Khan Aseya restaurant welcomes neighborhood into ‘Mom’s Kitchen’ for Burmese cuisine

Photo by Cherrie Hanson

The name “Mom’s Kitchen” honors the family’s matriarch and the welcoming energy of a family owned restaurant.  Aseya Rashid (center) with her friend Nacimah Be (left) and grandson, Mohamed Khizir.

Established in the heart of Milwaukee’s Lincoln Village neighborhood is Khan Aseya, a ‘Mom’s Kitchen’ style restaurant serving up a spectacular hospitality with its unique Burmese fare that incorporates twists on Malaysian, Chinese, Thai and Indonesian cuisine. Located at 1201 W. Lincoln Ave., Khan Aseya opened in May and has quickly become a neighborhood favorite for its extensive halal menu and inviting decor. Mohamed Ibrahim, owner of Khan Aseya, also owns grocery store Myanmar Shop next door.

Ibrahim and his brother Mohamed Osman, who helps him run the restaurant, hail from a family of Rohingya Muslims who immigrated from Malaysia to the U.S. in 2013. They grew up cooking with their mother, Aseya Osman, whose treasured dishes are the basis for Khan Aseya’s menu.

“People would always ask our mom to cook,” Ibrahim recalls. “Everybody loves my mom’s cooking.”

“Burmese people like partying,” Osman affirms. “We don’t easily follow the culture that American people have, so we’ll have our own festivals or get-togethers where we share each others’ dishes.”

After opening Myanmar Shop, selling delectable Burmese food and ingredients, Ibrahim and his family eventually acquired a restaurant license, turning the store’s adjacent property into Khan Aseya. The restaurant’s name combines the parents’ first names, Khan (father) and Aseya (mother).

“The space was limited, and once we stocked the items, it wasn’t a place we could manage to cook food,” Osman adds about Myanmar Shop. “Our intentions were to start with the restaurant but we didn’t have the chance over there, so we took over this space and started cooking.”

Inside Mom’s Kitchen

As one enters Khan Aseya, a large, illustrative sign of a woman cooking with a friendly grin while surrounded by roaring fires hangs overhead. The ‘Mom’s Kitchen’ concept becomes apparent instantly, as if one has been cordially invited into Aseya Osman’s abode to share a meal with her and her family.

The apple green walls of Khan Aseya’s dining room contrast the black-and-white checker pattern of its kitchen, while vibrant artificial plants decorate its floors and tables. Islamic art and images of Khan Aseya’s dishes accent different sides of the room, while an open window into the kitchen puts pans of simmering food into plain view of customers.

Photo by Cherrie Hanson

A bright, cheery dining room at Khan Aseya on 1201 W. Lincoln Ave. includes a grocery store and Myanmar Shop next door.

“My mom loves green colors, so the green walls are for her,” Ibrahim confirms.

Khan Aseya’s menu features many different rice, noodle and soup dishes that each bring a robust, ambrosial flavor profile. Sauces, seasonings and vegetables popular in Southeast Asian cuisine bring alluring blends of spice, aroma and texture to each plate.

The Maggi noodles are particularly popular, stir-fried with cabbage, carrots and sawi greens. Other favorites include fried chicken, tom yum soup, fried rice vermicelli, egg wrapped fried rice and sambal. Many dishes have the option to be made with either chicken or beef while some are seafood-based.

Photo by Cherrie Hanson

“We can go lower on the spices if people ask,” Osman notes. “We use fresh Thai chili to make our food so spicy.”

For dessert, Khan Aseya offers cendol, made of rice flour jelly and coconut milk, as well as the rose syrup-infused, peanut-garnished drink falooda. Shwe yin aye consists of sticky rice, coconut milk jelly and tapioca pearls while served with a side of bread. Refreshing iced beverages like Milo chocolate milk, rose syrup and milk tea are also available, with a number of hot drink options as well.

“In Burma, people eat dessert in the morning as an appetizer with coffee or tea,” Osman explains. “It takes so much time to prepare, like two to three hours.”

Ibrahim says, “The chocolate milk is one of the kids’ drinks, but adults like it too.”

Photo by Cherrie Hanson

From left to right, Mohamed Osman, Humaira Ibrahim, Jasmine Wong Pari Yapat, Aseya Rashid, Nacimah Be, Thida Win, Mohamed Khizir, Mohamed Ibrahim, Mohamed Hillal, Mohamed Hanifah.

A Family Operation

Osman finds the most challenging aspect of Khan Aseya to be having all the ingredients they need, as many of them get imported from Malaysia. “The Milwaukee Burmese community is especially growing right now, so we have to make sure we have enough so that everything can happen.”

Although the family has been heavily invested in getting Khan Aseya off the ground this year, Myanmar Shop remains in business. In fact, dining at the restaurant often sparks a customer’s curiosity about the grocery store, enticing them to peruse and purchase authentic Burmese ingredients to cook with at home.

“That’s what the intention was,” Osman laughs. “That’s why my mom wanted to have the restaurant and store together.”

“There’s some other Asian stuff like chips and fish that you can’t get from here,” Ibrahim remarks about Myanmar Shop. “People really like what we have.”

Photo by Cherrie Hanson

Regulars customers enjoying the cuisine and beverages at Mom’s Kitchen.

Mohamed Ibrahim and Mohamed Osman hope to eventually open a second restaurant. Ideally, their next endeavor will have more space for dining, but for now they are giving Khan Aseya time to flourish.

Khan Aseya is open Monday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and they can be reached at 414-210-4955. They are listed on UberEats and DoorDash.