Cooking With Alou Reviews

Practical, tasty, interesting and loads of fun! We had a birthday celebration cooking class with Alou. What a great occasion! Was a wonderful idea to cook, learn, laugh and eat together. Alou was very accomodating with our preferences. Unlike other cooking classes I've done I actually think I can make these dishes again at home. Alou has a lovely nature; patient, encouraging and nothing was too much trouble. Highly recommend, and we'll be back another time for sure. Thanks Alou!

I will be relocating to Penang in the new future and during my short visit I wanted a cooking experience that included visiting the market. In the shops I had seen so many vegetables that I had never seen before and don’t know how to prepare. Alou went above and beyond. She is extremely knowledgeable and patient and takes time to answer all your questions.The market experience was so much more than I expected. Alou explained what each of the vegetables could be used for and how they could be prepared. Watching the crushing of coconuts to get the milk was an experience not many would have the privilege of witnessing and then watching and tasting roti and various dishes been made just added to the whole experience. Back at the kitchen, Alou made you feel right at home and was able to articulate what you needed to do and how. I would highly recommend a cooking class with Alou and there are also various dishes to choose from. I feel that I came away having made a friend not that it was just another cooking class that I had attended. This was certainly the highlight of my stay.

We did a cooking class with Alou and it was one of our best experiences during our trip in Malaysia. At first we did a local breakfast at the wet market, afterwards we went through the market to buy the ingredients for our recipes. We learnt a lot and we could try different fruits or herbs. The cooking itself was at Alous house. The meals, which you can cook with Alou, are standing on her website. After we finished our cooking with Alou we all had the final lunch together. It felt like we were at friends‘ house to cook and eat together. The cooking class with Alou is defintely a Must-do when you‘re at Georgetown/Penang. Thank you, Alou!

When I arrived Alou had everything ready. Her kitchen is the type that you know has cooked a lot of amazing meals: spotless and full of everything one would need for making anything one could possibly dream up. I had asked to make Laksa and shrimp dumplings. Having lived in Penang, I knew a lot about the local cuisine and spices. If you are a newcomer to the area, I would recommend going with Alou to the wet market where you can learn about the local spices: galangal, candlenuts, and Vietnamese coriander to name a few. The best way to get to know a place is through its food! Laksa is a local favorite, and Nyonya blends the cooking styles of the Thai, the Malay and the Straits Chinese, you can't get more local than that. Alou is a skilled teacher and a wonderful human. We also made homemade dumplings. We laughed at some of the shapes I came up with, mine may have been ugly, but they sure tasted delicious. By the end I had mastered the art of making a reasonable looking dumpling. We also made mango sticky rice for dessert. Alou had soaked the rice overnight in with blue flowers. The rice looked as good as it tasted. Overall I have to give this experience and A+. This was also the best meal I've ever had in Penang, and as most of you know who've been here, that's saying a lot. I recommend "cooking with Alou," to all: beginning cooks, reluctant cooks, and expert cooks.'

Highly recommend Cooking with Alou, our family had a wonderful experience. There were 7 of us, ages ranging from 10 to 70 years, and Alou made sure it was fun, informative, and delicious. She welcomes you into her home and it felt very personalised. The photos are also a nice touch. Thanks Alou.

Had a great experience at Cooking with Alou - morning started at Tanjung Bungah markets for breakfast and tour of market. Then back to Alou's home to cook some really great dishes which will be easily prepared at home - a lot of the time, cooking classes are great - but you probably won't replicate the dishes at home due to complexity of techniques used, or being able to source ingredients. A really great morning - would highly recommend to anyone wanting to increase their kitchen repertoire. Alou is a great teacher and extremely knowledgeable. Lovely home setting (inside in air conditioned comfort) for the class.

Best experience! We felt as if this was such a worthwhile and authentic way to spend our limited time in Penang. Alou was so lovely and very informative throughout our time together. Being able to walk through the markets with a local meant plenty of opportunities for free samples (without the heckling!). We made a delicious laksa back at her house and ate our meal together. Lovely experience and would 100% recommend.

We absolutely loved our cooking experience with Alou. She took us to the market we we had delicious breakfast then fried many different fruits, herbs and spices, and learnt all about the different varieties of food used in Malaysia. We then went back to her house and made the most delicious laksa and salad. Alou and Matt were so friendly and welcoming, we had the best day!

Last week we had the pleasure of meeting Alou for a morning at the local market followed by a cooking class at her beautiful home! At the market we tastes all kinds of fruit and herbs, Alou is very knowledgeable and gives hints and tips on how to use various vegetables, herbs and spices in local dishes. Her husband Matt shares his local knowledge, including the best way to drink coffee at hawker stalls! We had a lovely time and it felt as if Alou and Matt had all the time in the world for us. We highly recommend getting in touch with Alou to plan your cooking class! Thank you Alou and Matt for showing us a bit of life in Penang! Annet and Patrick