Cooking Class in Sabah

Cooking classes in Sabah are quite rare but i was fortunate enough to be introduced to a traditional Sabah home cooking class by Hajjah Halimah in Kota Kinabalu. The cooking classes are actually held in her spacious home near Kinarut which is about 30 minutes from KK town. Being the first ever cooking tours in sabah, this is something that would interest those who love local food when traveling. This cooking class also teaches you how to cook traditional Sabahan Bajau home cooking.

Cooking class shopping at a local market in Sabah

Cooking class tours

The class starts with a well knowledge guide that picks you up from your hotel and then takes you to the local wet market at around 9am. At the market, you will be led to various stalls where you will be introduced to a number of herbs and spices. Local names which are translated to English are shared where guest will also have a chance to smell and taste some of them before they are purchased for the coking classes. 

As you explore the market, you will be brought to buy spices, herbs and meats before heading back to Hajjah Halimahs cooking class in Kinarut. The wet market experience will take about one hour and journey back another 30 minutes.

 

 

Cooking class area 

So you think you can cook?

When you reach the Sabah cooking classes, you will be personally welcomed by the chef and her assistants at a beautiful covered outdoor area. A welcome drink is served while you will be briefed on how the classes will be conducted in English. Aprons are provided as you are lead to the cooking area where each person has their own little cooking station. 

The lessons begin by cutting the vegetables and preparing the right amount of herbs and spices before getting everything into the pots. As Hajjah Halimah guides you through the process, you will be pleased to know that only basic cooking skills are required for this. Even children can participate in the Sabah cooking classes.

Cut, chop and stir!

As you have already prepared all the ingredients at your station, your next step is to cook that chicken rendang curry. With eyes glued to the cook, it is important to see what goes in first and how long before the next process takes. Overall, the cooking lesson will take about 30 to 45 minutes. In total, guests will learn how to cook three traditional Sabah food dishes. These unique dishes are also from the Bajau ethnic group of Sabah Borneo. 

Feast and fancy

When the cooking class is over,  guests will then be ushered to a table nearby where they will enjoy a sit down lunch with the dishes they cooked. There will be some other accompanying local dishes added to the three main dishes. After my hands-on experience, i could not wait to sample the turnout of my dry chicken rendang dish. It looked appetizing and the moment had come. Steamed white rice was served as our group looked at chef Hajjah to get her approval. As she tasted the chicken, my pulse rose hoping that it was up to her standards. With a nod from her head, she then said that it was pretty good and that gave me a sigh of relief. 

 

Hajjah Halimah demonstrates the cooking

Guests enjoying the food after the cooking classes

We were invited to have our lunch and i must say that apart from the dishes we cooked, the additional dishes were simply mouth-watering and very tasty indeed. After about an hour of lunch, we had some local coffee, wrapped up and then headed back to Kota Kinabalu city. The cooking class was something that i always wanted to try and finally got my chance to do this here in Sabah. If you enjoy cooking or sampling local food and want to experience this, please contact: 

Equator Adventure Tours (Registered with Sabah Tourism Board)

Lot G5, Ground Floor,
Golden Centre Putatan,
P.O.Box 15457,
88863 Kota Kinabalu,
Sabah, Malaysia.

Website: Equator Adventure Tours
Phone: +6088 766351

Mobile: +6 013 889 9535
Fax :  +6088 766352
Email : equatorfpl@gmail.com

Cooking class in Sabah dishes

Nothing beats visiting a new place and trying out something new apart from the usual tourist attraction and now you have a choice to attend a Sabah Cooking Class.