After I got back from my two international trips in January, the month had already slipped away from me and sitting down to write my 2022 goals fell by the wayside – which I was disappointed about. It wasn’t until my coworker told me a few of his during one of our weekly 1-on-1s that I was finally inspired and reminded that it wasn’t too late to get mine done. Long story short, to ensure that I am keeping up with one of the things that truly refreshes, de-stresses, and motivates me, I am determined to create at least one cultural cooking project each month – with each month being a meal from a different country/region.

So, each month, check back here for a new project – and feel free to drop a suggestion or recommendation in the comments below!

January/February

To kick off this journey, I chose something that I knew the whole family here would like: bao buns! I was originally going to do a red braised pork belly filling, but I’ve always wanted to roast a duck, so I decided- why not! Now, in all honesty, I am the WORST at making, baking, or even touching dough – this is where my mom SHINES and blows us all away. She loves a challenge, so I picked a Paul Hollywood recipe (we love GBBO) and she was in. Funny enough, his bao bun recipe actually was for a crispy pulled duck filling and Mom and Dad were willing to try it, so the plan was set!

Unable to find a duck anywhere around here, I decided to place an order from “Weee!” (the largest online Asian & cultural market) and have one delivered. Side note: SUPER impressed with these guys and am definietly ordering again. The project was a 2-day process, as I decided to roast “Terry” (the name of my duck, don’t ask!) the night before in case anything went disastrous. It was quite a process, from defrosting and cleaning, to seasoning and monitoring in the oven for 3 hours. When I finally called it a night, I was very doubtful and ended up

buying some Wagyu Kobe Bulgogi Beef (AMAZING….!!!) the next day in case nobody could stomach the duck meat… Haha. Day 2 – I made the homemade hoisin sauce while Mom proofed, rolled, shaped, and steamed the buns. Everything finally came together and my jaw dropped off my face when I saw their reactions. To sum it up – they were astounded by my mom’s buns and LOVED the duck; especially my mom. She said, I quote, “it’s really delicious,” in the most genuine and meaningful way I have ever heard. This is not something she has ever said so surely to me about my cooking, so this really felt like a million bucks. When my brother had the leftover duck the next day (there was quite a bit left), I nearly lost my jaw again when my dad told me he ate the REST of it. Needless to say, he thought it was amazing. Wow. As for me? I couldn’t do it after a few bites – it was just too gamey-tasting for me, like lamb, which I can’t stomach. But those buns? Best I’ve ever had, seriously. They put Din Tai Fung to shame, in all honesty. This was the overwhelming verdict of the house and we are already planning to do the pork belly buns next. In fact, Mom wants a bamboo steamer now (I knew I could get her hooked!).

My thoughts on cooking project #1? S-u-c-c-e-s-s, 111100000%. The fact that Mom, Dad, and I were all involved in this together made this an instant success in my mind. The fact that my family all loved the end result? An added bonus that took me from delighted to ecstatic-ly jubilantly overjoyed. Seriously. Most people may not understand, but it’s the little things, like having your family excited about and sharing in your passion that really mean the world. This is the reason I love cooking.