olorado reminds Zin Zin Htun of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), a country she left as a refugee. “I like it here?” she says. Those reactions fueled Htun’s desire to teach locals about her roots by posting cooking videos on YouTube that featured foods she ate growing up. In 2021, she opened her own catering company, Zin Zin’s Burmese Cuisine, which gained a following at Front Range farmers’ markets and expanded into a ghost kitchen this September. At the takeout-only restaurant inside Town Center at Aurora, Htun stuffs mini samosas with potato, cabbage, and onion; simmers yellow split pea flour, sliced banana leaf stems, and catfish for mohinga noodle soup; and pan-fries keema paratha, a flatbread filled with ground beef, onions, mint, and tomatoes. It’s all satisfying, but we recommend starting your culinary tour with the lat phat toke, a tea leaf salad that’s often referred to as the national dish of Myanmar.
