Rijsttafel: A Dutch-Indonesian Feast

A hands-on, collaborative cooking class culminating in family-style lunch served with wine and beer.

When the Dutch colonized Indonesia, they boasted the abudance and variety of foods from the islands with extravagant dinners featuring a large number (40 was typical) of dishes, called rijsttafels, or rice tables. Today, the rijsttafel remains popular in the Netherlands and features small plates with a variety of colors, textures, and spices. In this class, we'll center our communal table with a yellow cone of rice, surrounded by a medley of spicy, sweet, sour and salty flavors.

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Cucur Jagung – Corn Fritters with Chives, Egg

Sate Ayam – Spicy Chicken Skewers with Turmeric, Lemongrass

Rendang Sapi –  Beef in a Spicy Dry Curry with Galangal, Lemongrass, Coconut

Padang Eggplant - Smoky Eggplant with Sambal and Dried Shrimp

Nasi Kuning – Lemongrass Turmeric Rice (pictured)

Linda Tay Esposito is a self-taught chef whose food represents a tribute and a commitment to the authenticity of the cuisines of the Pacific Rim. She grew up in Malaysia, lived in China and Hong Kong and traveled extensively in the region exploring the vast culinary offerings and traditions, and capturing the essence of the local cuisines. She brings these exciting flavors, passion and knowledge to the classroom. Her style of teaching makes even the most complex of curries simple to make and a gastro-adventure experience of "Flavor Explosions."

A freelance culinary educator, Linda teaches at the The Cooking School at Cavallo Point and at Sur La Table Cooking School. Previously, she was a lead chef at Parties That Cook where she teaches global cuisines in a team building setting.  She started her teaching career at Whole Foods Market Culinary Center. Most recently, she was head of operations and chef at Bay Area's artisan tofu maker, Hodo Soy. She writes a food blog at www.flavorexplosions.com

_{(Photo courtesy of Linda Tay Esposito)}