Chef Sean Kuylen shared with Mélange . . .
About his cuisine “ I have coined the term ‘ Inspired Belizean Cuisine ’ where I take learnt French and proven cooking techniques and apply it to cultural dishes and indigenous ingredients of the country . This includes Maya Yucatec , Maya Ketch , Maya Mopan , Creole , Garifuna and East Indian Cultures . The cooking style will always use traditional techniques and ingredients , but presented in a more contemporary way .
About his favourite dish My favorite dish to prepare is Sere Lasus with Hudut which is a rich seafood broth of freshly squeezed coconut milk , garlic , onion , wild basil and fish served with and enjoyed with a dumpling of mashed green plantain called Hudut . This dish is of the Garifuna Culture .
About the difference between Belizean cooking and others Belizean Cuisine and cooking is differentiated from other countries from the simple fact that the ingredients are simple and fresh , because there is no other way ! The value added term of Farm to Table and Organic is a way of life and not a marketing tool in our cuisine . The freshest seafood comes ‘ line and wild caught ’ from the second largest barrier reef in the world , coconut , plantain , cassava , chayote squash , herbs , corn , annatto spices , heart of palm , turmeric ( yellow ginger ) and game meat all come from literally our backyard and never imported or frozen or with a barcode ! Again , our food is not made with marketing appendages like organic and sustainable for profit , but rather it is simply truly a Way of Life !
Cooking Tips My number one cooking tip is to always cook from the heart using connotation of childhood and mom / grandmother and what feels right . Often times we go and try to replicate recipes from foreign cookbooks and we get frustrated from the unavailability of ingredients like Saffron , Foigras and galangal ! When , if we would stay true to ourselves and cuisine , all that we want is right here and the smell , feel , taste and sight will always evoke sensory connotations and memories of childhood . This powerful intangible tool and tip to me is the most powerful ingredient there is !
About his other interests My other interest beside cooking is definitey music . As a matter of fact , before becoming a chef , I was a musician with the now famous Garifuna Bands and Genre of Belize which is now celebrated worldwide . I have learnt to transfer the Rhythm into cooking and the result is a beautiful symphony of flavors !”
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