AAPI Folks Are Sharing The Best Meals Their Parents Made For Them Growing Up, And Wow, I'm Definitely Gonna Try Some Of These

There's nothing better than the home-cooked meals you ate growing up. You know, the ones that transport you right back to childhood.

So, we recently asked AAPI folks in the BuzzFeed Community to share their favorite meals as a kid. Here's what they said:

1."HALWA!!! My grandmother made it for special occasions, and no food will ever measure up. Her special recipe, which has been passed down to me, is something even restaurants can’t recreate. Also, many establishments in the US don’t serve it (nobody knows why, LOL). I have so many fond memories of Diwalis, birthdays, and sick days when I have eaten halwa out of a tub (she always made it in large amounts for parties). Halwa is probably the BEST food ever growing up!"

2."Bo Chien Bo (translates to butter-fried beef, essentially Vietnamese BBQ). A griddle is set up, there are a bunch of proteins to choose from, and everyone grills their own protein. Lots of butter, lots of marinated meats. You can just eat it with vermicelli, or you can wrap it with rice paper. It’s such a fun way to eat, and I remember being around the table with my entire family."

—Anonymous

3."Sapasui is Samoan chop suey. I have sooo many wonderful memories of attending family events where I'd pile this high on my plate! Absolutely delicious."

4."I loved congee or porridge. It was such a delicious comfort food. Whenever I was sick, my parents made it for me, and I always felt better. It was one of the few things I could eat while sick because it wasn't inflammatory, and it was nutritious. I still crave it whenever I'm feeling sick."

—xy8lu

5."My dad made Zha Jiang Mian all the time (our version is a bean curd sauce and crumbled turkey), over rice or noodles. It was something we ate all the time growing up because my younger siblings were too picky to eat anything else."

6."My mom used to always make stir-fried cucumbers with eggs paired with hot sticky rice. It was the best and still a comfort food for me! Also, I remember my grandpa used to make us the Mama brand of instant noodles. At the end, when there were no more noodles, he would put a ball of sticky rice on a spoon and dip it into the leftover broth to feed me."

—Anonymous

7."Niu rou mian, or beef noodle soup! Anytime my mom makes it now, I get transported back to childhood. And it's delicious, too!"

8."Fried spam and eggs with rice for breakfast. It's still one of my favorite breakfasts now that I'm grown up."

9."I’m Taiwanese. In Taiwan, there’s this noodle soup made with a specific type of pickled vegetable used to flavor the broth, along with small, thin strips of pork. Sadly, I do not know the English name for this soup (or for the pickled vegetables used), but what I do know is that my grandmother made it for me all the time. To this day, I never get tired of it."

"It’s especially delicious when it’s cold outside, but I would eat it every day of my life if I could. It’s one of the first dishes I remember liking as a kid, and now it’s still probably one of my favorite foods."

—Anonymous

10."I am so grateful for the home-cooked meals I get. Some of my favorites include soft poori, chole (chickpeas with onion and tomato gravy), and uttapam (a savory pancake made of lentil rice batter with vegetables inside). They taste awesome hot, and I always look forward to eating them!"

11."Sinigang and white jasmine rice!!! The more sour, the better. And with okra."

—Anonymous

12."Daal chawal. It’s basically white rice with lentil soup made with lots of different spices. Kids usually mash it up, and it’s a dinner staple in South Asian homes!"

13."Every year for New Year's, my great-aunt would make somen, Japanese noodles normally eaten cold. Even after she passed away years ago, I make sure we keep up the tradition of having it on New Year's Day."

—vasato

14."Lubia polo! It’s rice, green beans, beef, and that’s pretty much it! It sounds simple but tastes so delicious!"

15."My personal favorite that I've luckily mastered is biryani."

—slowtubelite89

16.And finally, "Panikeke! One of my absolute favorite Samoan foods. They're fried pancake balls, and I especially love the ones made with bananas. You can eat them plain or top them with things like butter, jam, or chocolate sauce."

Do you have any favorite childhood meals? LMK in the comments below!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.