During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), China’s emperor established trade settlements in Malaysia, giving birth to a new Chinese-Malay culture characterised by Nyonya cuisine, named after a word for its female descendents.

At Four Seasons Resort Langkawi, this rich culinary history is shared in weekly cooking classes with the Resort’s chefs in the Serai pavilion. In four different modules, students will discover that the Chinese weren’t the only culture to influence the kitchens of the region: other lands on the old spice routes, including Thailand, Indonesia, India and the Middle East, brought more new ideas, resulting in today’s spicy Malaysian cuisine.

Two-hour classes include exploration of ingredients from lemongrass and nutmeg to turmeric and galangal, preparation of authentic dishes, a three-course lunch and a signature apron and recipe folder to take home.