ingredients ready to be made into one delicious dish.
Sambal Eggplant Prawn dish beautifully plated by Chef Osterhoff.
Sambal Eggplant Prawn dish beautifully plated by Chef Osterhoff. Peppers, carmelized onions, and cashews to garnish.

 

All aboard the Curry Captain boat.
All aboard the Curry Captain boat. (Finished Beef Rendeng to the right)
Time to stuff ourselves.
Time to stuff ourselves.

Thanks to Pearly and Chandra for the absolutely amazing course. We loved the market and the cooking itself was insightful, and Pearly kept us laughing the whole time. So glad to we chose her class!

Do it yourself:

There are a variety of cooking classes in Penang and while this is the only one we took, we recommend it strongly! It was an incredible experience. Pearly has her own recipe book (this woman is legit and knows every little detail about Nyonya Malay cooking. From nutrition to how to prepare, she really is incredible.) The market tour isn’t just a “walk through and see” experience. The vendors here are her friends and you really get a personal chance to meet them, and of course, try things you may not be brave enough (or know about on your own) to try otherwise.

Check out Pearly’s Penang Homecooking School for more details. We thought the class was more than fairly priced for what we got. At 270RM ($78) per person, it was worth every penny. Not convinced? Her TripAdvisor reviews echo our sentiments.

We were sent home with recipies and two great new friends from Denmark. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend a day in Penang, the (arguable) food capital of Southeast Asia.

2 Responses

  1. Hey you guys!
    Thank you for a lovely day! It was great to meet you and nice to share a day of salivating cooking. Fun to read about it and see all your pictures and witty descriptions – you managed to do it justice!
    Hope you enjoyed/are enjoying Langkawi! We are chilling on a perfect beach on Koh Samui – come visit us! 🙂
    – Simon & Kamille

    1. Hey guys! So great to hear from you. We are hopping around the Thai islands now and are heading to Krabi in a few days to climb. If you’re in the area, let us know! It would be great to see you. Hope the rest of your trip is going great! Hugs!

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