Yogyakarta Cooking Class And Market Tour

Fabulous cooking class! We were a group of 2 couples and were picked up at our hotel and then driven to the Chef Arma's home. From the minute we walked in, we were welcomed and enjoyed classic Indonesian hospitality. The class was hands-on, informative and delicious. Loved the recipe book Chef Arma included for us and on the way back to our hotel, he kindly detoured into a grocery store so we could buy some authentic ingredients to bring back home and make the recipes again. Absolutely worth the cost! Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn Indonesian cooking.

It was a cooking class where we visited a family home in Yogyakarta to cook together. First, the chef personally picked us up from the hotel, visited a local market to purchase ingredients, and prepared them himself to cook the dishes. They were very kind and taught us with great care. Since the class was conducted privately, I was able to concentrate fully. It was an enjoyable class.👍

Widi our market guide and driver was great; tool usnthrought and showed us how to tell apart the different roots and about how they are used. Our Head Chef Wahyu was great alongside teaching us how to cook a local celebration meal we aslo heard some awesome music made by up and coming Indonesian artists. They both were very manis and i enjoyed talking to them. 100%

We used this company for multiple tours and all were amazing. They were easy to work with and super prompt to communicate with cis what’s app. All tours were great. We had Maxi as our guide for most of what we did and he was amazing. Do not hesitate to use them.

This was a very special experience for our family (two adults, two kids - 16yr and 13yr). We were well looked after and enjoyed a stop at a locals market and then got cracking with the preparation and cooking. Our chef explained all of the ingredients and background to indonesian cooking culture. We were fully involved throughout. The end result was an extremely tasty celebratory lunch. Thank you!

We had an absolutely wonderful morning! We started out at the market to pick up ingredients for the meal followed by cooking. Our hosts were incredibly kind, knowledgeable and patient. My 6yo daughter participated with my husband and I and proved quite the enthusiastic little chef, wanting to participate in every step. I greatly appreciated the efforts of our hosts to go above and beyond to engage her in all aspects of the meal preparation, answer all of her questions, and - she loved it (as did we). This is a fantastic activity for anybody but I would put in an extra plug for those traveling with children!

The experience began with a tour of a local market, where the host introduced us to the essential ingredients of Javanese cuisine and explained the purpose and use of each one. Once we arrived at their home, we started cooking, with them patiently guiding us through every step and sharing the secrets behind each recipe. Everything was explained so clearly that the cooking process felt easy and enjoyable, and we couldn’t believe we had created such a wonderful feast ourselves. We are truly grateful for the host’s warm hospitality, kindness, and patience throughout the entire experience. It was a memorable and authentic way to discover Javanese culture through food.

So so kind and amazing experience to see the market both of them were lovely humans who really had a well thought out experience. Please go!

I have to say this proved to be such a wonderful experience. Arma picked us up from the hotel and took us to Central Market to buy some vegetables for our meal. We went back to a private house where Wahnyu and Arma let us become involved in a fully immersive cookery experience. We ended up cooking 6 dishes using a variety of herbs, spices, vegetables, fish, chicken, rice and soya bean. We also made a dessert with palm sugar which tasted like a light sponge with coconut. From doing our research we believe this to be one of the only cookery classes of its type in Yogyokarta. It’s the best meal we have had to date in Indonesia and we had an absolute blast. What a fantastic time. Thank you.

Amer picked us up promptly at our hotel. He chatted with on the way to the market. At the market we bought some of the ingredients we later cooked. The cooking was in a family home, which had the other ingredients and cooking utensils out ready. We made a nice variety of dishes. My favourite was tempe and coconut jasmine rice. Thank you Amer

Arma was a fantastic unrushed guide to the aromas, flavors and history of the local market. Super knowledgeable and a great professional chef, he guided us in preparing a flavorful traditional javanese dish. Super fun

Arma, our instructor, was friendly and explained Indonesian spices and seasoning and led us to make an entire meal from appetizer thru dessert. Excellent instruction and he provided the recipes so we can make then when we return home.

Truly a sensory delight! Arma was a fantastic trainer and the "home from home" setting helped to create a perfectly relaxed experience. The food was delicious, the recipes surprisingly straightforward and it was a pleasure to chat with Arma as we cooked and ate. A great way to learn more about Indonesian culture and cuisine.

Very pleasant and personalised experience. The pickup was on time, the market visit was enjoyable and the cooking with the chef was insightful

Awesome cooking class with Arma! We cooked a few different delicious dishes and he told me a lot of stories about the history of Yogyakarta and Indonesia.

The private Nasi Tumpeng cooking class at Desy’s home, in her cozy kitchen, was an amazing experience. The preparations were already done, and together we set to work making the Nasi Tumpeng. The atmosphere was relaxed, and along the way we chatted about the ingredients she used and about Indonesian traditions. I learned that Nasi Tumpeng is often prepared for special celebrations, such as weddings and festive occasions. It was a wonderful experience to create such a delicious dish using simple local ingredients. I you’re interesting in food I definitely recommend this

Lots of different cooking techniques and varied ingredients. I’ve become a tempeh lover! Desy was a patient and knowledgeable teacher. There was a lot of food! Come hungry. I would also suggest that you have WhatsApp loaded for communication purposes.

A very sweet woman, but I’m still left a bit disappointed (perhaps also due to previous cooking classes in other countries). Personally, I felt there was too little explanation, and we were sometimes not given enough room to be creative. That said, she is a very kind woman.

An amazing experience starting from the shopping at the market with all necessary explanations, this by itself an activity we enjoy a lot. Then the cooking itself with a great dish and an excellent teacher, who would not cook for us but guide us through a hands-on experience. Our teacher, Desy, a gentle person who made the whole experience a pleasure for us. Highly recommended. One of our favorite activities throughout our Jogjakarta visit. Thank you so much Desy

As my first cooking class experience in a foreign country, I must say this was an enjoyable experience and good opportunity to learn about what the locals like to eat. The class takes place in her kitchen and it is a full hands-on experience. They pick you up and drop you off which I recommend. Thanks for an educational class.

I had an absolutely wonderful experience with this cooking course! It was held privately in Desy’s home kitchen, which made it feel warm, personal, and relaxed — just like cooking with a friend. Desy was an amazing instructor — knowledgeable, patient, and passionate about what she does. She made every step easy to follow, and I learned so many new techniques and tips that I can’t wait to use at home. The location was a little hard to find at first, but once I arrived, it was absolutely worth it. The cozy atmosphere, delicious food, and personal touch made it a truly memorable experience. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking for a fun, hands-on, and personalized cooking experience with Desy!

It was a fantastic experience. The host were fantastic it started out quiet but by the end of the night we made lots of new friends and had a great time ... And of course we're so full by the time we left

Highly recommend! My husband and I were visiting Yogyakarta for a couple days and found this tour listing. Widi picked us up from our hotel and gave us some background on the culture and history of the area, answering some of the questions we had after visiting local landmarks. We were warmly welcomed into Desi’s home for the cooking class. Desi explained the ingredients, the meaning behind the dishes, and accommodated my husband’s dietary restriction. All the food was delicious and would definitely make again at home. Desi and Widi both had a good sense of humor and made the outing even better than anticipated. Lovely home, lovely people, and delicious food, would recommend to anyone visiting the area.

Really amazing experience. Desi welcome us to her house and show us all the preparations, sharing with us all the recipes. Wigi brought us to a local market having and amazing local experience. 100% recommended

Desy is a really welcoming and sharing person. She speaks a great english. We had an amazing time at the market and then cooking with her. The food is excellent. The dressing is excellent too. We recommend you to book a tour with Desy without any hesitations !

I had such a wonderful time at this cooking class! The whole experience was fun, engaging, and full of energy — the instructor made learning new techniques feel easy and enjoyable. The class was eventful from start to finish, with plenty of opportunities to get hands-on and try things out myself. Best of all, the food we prepared turned out absolutely delicious — a true feast that made the effort worthwhile. Overall, it was an exciting, tasty, and memorable experience that I would highly recommend to anyone looking to learn, laugh, and enjoy great food!

Amazing cooking class with Desy in the neighborhood of Yogyakarta! The class takes place in her home, which makes it feel very personal and authentic. Desy is super kind and explains the recipes clearly. The food (6 kind of culinary recipies) was delicious and fun to prepare. After cooking, we walked through the village with her to collect banana leaves for plating — a lovely way to end the experience. We then shared the meal — absolutely delicious . Highly recommended!

Our day started with a hotel pick-up by Widi, and a drive to a very traditional market where we met some of the local stall owners and purchased a variety of ingredients for our special lunch, Nasi Tumpeng. Widi then took us to meet our host, Desy at her home. Desy explained the menu and carefully guided us through every step of the extensive preparation, cooking and serving of what was an exceptional meal. We had the very best time and Desy was an amazing cook, teacher and an outstanding host. We returned to our hotel feeling extremely satisfied with the experience. This is a must do!

Thank you Desy, we had a wonderfull time at your cooking class. We really enjoyed going to the market with you and had the best time while cooking. We made the national dish of indonesia and we could even make it vegetarian with tofu, tempeh and eggplant whic was fantastic. We would highly recommend this cooking class :)

How good was that? Well let me tell you, my wife and I thought it was fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Our teacher was such a lovely lady with all the patience in the world. She shared her knowledge of cooking with us, guiding us through the many stages of the preparation and cooking process. In fact, she made us feel far more like friends than students. We cooked Nasi Tumpeng, a traditional Indonesian dish usually enjoyed at times of celebration. We learnt of the local produce that goes into it, as well as the history and cultural attachment to the dish. But best of all, we got to eat it. It was amazing. I’m certainly going to be cooking this again when I get home. I really hope my next attempt reaches the same standard. First rate from start to finish, thank you so very much. I loved this cooking class and strongly recommend it to anyone visiting Yogyakarta.

This was an unforgettable experience. First we went to the market, which had local produce and even animals for sale. Then we went to the home of our host, which was a house in a residential neighborhood of Yogyakarta. It was really interesting to be inside one of those houses as well and to see how locals live. She showed us how to make a full Indonesian meal with all the real fresh spices and herbs. It was delicious and if I find the ingredients I could make it again back home.

I really enjoyed this morning / lunch class with Desy. The classic combination of market tour and home cooking. Desy was a warm host and helped when needed. We guests did a lot of grating and shredding but so worth it.

Arma is a super nice and experienced chef! Having the chance to cook with him was definitely amazing! We had lots of fun and learnt a lot! Everybody in the house was very nice to us all the time and the atmosphere was great! Totally recommend this experience to everybody

We spent a fantastic day doing the cooking class with Desy! Her husband Widi picked us up at our hotel at 2pm and did a great job finding a market which was still open in the afternoon, because most of the traditional markets only open during the morning hours. So we were very happy to enjoy this experience, taking a lot of photos on the market and getting to know many local spices and herbs, buying fresh fruit and veggies. Afterwards we went to his house and met his wife Desy and the real cooking action started: chopping, grinding, frying... Our son was happily munching on the starters meanwhile as they were finished first, which is great for kids because they usually don't have the patience to wait for everything to be finished... It was great fun and Desy guided us through the process with a lot of knowledge about ingeredience, and also with humor and patience... in the end we had prepared so much food we could take home a second serving for lunch the next day! Thank you for a fantastic day, we are already looking forward to try the recipes at home (you get sent a PDF with all the information) For us this experience was better than any other souvenir we could take home...

Today is a leisurely and fun morning with Desy and Widi. Desy cooks a complete meal in multiple spices with ease. The food is delicious, the ambiance is relaxing. Widi walk us through the market, learn to recognize different spices and traditional Javanese herbs. His stories, historical background or legends of the area is appreciated.

My boyfriend and I had a lovely time cooking and learning from Desy in her home! Her husband picked us up from our accomodation as well as dropped us off which was super convenient. Desy taught us how to make a traditional celebratory feast, and it was seriously THE BEST MEAL we had in all of Indonesia (we have been traveling around for the past month)! We didn’t do the market tour since it’s only in the mornings and we had taken the afternoon class, but it was all good. It felt like spending an afternoon at an aunty’s place and you’re helping her cook ❤️

The best cooking class in Southeast Asia that I ever had. Our cooking class instructor taught us how to use spices like lemongrass and galangal in ways that I had never been shown before in other classes I took in Thailand. So basically how to make my own paste. I also was fascinated the meticulous way Indonesians use methods of cooking such as steaming and parboil to slowly cook rice, veggies and chicken. At the end a delicious Indonesian meal with main meal (chicken, rice and veggies flavoured with coconut) was completed along with desert. I like that it was a visit to someone’s home and that our instructor spoke solid English.

Widi and Desy were amazing hosts. Widi took us to a traditional local market and showed us some of the vegetables and local ingredients, and also shared some insight into Indonesian culture. Desy showed us how to cook and made a very delicious and flavorful meal.

Wow! Just, wow! My husband and I were blown away by Chef Desy and the meal we made. We are so grateful to Weedy and his wife (Chef Desy) for their hospitality. This is a truly Javanese experience that I would recommend to all of my friends. Thank you for helping us celebrate our honeymoon Jogja-style! First, Weedy took us to grab some local ingredients from the market and shared more about the flavors that we would be cooking with. After a quick stop for a fresh coconut, we arrived at his home where Chef Desy had everything ready for us to get started. We made an appetizer and got to snack on that while we made our big lunch and desert, complete with herbal tea and local coffee. The meal is incredible! Our favorites were the caramel used tempeh (spicy) and the turmeric rice, and the chicken was the best we’ve had in Indonesia so far. Bring your smiles and your appetites!

Was great to make a meal that has strong cultural significance and also get this history and interesting information about it. Was nice and comfortable cooking in her home. My partner and I were alone for this cooking class so the private-ness really added to the experience.

Me and my wife took the cooking workshop and it was perfect. Desy was so kind and made preperations before the start. Our 3 year old daughter had fun with not only the cooking but also playing with her children. Afterwards her husband told us about the story behind the dish we made (and some more about different religions, truly amazing)

We had a fantastic morning exploring the true local markets with Vidi, seeing spices and fruits we had never seen before. Vidi had so much fascinating information to share about Yogyakarta and its culture! Then, we had a wonderful cooking class with Daisy! It was amazing to use the ingredients we purchased in the morning to make a delicious feast to enjoy! We used new ingredients and tried new techniques, it was so so fun! It was a really personal experience and the menu was catered to us. It was absolutely DELICIOUS, we were so happy! (We are vegetarian by the way). In fact we made a 3 course meal! Our guides, Vidi and Daisy, knew so much about the history of the area. All in all the tour was sooo well organised and it ran seamlessly. It was extremely professional. This made it a great experience. We will definitely be recommending this tour to all of our family and friends! Thank you Vidi and Daisy for such a wonderful day!

Desy’s Yogyakarta Cooking Class is a joy! Her warmth and expertise make every dish a delight, while Wadi’s engaging market tour and driving add local flair. Fresh ingredients, cozy vibes, and authentic flavors create an unforgettable culinary adventure. Highly recommend this cultural gem!

My friends and I had an incredible afternoon at Widi and Desy’s cooking class. We were on the hunt for an authentic experience with delcious food, and this was exactly what we found! We were picked up from our hostel in central Yogyakarta and taken to a local market to learn about the fresh ingredients and see how people from Yogyakarta shop. Then, we were brought to their lovely family home, and with Desy’s guidance, we prepared, cooked, and even baked a variety of delicious dishes. It was so much fun! The food was incredibly fresh and tasty, it was definitely our favourite Indonesian meal we’ve had while traveling. Widi also shared stories about the history and cultural significance of the food we ate. Desy and Widi were incredibly friendly, and we could really see their passion for sharing Indonesian food and culture. We highly recommend this experience!!

We really enjoyed everything! Getting the ingredients from the local market, preparing the meal under the wonderful support of Desy. We learned so much about live in Java. Many thanks for this great experience to our hosts Widi and Desy!

Our cookingclass with Desi was excellent! It all started at the local market, not the market in Yogjakarta, but a more local market, close to the house of Desi. Her husband picked us up and together we visited the market. It was amazing, thanks to the words we learned from him, we could interact with the locals. He showed us a lot and we bought a lot. The cookingclass is real local, because it is in the house of Desi. She prepared everything and we made a delicious meal. In the meantime, we had a good chat, we had fun and I wish every one could have this experience with Desi.

I really enjoyed everything! Getting the ingredients from the local market is cool and to prepare and cook the dish was super interesting! I also learnt about indonesian culture and history.

Very good experience. The end product was very very tasty. My family and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole session

This class was something I’ve been dreaming of for years, so I was worried I had set impossibly high expectations, but no- they were somehow exceeded. This was every aroma and every moment of joyful learning I could have hoped for and more. Starting with the delightful market tour, our guide was funny and knowledgeable, and seemed to be a beloved brother of everyone in the market. He made what could have been an intimidating place richly engaging. He also gave us a thorough overview of what we would be cooking and paved the way for us to enjoy it all to the fullest. We started with clear explanations of all the ingredients, a very wise “appetizer”, and a thorough hands-on cooking lesson. Desy was an excellent teacher, as well as clearly an accomplished chef. It impressed me greatly that we had both the coziness of a home with the perfect order and cleanliness of a commercial kitchen. It isn’t necessary to say the food was delicious- of course it was! But the experience, from selecting the right banana leaves to trim from the trees outside, chatting about how different ingredients are used in our different homelands, to learning to use new techniques and tools, was outstanding. This is a wonderful course, run by a dream team, which I would highly recommend.