Today we’d like to introduce you to Suu Khin.
Suu, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised in Burma, a country in South East Asia, sharing borders with India, China and Thailand. I always knew there is one thing in common between Texas and Burma. Their sizes, which is around 260,000 square miles. After 18 months of calling Houston my home, I have noticed a longer list of similarities between Burma and Texas, like their hot and humid weather, ethnic diversity, people’s love for food and their lone star flags.
I started cooking at a young age, around 8, but it was more of a chore than a choice. Growing up in a strict, conservative family, I was raised on traditional social values that put me inside the kitchen everyday because it is considered one of the attributes essential for girls to grow into a good and proper woman.
At 22, I finally got to break free from all these stereotypical norms and embarked on a journey to the far far west – the land of the free, for graduate school. But the funny thing is I immediately jumped back into cooking to comfort myself amidst homesickness and the frigid Massachusetts weather. Little did I know then that cooking has deeply ingrained in the very core of my DNA. It is also a great way to meet people and make friends when you are alone and away from home. I found out people tend to like you more when you reach their hearts through their stomachs. Over time, I gradually discovered prestige and fun in something I have regarded as unjust and lowly for the longest time.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve faced few claims that what I cook is not an authentic Burmese cuisine. I don’t see this as a challenge or an obstacle that needs to be overcome but explained. One example is using shrimps instead of chicken for a coconut noodle soup known as Ohn No Kao Swe, which they accuse; I confuse it with Singapore Laksa. Actually, it is one of my grandmother’s signature recipes I grew up with. Her hometown is in a river delta region and they boast the abundance of these freshwater shrimps and fish, hence using them a lot more over any other type of protein.
My focus has never been on the “authenticity” of the recipes. In fact, it is always on celebrating the identity and diversity of my family’s culinary and cultural heritage. I believe authenticity limits creativity and variety. It also prevents cultures and cuisines from evolving. I make food with a strong Burmese pride and I respect human connections and emotions. I don’t think I should be apologetic for my personal style of cooking being misaligned with someone’s personal preferences when it comes to Burmese cuisine.
Please tell us about Burmalicious by Suu.
After three years of school and work in the States, I returned home to Burma in 2015. I created my blog and Instagram account “Burmalicious by Suu”, a few days after my grandmother retold the legend behind a dish named Bachelor’s chicken curry, for the nth time. This recipe became my very first post on the website and Instagram. My intention is to present and preserve the family recipes, personalized with the stories I have heard and experiences encountered. The uniqueness of the recipes reflects the elaborate diversity that runs through my family. It also finds the roots in the life journeys of my grandparents, all of who came from different ethnic groups and regions in Burma.
The fact that Burma was a closed community for more than 60 years has slowed down our cuisine from traveling across continents and oceans. So, the other purpose of my blog is to help people decipher and grow affections towards this novelty cuisine. Instead of being a mere recipe website encouraging people to follow and cook at home, I want my blog to give a little insight about the culture, country and the way of life of its people.
This blog has also been my outlet for creativity. On top of developing recipes, I style and photograph all the food I make. I always strive for the sweet spot that converges aesthetics and taste. Especially when you are introducing new ingredients and flavor profiles, it is important for both the food and the pictures to be visually appealing to stir up people’s interest. I am quite heavy-handed with bright colors and props that some of my friends even gave me the name, Prop Queen.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My childhood home was a multi-generational household. We lived with my Dad’s side of the family, including my grandparents, uncles and aunts, together under the same roof in our ancestral home. The house was encircled by this acre land with a flowering garden and big, prolific tropical trees. The most vivid memory has to be passing all summer holidays away in it with my brother and cousins.
Summers in Burma usually last from February to May. It is the fruiting season for mangoes and other exotic tropical fruits called rose apples and Marian plums, both tangy with a lovely floral hint. Some days we climb up the trees, fetch the fruits and eat to the fullest of our stomachs. The fruits were so bountiful we could share them with not just human friends, but also fluffy-tailed friends – squirrels in the day and raccoons at night. Some lazy afternoons, we fall asleep under the canopy of jackfruit trees, on bamboo mats, to the sweet cooing of Koel birds. Evenings were for soccer games with neighbor kids. Our spectators are our grandparents, either cheering or yelling at us not to hit the flowerpots.
Serenity was at peak in the absence of Internet. We were able to stay connected to our families and bond with Mother Nature. Those were the best and most blissful times I truly miss and am forever grateful for.
Contact Info:
- Website: theburmalicious.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burmalicious_by_suu/
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