Hangzhou Home Cooking Class: Dongpo Pork and Longjing Shrimp

This cooking class is run by a small culinary studio near Hubin Road in Hangzhou's Shangcheng District, a short walk from West Lake, and focuses on two of the city's signature dishes: Dongpo pork and Longjing shrimp. The three-hour session opens with a guided stop at a local market to select pork belly, fresh river shrimp, and Longjing tea leaves, giving visitors a sense of the ingredients before cooking begins. Back at the studio kitchen, the class is hands-on rather than a demonstration: participants braise the pork belly in a covered clay pot with Shaoxing rice wine, dark soy sauce, and rock sugar to build the dish's signature glossy red sauce, then stir-fry fresh river shrimp with Longjing tea leaves, learning the light seasoning technique -- a balance of soy, wine, and sugar -- that defines Hangzhou cuisine. The session covers two savoury dishes with no separate dessert course, reflecting a meal-style format rather than a broad tasting tour. Included in the price are the market visit, all cooking ingredients, instruction, and a sit-down tasting of the finished dishes served with steamed rice; drinks beyond the cooking wine used in the recipe, and transport to and from the studio, are not included. Classes run in small groups, generally cook-along in pairs or individually at separate stations, with instruction given in Mandarin and English. The pace is relaxed enough for beginners, and the studio can generally accommodate a request to prepare the shrimp dish without shellfish, though vegetarian participants should confirm in advance whether an alternative protein can be arranged for the pork course.