Pearly was in top form as she walked them through Nyonya classics Jiew Hu Char and Otak Otak. Pamela from Spunky Girl admitted she wasn’t so sure about this Nyonya hullaballo and further more ‘JIEW HU CHAR’! And I think she was even considering backing out- to think!

But she put on a brave front and I dare say she’s now a Nyonya convert and lapped up the creamy otak otak wrapped in banana leaves.

To read Spunky Girls Monologues cooking tales, click here.

Post -cooking, I took some time out to explore their blogs and with a young child myself was particularly drawn to Tracy’s travel experiences. But I think what fascinated me more was how one makes that decision to quite jobs, sell the house and go. Whilst the pull for adventure seems to alluring, the processes of doing the former almost seem too daunting. And yet Living Proof walked through our kitchen doors and now the temptation builds!

And to be regaled with Tracy Burns, VagabondFamily.com account of her cooking class, click here.

Ha! But alas, who would look after the gardens and the cooking school – something  I love to do and really, we do inhabit a little pocket of paradise, don’t we?

So ladies, we bid you adieu and to all the farthest corners of the earth you go, do sometimes hold a fleeting memory of your time spent with us at Tropical Spice Garden Cooking School with Pearly and the team. That’s all we ask. We remain…

The Cooking School inhabits what used to be our Museum. The Museum sought to bring to life the rich and turbulent history of the spice trade dating as far back as Roman times. We also had in place a colourful timeline of the ancient spice trade and a visual description of Penangs involvement in the spice trade.

Thankfully all these information boards are in the process of moving in to the gardens where visitors can still be brought back in time as they walk through the spice trails at Tropical Spice Garden.

Spice, food and Penang bloggers, Reese & Mark of Capturing Penang recently wrote a fabulous article for us connecting Tropical Spice Garden to the early development of the island by the East India Company in the late 18^th century.

The article also includes information of Penang’s first botanist Christopher Smith. And of course Penangs spice trade annuls would be incomplete without mention of the ‘Spice Islands’ of the Moluccas, home to the nutmeg and clove.

To learn more about Tropical Spice Garden’s connection to the Spice Route, click over to Capturing Penang for the story.

We look forward to welcoming more articles from Capturing Penang and Season with Spice in the future and we welcome them on board as official contributors to TSG blog and website.

Here’s to Penang and everything we have to offer…

A family holiday in Penang with a cooking class was a total surprise for Joshua Lau from Hong Kong.

Getting the kids 5 to 8 years old up early in the morning with the grandparents was no small feat. But they all arrived at Tropical Spice Garden on the dot, 9am.

Happy Lau Family at TSG Cooking School

Together with sister Winnie, wife Jasmine, mum, dad and brother in law, they were led by Beatrice a mandarin nature guide on the Spice Trail. The kids had a fabulous time running through the paths under the watchful eye of their parents. The cautionary “Don’t run too far ahead!” , “Stay close to us!” did not stop the kids from having fun running everywhere.

For grand pa it was a trek down memory lane. Names of spices and plants came back to him as if he were back on his farm in China.  Joshua was most fascinated seeing his father come to life as he named some herbs and spices he had planted when he was young in China.

The kids couldn’t wait to cook with mum who wanted some help too. As for Jonathan, 5 years old, he was a real surprise to me as he named the vegetables and stuff on the table. I was impressed thinking how much difficulty Jamie Oliver had when he was in America. The kids there did not know the names of fruit or vegetables. And when asked where it came from, their replies made Jamie Oliver cringe.

I am glad when I asked some questions, Jonathan could reply in a jiffy. I am glad, although living in Hong Kong, in a city made of concrete, he knew his stuff. Mum has taught him well.

Lau Juniors hard at work during cooking class

I was so encouraged to see the kids getting their hands dirty and getting involved in the cooking process.. In the case of the parents, learning to cook in Tropical Spice Garden made them see their kids in a different light. So parents, don’t leave the kids out when you are cooking at home. Get them involved as much as possible.

Too many “don’t’s” is being too cautious and restrictive. Instead I would urge parents to encourage and bond with their children in the kitchen. I saw that today and it touched my heart.

Brian and Jonathan had fun teasing their grandma who was also learning to cook despite being a good cook herself. Well grandma says, Indian cuisine is too spicy and I need to learn how to use spices in a non-spicy way.

All the fathers had a great lunch with masala potato, cabbage and cauliflower. The fish cooked in ladies fingers or okra was new for them. Living in Hong Kong they love cooking with sand Ginger, cekur ,and they requested a dish with it.

I could only think of a Nyonya dish so I taught them Hong Kay or renamed Chicken Stew in sand ginger. Traditionally this dish is best cooked and served with pork but we made a halal variation instead. It was a real hit and grandma sais it is a must to cook when she is back in Hong Kong.

Lunch was so much fun. The kids plus adults devoured almost all the Chicken Stew in sand ginger. It is also cooked in coriander and nutmeg powder. The sourish tamarind fish curry with okra was so refreshing says Jasmine. Grandpa agreed all were “Ho sake” or delicious.

It is good to see old people smile and it made my day as they achieved learning cooking Indian food the non spicy way.

2 generations enjoying cooking together at Cooking School

So when you learn cooking in Tropical Spice Garden cooking school, we will try to cater to your needs. Family on holidays, newlyweds on honeymoon, bridal wedding gifts to overseas friends, team cooking, just tell us and we will “manja you”

At Tropical Spice Garden cooking school, the cooking package comes with :

1)     A spice walking trail with nature guide

2)     Free flow of coffee and tea

3)     TSG apron

4)     Lunch

5)     And a whole load of cooking fun and food tips!

Do ring us or book online at 04-8811797 or info@tropicalspicegarden.com

Watch out for Kids cooking class during the holidays! Book now for a cooking class.

Teambuilding cooking is fun too,  will you take up the cooking challenge under Pearly’s ‘strict’ Nyonya guidance?

Flying lemurs are actually not lemurs at all and they don’t fly – how much more misleading can it be! So firstly, let’s clarify what a lemur is. Lemurs are primates and actually evolutionary predecessors to monkeys and apes. There are nearly 60 types of lemurs and are naturally occurring in Madagascar although some have been introduced to neighbouring islands.

And this flying lemur Galeopterus variegatus, doesn’t fly but glides as it leaps from tree top to tree top. They are arboreal creatures [live and feed on tree tops] and also become active at night only.

Malayan Flying Lemur on Spice Terrace #1`

They are not an endangered species but the forest is their home, and protecting their home would certainly be in our interest. Nonetheless they are great little guys to have around and always a joy to spot them. Which really isn’t that often!

So thanks to John Tilyard for sending in these shots!

Flying Lemur looking a bit shy!

White bunga kantan at Tropical Spice Garden

Common name [English] : Torch Ginger

Common name [Malay] : Bunga kantan

Scientific Name: Etlingera elatior

Finally the white bunga kantan flowered! Tropical Spice Garden grows both the common pink variety and we also have in store the red one and after several unsuccessful tries, the lovely white one sprung to life. I was leaning over the bridge adjoining the ticket office to the gravel path leading up to the Gift Shop when own at the valley below, was a white bunga kantan gleaming away at me.

The guides who were present were pleasantly surprised as they had never seen the white kantan before.

Another angle of the white bunga kantan in bloom

Association of Tourism Attractions, Penang [ATAP] ssall be coming into this carnival organized by Tourism Malaysia, Penang Office. Tropical Spice Garden, as an active member of ATAP shall be setting up a booth for the day and offering very attractive discounted entrance raes for self guided and guided tours.

We will also have with us one of our resident chefs, Azizah Osman to demonstrate the art of making a few local kuih delicacies and also up to grabs fresh from our makeshift ‘oven’.

Come and join Tropical Spice Garden at Penang Botanic Gardens on Sat & Sun, 11 – 12 June from 8.30am – 6pm . There are many programs being prepared for this carnival so do check out their Facebook page for more information.

No cars are allowed in so do park and hop on the shuttle service provided.

For more information please follow Tourism Malaysia on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/MOTOURPenangOffice

Teluk Bahang is a renowned fishing village and true enough, Zamani used to be a fisherman on a deep water trawler. After the terrible tsunami in 2004 though, it scared him sufficiently to hang up the proverbial fishing rod and come on down to tend to his second love – plants!

Zamani tending to his basil collection at the spice terraces

Zamani is full of great ideas and together with curator, Kenneth Khoo, they overcome many obstacles to the health of the spices and herbs on the spice terraces. They have cracked their heads over how to beat the matured jungle trees ‘stealing’ all the nutrients from the smaller herbs down below and have come up with a neat system of creating wooden planting boxes, stone barriers and decorative ceramic pots.

Herbs and spices are high maintenance plants which need constant attention – re-potting and pruning and Zamani is just the guy to do it. He can be found every morning cleaning the signboards after a heavy night of rain, pruning away old branches and leaves and planting new herbs and also catching seeds of the spices to germinate both for sale and re-planting.

Happy Zamani with his sawtooth coriander plants

Zamani was recently promoted as Garden Supervisor to be the eyes and ears of Kenny when he is not around. A special touch is needed for the spice terraces and we want to thank and congrtulate Zamani for doing a grand job by making them look tidy, well looked after and the plants looking healthy.

Watch out for our newly planted basil and cekur plot!

Some great pics of Chef Wan dancing – do share with us!

Thanks again!