Cantik Nerikiri

The Origin · 始まり

A name given
in Japan,
four years ago.

Four years ago, Doris received an invitation she did not expect — to Japan, from a close friend. What followed was her first real encounter with the world of wagashi. Not as a visitor. As someone who might belong there.

One afternoon, a friend watched Doris press nerikiri by hand and gave what she was making a name. "Cantik" — beautiful, in another language entirely. Joined with nerikiri. Two words from two worlds, said in a single breath.

That name stayed. Doris carried it through nine years of teaching across eleven cities — Tokyo, Hiroshima, Seoul, Singapore, Manila, and beyond. This school is what it was always asking to become.

Your Teacher · 先生

Doris Lam

Founder, Malaysia Cooking Academy
Wagashi Master · Nerikiri Specialist

15+ Years in Food & Beverage

9+ Years teaching wagashi

11 Cities across Asia

1 Craft, taught completely

Doris Lam is the founder of the Malaysia Cooking Academy and one of Southeast Asia's most respected wagashi teachers. Her practice spans over 15 years in the food and beverage industry and more than 9 years of dedicated wagashi instruction — first in Japan, then across the world.

She has taught in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Seoul, Malaysia, Singapore, Manila, the Maldives, Brunei, Bangkok, Jakarta and Medan — bringing the precision and poetry of Japanese nerikiri to students across eleven cities in nine countries.

What sets Doris apart is not her reach but her depth. She was shaped by Japan — invited in, given access, trusted with the craft. Now she passes that same trust to every student who works alongside her.

Fully hands-on from minute one. Every student works with the paste directly. No demonstration-only sessions.

Beginner-friendly by design. No prior cooking, baking or art experience required. Only your attention.

Highest quality ingredients. Authentically Japanese, sourced so students experience the real craft — not a substitute version of it.

Plant-based and nut-free. All ingredients are naturally plant-based and free from nuts, without compromising the authentic tradition.

Tokyo· Hiroshima· Seoul· Kuala Lumpur· Singapore· Manila· Maldives· Brunei· Bangkok· Jakarta· Medan· Tokyo· Hiroshima· Seoul· Kuala Lumpur· Singapore· Manila· Maldives· Brunei· Bangkok· Jakarta· Medan·

青梅 · Ao-ume · Green Plum

The craft does not
begin with the form.
It begins with the touch.

Before you press a petal, before you choose a colour, before the shape holds — there is the paste. Its temperature, its resistance, the way it moves with your hands or refuses to.

Cantik Nerikiri teaches from that first moment. Not from a recipe. From understanding what the material is asking for, and learning to answer it.

What
is being
built
for you.

Cantik Nerikiri is an online wagashi school taught with the same depth and care the craft has always required. Not a recipe collection. A complete journey — from first touch to the fully formed practice of making something beautiful for another person.

The Touch — Understanding the Paste

Temperature, pressure, resistance. Before any form, you learn what the nerikiri is asking for — and how to listen.

基礎

Colour & Season — The Language of Wagashi

Colour in wagashi is not decoration. It is time. You learn to read a season through a palette and choose what is right for this moment.

色と季節

The Seasonal Forms — Blossom, Leaf, Stone

Each shape carries meaning. Sakura for spring. Lotus for summer rain. Kiku for the October that asks for courage. You learn why — then how.

季節の形

Kiku — The Chrysanthemum · Master Module

The most demanding and most meaningful form. Petal by petal. Made in October. The form the school is built toward.

菊

The Offering — Making for Someone Else

Wagashi was never made for the maker. You learn to hold a person in mind while your hands are working. The craft of intentional giving.

贈り物

Live Sessions + Your Ongoing Practice

Direct access, feedback, and the tools to keep going after the school ends. So what you learn stays with you — not just the techniques, but the way of moving.

実践

What every
class is
built on.

Every decision Doris makes about how she teaches — the ingredients she chooses, the pace she sets, the size of the group — comes from one belief: the quality of what you experience determines the quality of what you carry home.

Fully Hands-On

From the first minute, your hands are in the paste. This is not a demonstration class. Doris teaches by working alongside you — guiding your hands, reading your material, showing you what to feel for.

Beginner Friendly

No prior experience in cooking, baking or art is required. Nerikiri asks only for your attention. Doris has taught complete beginners across eleven cities. You are in the right hands from the start.

Highest Quality Ingredients

All ingredients are of the highest quality — authentically Japanese, sourced so every student experiences the real craft. The material is part of the teaching. What you work with shapes what you learn.

Plant-Based · Nut-Free

All ingredients used in class are naturally plant-based and free from nuts — making the experience fully accessible without compromising the authentic tradition of Japanese wagashi.

Main Ingredients · 主な材料

白餡 · White Beans 小豆 · Red Beans 米粉 · Rice Flour 砂糖 · Sugar 水 · Water

待ちわびる · To wait with longing

Be the
first to know.

Cantik Nerikiri is opening soon. Waitlist members receive early access and founding member pricing — and the first invitation, before the school opens to anyone else.

No commitment. We will only write when it matters.

A name givenin Japan,four years ago.

Doris Lam

The craft does notbegin with the form.It begins with the touch.

Whatis beingbuiltfor you.

What everyclass isbuilt on.

Be thefirst to know.

A name given
in Japan,
four years ago.

The craft does not
begin with the form.
It begins with the touch.

What
is being
built
for you.

What every
class is
built on.

Be the
first to know.