Ming-Na Wen's Popo's Wontons: A Taste of Heritage, Right Here in Aurora
When The Mandalorian and Mulan star Ming-Na Wen recently shared her grandmother's wonton recipe, she wasn't just dropping a cooking tutorial—she was handing down a survival kit. "Popo's wontons" aren't just dinner; they're edible history, folded with the kind of patience that only generations of Sunday afternoons can teach.
For Aurora's vibrant Asian community—especially those of us shopping at H Mart on Havana or Pacific Ocean Marketplace on Alameda—this hits different. We know the rhythm: the whisper-thin wrappers from the freezer aisle, the pork-and-shrimp mix seasoned by muscle memory, the pleats that look easy until your fingers try them. Wen's recipe calls for napa cabbage, ginger, and a splash of Shaoxing wine—ingredients you'll find fresh at Aurora's Asian markets without driving to Denver's Chinatown.
What makes this resonate locally? Aurora is 20% Asian American, and food is how many of us stay tethered to "home"—whether that's Taipei, Seoul, or a Guangzhou village. Wen's story mirrors ours: immigrants' kids realizing the recipes we rolled our eyes at as teens are actually inheritance.
Try it this weekend: Grab wrappers at H Mart, ground pork at Sprouts on Parker, and fold a batch while Facetiming your mom. Freeze extras for those nights when work runs late and you need something that tastes like belonging.
Pro tip: Wen freezes them raw on sheet pans first—keeps the pleats pretty. Smart.
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