Five Ingredients: Malaysian Nyonya - In Person

A hands-on in-person cooking class culminating in a dinner served with wine and beer. This class is limited to 12 students. Review our registration and cancellation policies here. Masks are recommended.

In the "Five Ingredients" series, our aim is to make Asian recipes accessible to anyone intimidated by unknown ingredients, a lack of storage, or a lack of time. In this class, we will make some comforting dishes from Linda's Nyonya repertoire of recipes - simplified to reduce complexity, but still full in flavor! Nyonya (also known as Peranakan) foods are a true Malay and Chinese fusion cuisine that dates back over 600 years. Chinese traders landed in the ports of Singapore, Penang, and Malacca, and while waiting for the season to change, wedded local Malays. These marriages and families gave birth to a new and unique cuisine that is Nyonya. 

You will use a pantry of salt, pepper, sesame oil, soy sauce, and a high-heat neutral oil (ex. grapeseed, rice bran) and add to it no more than 5 other ingredients per recipe. If you're looking for new weeknight meal ideas or feel overwhelmed by the breadth of Asian pantry ingredients and don't know where to start, join us. Let's cook this homestyle Nyonya meal together!

MENU

Radish Omelette—Sweet Pickled Radish

Jiu Hu Char—Jicama and Cuttlefish Stirfry

Cincalok Chicken—Chicken with Fermented Shrimp

Assam Pan Fried Jumbo Shrimp—Shrimp with Tamarind and Kicap Manis

Tau Yu Bak—Pork Belly with Soy Caramel and Garlic

Steamed White Rice

This menu contains the following common allergens: Shellfish, Egg, Soy, Wheat. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions that concern your ability to cook along, please e-mail info@18reasons.org before purchasing a ticket.

Let’s Cook Together! 

Linda Tay Esposito is a teaching chef whose food represents a tribute and commitment to the authenticity of the cuisines of the Pacific Rim. For the last 18 years, Linda has shared her passion and knowledge of East & South East Asian cuisines through Bay Area cooking schools - Cavallo Point, Sur La Table, Parties That Cook and Whole Foods Market. Linda’s teaching philosophy is to make these cuisines approachable to the home cook, while respecting the cuisine’s heritage and authenticity in taste. Besides 18 Reasons, Linda also shares her Nyonya food passion with Milk Street Kitchen and leads a community culinary program on Asian vegetables for Radical Family Farms.

An all-around food professional, Linda’s consulting work centers around helping food businesses flourish through the intersectional lens of food, sustainability and equity. Her past experience includes growing Hodo Foods from an artisanal producer to nationwide distribution, and building inclusive food places. Most recently she led the development of La Cocina Municipal Marketplace – using food as a creative approach to economic development by offering affordable, healthy food options and safe spaces while providing accessible business opportunities for low income, immigrant, women food entrepreneurs. Linda is a member of the Good Food Foundation advisory board and serves on their Equity Task Force. Linda lives in San Francisco. In her free time, she plants Asian herbs at the community garden at Fort Mason. Follow her on Instagram @flavor_explosions

_{Photo credit: Linda Tay Esposito}