Celebrate AAPI Month With These Family Recipes 

AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of the cultural impact of people from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands—more than 50 different ethnic groups each with their own unique traditions, languages, recipes, and history. 

At Thrive Market, we celebrate AAPI Heritage Month like we do most holidays: by sharing a meal with people who are a meaningful part of our community. This year, we reached out to the founders of some of our favorite AAPI-owned brands to learn more about the family recipes that have been passed down from kitchen table to kitchen table. From the 15-minute meals that parents made after busy workdays to the sweet, comforting cakes made with love by grandparents from far away, these recipes are full of meaning—and we hope they’ll become a part of your family, too. 

Mika’s Chicken Oyako Donburi Recipe 

Miko Shino, founder of Issei, grew up with oyako donburi as a steady presence at the family table. A classic Japanese comfort dish, donburi literally means a “heaping bowl,” and this version delivers exactly that: warm rice topped with tender chicken gently simmered in a savory-sweet broth and finished with softly set eggs. “Oyako donburi has been a constant thread throughout my life—from childhood dinners to today, where it has become one of my children’s favorite dishes,” Shino says. 

That same sense of care and cultural connection is what led Miko to create Issei Mochi Gummies. “Growing up, I experienced the beauty of Japanese food not just as flavor, but as memory, texture, and connection,” she says. “I wanted my children to feel that too.” She started experimenting with making mochi cakes in her own kitchen and cutting them into small, gummy-like pieces, flavored and colored with only natural ingredients. She soon realized that she had created something entirely new. 

This oyako donburi is similar: humble ingredients, made with intention, and shared with the people who matter most. “I grew up eating this dish and its endless variations, watching how something so simple could carry so much warmth, and now I get to pass that same feeling on,” she says. “Cooking it today feels like bridging generations and cultures—sharing comfort, culture, and care in one simple bowl.”

Yield: 4 servings
Active time: 
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked Japanese short-grain rice
2 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
1 cup dashi stock (or chicken broth)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sugar
Optional: scallions for garnish

Instructions:

In a pan over medium heat, combine dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Add sliced onions and cook until soft, about 3–4 minutes.

Add chicken and simmer until tender and fully cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl, whipping them until they become well blended

about 2-4 minutes.

Once the chicken has been cooked through, quickly pour the eggs over the chicken and

onions. Cover and cook briefly until just set but still soft and silky.

Spoon over warm bowls of rice and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.

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Miggy and Victoria’s Bibingka (Filipino Rice Cake) Recipe

Miggy and Victoria Reyes are the sibling co-founders behind Narra, an Asian-inspired beverage brand rooted in the merienda tradition they grew up with in the Philippines, which refers to a daily pause to sip, snack, and recharge. Narra creates chef-crafted, plant-based tea lattes made without added sugar or artificial ingredients, honoring both their heritage and love of flavor.

This bibingka recipe is a personal favorite of both Miggy and Victoria that’s inspired by weekends spent with their grandparents in the Phillipines. Made with familiar Filipino ingredients, it’s lightly sweet with a savory edge—think of it as a tropical take on cornbread. Perfect for summer gatherings, it works just as well alongside grilled dishes as it does for dessert.

Yield: 1 rice cake
Active Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:

¾ cup sweet rice flour 
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
Kosher salt, to taste 
1 ¼ cup coconut milk 
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
2 banana leaves, approximately 8” x 10” each

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F, with the oven rack in the middle position. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sweet rice flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together coconut milk, melted butter, eggs until thoroughly combined.

Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, in batches, whisking together until smooth and well incorporated.

Line the cast-iron skillet with the banana leaves and pour batter.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the cake is puffed, edges are lightly browned, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

Optional: Brush the top with condensed milk and/or top with shredded cheese.

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Kevin’s Tomato & Eggs 

Kevin Lee, co-founder of immi, grew up in a household where quick, comforting meals were part of everyday life. One dish that stood out was tomato and eggs, a simple, homestyle recipe often made by his mom after long workdays. “Both my Taiwanese immigrant parents worked long hours to support the household, so they often didn’t have much time to cook,” he says. “I still associate this dish today as a delicious, comforting reminder of the sacrifices my parents made while coming to America to give me better opportunities.” 

That same perspective is what led Kevin and his co-founder to create immi: a modern take on ramen inspired by Asian food traditions, but reimagined with better ingredients. After seeing firsthand how chronic health issues affected family members who regularly relied on instant ramen, they set out to build something different—delicious, convenient meals with more protein and fiber, and fewer carbs.

This tomato and eggs recipe reflects that same balance of simple, healthy ingredients and easy preparation for busy weekdays. 

Yield: 4 servings
Active time: 5 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients: 

1 ½ lb tomatoes
4 eggs
5 slices ginger
1 tablespoons cornstarch 
4 tablespoons water 
2 tablespoons neutral oil 
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons brown sugar 
2 tablespoons ketchup 

Instructions: 

Boil water, enough to later submerge the tomatoes. Shallowly score the tomatoes with an X, and place into a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the tomatoes, and let them sit for about 2 minutes, or until the peel starts to curl out from the X. Use a knife to remove the peels from the tomatoes (be careful, as they’ll be hot). 

Cut each tomato in half, then cut each half into 4 wedges. Cut 5 slices of ginger, then julienne each slice into strips. 

Crack the eggs into a large bowl and season with ½ teaspoon of salt. Whisk well. 

In a separate bowl, mix together the cornstarch and water to create a slurry, which will later help to thicken the sauce. 

Heat a pan over high heat. Add the oil to coat the pan, then pour in the eggs and scramble for about 30 seconds (they won’t be cooked all the way through). Transfer the eggs to a separate bowl. 

Add a bit more oil to the pan, then add the ginger and tomatoes. Season with brown sugar and the remaining salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then slowly pour the slurry mix into the pan. Add the eggs back to the pan and cook for just under a minute, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat and mix in the ketchup. 

Recipe adapted from Made With Lau’s recipe for Dad’s Tomato & Eggs.