Dévi-licious began with a pen and a notebook sitting in my mom’s kitchen watching my mom and aunts cooking beef curry. Basically, I wanted to learn to cook one of my favorite childhood foods. Learning to cook my favorites, led to discovering more and more delicious food. As an adult my tastes changed and I liked eating more of a variety of foods from different cultures and ethnicities. I wanted to learn about the foods my grandmother ate in Myanmar and how she prepared them. Pwa Pwa (Grandma) grew up in a village in Upper Myanmar named the Shan State and finally settled in Yangon with the family. She cooked enough food for an army most of the time. There were lots of children in the house and many church activities that always needed meals to feed people.

My aunts and mother learned to cook from my grandmother. When they came to the United States, got married and had their own families, they carried on the traditions of cooking Myanmar meals at home. It not only connected them to their homeland but also brought a piece of Myanmar culture here. This is one thing that definitely stands out in my childhood memories. Eating Myanmar cu rries, noodles, soups and salads while growing up, has had a distinct influence in shaping my culinary taste as an adult. It is something I’m truly grateful for having been exposed to and giving me the insight into another culture. This is part of my individual history that makes me who I am.

The dishes may be traditional, but the methods are modern. I don’t have the time to grind rice into flour or pound garlic and ginger paste in a mortar and pestle. When Pwa Pwa was living in Myanmar she had no choice but to take the long route. I, on the other hand, like going to the grocery store, picking up my ingredients and having a speedy way to prepare my meal instead of spending all day on a dish, hence the birth of Dévi-licious. Dévi-licious is the convenient easy way of cooking Myanmar food without compromising taste. I have figured out the shortcuts so you don’t have to.

The easy answer is a combination of Indian and Chinese food. Myanmar food does have it’s own distinct flavor and technique, but to describe the taste without a reference is difficult. There are many curry dishes; chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc. There are also many noodle dishes that combine with soups. Just about every meal is eaten with rice.