Filipino Banana Leaf Wrapping

Course summary

Discover the flavours and traditions of the Philippines in this hands-on cooking workshop exploring the many ways food is wrapped and cooked in banana leaves.
Across the Philippines and throughout Southeast Asia, banana leaf wrapping is a practical technique with deep cultural roots. It’s used for both savoury and sweet dishes, infusing food with a subtle aroma while connecting each recipe to generations of shared history. In this workshop, you’ll learn to prepare two beloved banana-wrapped dishes inspired by the culinary traditions of the southern Philippines.

Along the way, you’ll discover more about regional Filipino food, culture, history, and cooking techniques, all while enjoying a warm and interactive cooking experience.  At the end of the session, you’ll sit down to enjoy the dishes together, or you can take them home to share with friends and family.

Dishes Covered:

• Pater sa dahon
  A southern Filipino favourite featuring fragrant shredded chicken and rice, wrapped snugly in a banana leaf. This dish is known for its comforting flavours and its beautiful presentation, traditionally enjoyed as a portable, flavour‑infused meal.
• Puto maya
  A beloved central and southern Filipino sweet made from coconut‑infused sticky rice, gently steamed in banana leaf and served with fresh fruit. It’s a simple yet celebratory treat that highlights the region’s love of rice-based desserts.

What you will learn

• how to make Pater sa dahon(Southern Filipino style shredded chicken with rice wrapped in a banana leaf)
• how to make Puto maya(A central and southern style sweet coconut sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf)

What you will get

• food tasting
• lunch together if you wish, or simply take your food home – whatever suits you best
• recipes with tips and techniques to take home

What you need to bring

• apron
• container
• water bottle

About the tutor

Food and storytelling sit at the heart of Kristina Naray’s life practice as a cook, host and cultural storyteller, of mixed Bisaya Subanen Filipino and Hungarian heritage. She holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences, majoring in Nutrition and Health Promotion, with her career spanning community nutrition education, and digital health in the healthcare sector, to hosting intimate pop-up lunches and dinners, and teaches cooking workshops, where she shares dishes and practices passed down from her family and communities.
Kristina is part of The Entree Pinays, a collective of entrepreneurial Filipinas introducing Filipino cuisine, culture and community to Australia. Each dish she shares celebrates pre-colonial Filipino foodways often dismissed as provincial farmers’ food, despite being among the most nourishing, sustainable, and culturally rich practices in the Philippines.

Read Kristina’s bio here