750: Mariam Daud Gets Inspired By Her Mom and Miyazaki

19:10Matt Rodbard:And I'm curious how that shaped your view of cooking. Yeah, I was definitely still very young. I am the eighth out of the 10 kids. So my older siblings have a bit more happy memories around it that they can remember. I would say it shaped my childhood more so just because everything that my mom and my dad did in the restaurant always, of course, came home and how I was raised in the kitchen comes from the restaurant, the family vibe. So my upbringing in the kitchen, I would say, is definitely shaped by how they operate in a restaurant kitchen. So I would say that more so was how it shaped me in a sense, less so the memories.

19:58But my memories are faint, but very cute, you know, running around and being my mom's little helper in a sense, but I really didn't do much, I must say.

20:08Matt Rodbard:Yeah, it's funny. I feel like people often talk about a big divide between restaurant cooking and home cooking, but I would imagine that when you're cooking for 10 kids, it basically is like running a restaurant anyways. For sure, 100%. So can you tell me about when you began sharing recipes online and how you kind of found your own voice as a recipe developer? Yeah, it was very not planned. It was COVID. I feel like that's a story for many people, especially nowadays. I was bored one day. My brother asked for a milkshake. I said, okay, I'll make you a milkshake. And he was the one that suggested for me to make the video and post it on TikTok.

20:53And I was, I must say, I was a TikTok hater back in the day. I'm changed my ways. But so I was a little opposed to it initially, ended up post recording it and posting it. And it did really well out of nowhere. And that kind of is honestly the reason why I've started posting recipes. People started asking in the comments if I could post the recipe for milkshake. And I was like, the milkshake, it's very simple. But so the next day I actually started, I started posting like real recipes. I believe the, maybe the next one after that was like a hamburger bun recipe and of sorts. And that ended up doing really well.

21:29And I just kind of went from there.

21:31Matt Rodbard:Do you have a visual art background? Because like the videos that you produce, not only does the food look delicious, but the lighting and the composition, like they're very cinematic videos? Oh, thank you so much. I don't. I would say, I will say I have been more so on the creative side my entire childhood, entire life. I really enjoyed art growing up and creating. I loved pottery. I loved painting. I love sketching. I really took that seriously in school as well. I remember like science class, seventh grade, we were able to sell things in the beginning of class for credit and to kind of help boost your grade.

22:13And I would have kids like buy art off of me that they can auction off in the beginning of class. So it was just always something I really loved. Just anything that I could create with my hands and imagine something beautiful and artful, I guess I would say, is just how my brain kind of operates. I really, really enjoy it. Totally.

22:33Matt Rodbard:Were they science-related drawings or just everything? It was everything. If someone found something interesting, she would allow somebody to purchase it and then the other person would get credit, as in grade credit, if I remember correctly. It's a phasy memory now, but I just remember selling whatever I painted back then. Totally. And as you started sharing recipes online and getting an understanding of what your audience is looking for or what the larger algorithm is looking for, do you feel like that shaped the recipes you were producing or the way that you were plating food? Yeah, definitely.

23:10I think when it comes to the recipes I was posting and still do, I take into consideration that not everybody's going to have every ingredient at home all the time or not every ingredient is going to be accessible. And I try my best to either answer the questions of what they could replace something for, make it a very comforting space to, if someone wants to change an ingredient, let them know that it's possible and that it's your kitchen, it's your recipe, and there's no shame in changing a recipe a bit and making it your own. Even if it's coming from a separate person, a separate creator, a well-known chef, take a recipe and make it how you want to make it because it's your home and it's your kitchen.

23:53So I try my best to make my recipes as approachable as possible and allow people to feel comfortable making them instead of sometimes being in the kitchen and making food can be scary to people that don't come from it in a sense or don't come from very large cooking families. So I want it to just be a very happy, happy time and happy space for them.

24:19Matt Rodbard:Totally. I feel like that comes across. And another thing that, you know, I was thinking about and then I was reading this book is you talk about like your love of Studio Ghibli and like animated food and making food look like a cartoon version of itself. And when I look at the recipes in this book and the recipes that you share online, they do have this really kind of idealized, adorable quality. How do you achieve that? Thank you. I, again, in a sense, look at my food as if I'm creating some type of art-inspired picture. So I try to set this, other than baking it and trying to make it as visually appealing as possible.

25:04I try to set the scene as something that's also visually appealing. So I feel like that contributes to how the food is then perceived. So it's a kind of a bit of everything. When it comes to cooking and specific and baking, when I'm plating the food, I feel it comes more so in just propping it and how perfect the scoop of ice cream you put on top of whatever dessert it is and make sure it's as rounded as possible. And like having that character-esque drip of caramel or maple syrup, all of that, all of those little things kind of contribute to the shot and the Studio Ghibli effect of it all. And I get really inspired by how beautiful and just cinematic you can make food.

25:51And I get inspired by that.

25:53Matt Rodbard:Totally. I feel like it's kind of a degree of commitment that you have as a developer. Like if you're making pancakes or waffles, you're going to do a stack of like six pancakes or waffles. Exactly. So I'm curious when you started thinking about working on a cookbook, like how did you begin to think about it and what did you want it to be? It was always, of course, a dream in a sense. I never, but I never thought I would come out with a cookbook if that makes sense. I love cooking. I love, you know, posting on my, socials for people to be able to recreate my recipes, but a cookbook always seemed like something so far-fetched to me.

26:31So when I was present, I was more so presented with the idea a couple years back. And then I was like, wow, this can become a reality. So it was more so out of surprise and shock and wow, I get to do this kind of thing.

26:49Matt Rodbard:Totally. And how did you decide like what kind of recipes would be in the book or how the book would be structured, did you just sit down and make a list? It was a bit difficult in the beginning because I didn't know which route I wanted to take. I could, I post a bit of everything on my page. So narrowing it down to what I wanted, you know, one book to be was so insane to think about and really hard to narrow down. I, of course, post traditional recipes, Palestinian recipes, But I also post, you know, every day, day to day, growing up in an America, you know, buttermilk pancakes and cornbread.

27:25And also, I'm surrounded by so many beautiful cultures, too. So there's just so much to want to put into a cookbook and show the type of food that I appreciate. so I kind of went from there I was debating with my agent and my and my editor and they're like you know what why separate it into just you know one specific genre why not put Palestinian recipes and and you know regular recipes that you grew up with and so it ended up just being a mix of everything I love and kind of separated separated it into breakfast and salads and soups and so like basically whatever you could be craving one day oh I want to make something for dinner, open it up and hopefully there's something that you love.

28:07So a little bit of everything and everything that I'm excited about.

28:12Matt Rodbard:Totally. I think it's a smart instinct to have it by time of day and not to be breaking it out into different cuisines because it seems more authentic to how you actually cook and live, that you would maybe be having, you know, a traditional Palestinian breakfast and then having buttermilk pancakes and having that just be part of your own kind of life. Thank you. That was the goal. Are there any recipes in the book that you think are super evocative of your style as a recipe developer or like the book itself? I would say there's a few. One that's coming to mind, which kind of encapsulates the way that this book in a sense came to be I would say the marinated brisket um in the seafood poultry meat section it's the way it came about was I there was leftover there was olives and figs in the fridge I remember the figs were getting bad and I didn't I don't like to waste food so I wanted to figure out a way to use them properly in a recipe so I ended up making a topenade out of them both and then try to figure out what would pair well with it.

29:21I ended up choosing brisket, which is, in my head, I thought this could go really bad or it could be beautiful. And I feel like it ended up being, you know, great. I would have added it in the cookbook if it wasn't amazing, but ended up being amazing. And I feel like that was just kind of the way that my brain works. I want elements that you usually would carry in your fridge to be the daily concept of every recipe in a sense. Hopefully you have a bit of everything and are able to tackle the recipes a bit easier than having, you know, the hardest to find ingredients to follow or find in the grocery store.

30:03Matt Rodbard:Yeah, I think there is a nice balance of having kind of more staple everyday recipes. And then when you're calling for something that's more special or that has a different technique, there's an explanation as to like why it has that intended effect. Like I was making my way through the bread section of the book and you have this really informative and interesting aside about how to bake on like river rocks or stones and how that's like a very like traditional Palestinian baking technique. And, you know, you have like a get 15 pounds of river rocks and then you explain how to use them. I feel like that's a really cool thing to do as a recipe developer.

30:40Yeah, I think it's really fun and It's something I've seen, of course, we don't have clay ovens in our backyards here. So it's something I've seen my mom do growing up to make the traditional look of tabun, our traditional bread. So it's something I did in past videos and people were really curious about it. And of course, I wanted to add it in the book. And I thought it would be really interesting to include how to properly do it. So very happy that made it in there.

31:06Matt Rodbard:Yeah, what's the effect of the rocks specifically? I would say more so the dimpling is very traditional. The look of the bread, it just creates such a beautiful, it helps mimic the look it would get back home while making them, baking them in clay ovens. So more so mimicking the traditional look also helps prevent a pocket from forming like pita bread, for example. So yeah, not too crazy, the reasoning, but fun. Why do you not want a pocket just because that isn't traditional to that specific bread? Yeah. And the way that it's enjoyed more so as a dipping bread instead of like pita bread, you often can make stuffed sandwiches and there's so many different ways to enjoy it.

31:51The way to enjoy tabunas can be similar, but it's just not the traditional way to make it.

31:58Matt Rodbard:Totally. I feel like these ways of talking about a tradition can be honored and can be involved in different places makes the book really special. And I'm curious what it means to you to get to share Palestinian recipes and culture in this book. Oh, it means everything to me. I never imagined, one, that being a Palestinian creator myself, I would have the platform that I do and I'm able to speak my mind the way that I am and to be able to share my culture in this way and what my mom taught me growing up and everything that I love is basically in this book as a Palestinian creator and as a Palestinian woman.

32:37It means more than I could possibly say in words right now. It's so insane to me every day that this will be able to be in stores where people are seeing it and seeing a Palestinian voice out there. And hopefully it'll inspire them to look up more Palestinian artists and other avenues as well.

32:58Matt Rodbard:And I totally agree with you. I think there have been some really incredible Palestinian cookbooks that have been produced in recent years, but obviously space for a lot more. So I think it's really great to see your addition to the genre and to see your recipes. And, you know, especially when you're talking about traditional recipes, how do you kind of balance wanting to showcase the recipe while also having your own interpretation of it or your family's interpretation of it. I think that's the beauty of Palestinian recipes in general. So many different villages make each recipe so differently.

33:36And I find so much beauty in that. Like Magluba, for example, the upside down rice, every village that you come across will use maybe slightly different seasonings or some people love adding carrots. I never grew up on carrots, but it's just there's slight variations and I don't think anybody is necessarily put down for that. It's just interesting to see the way another family might make it compared to how you grew up eating it. So there's more so beauty in it than having to, than my mind having to figure out, I don't, or being scared to disrespect anybody. I think there's more so beauty in, oh wow, she uses these seasonings.

34:13There's some similarities, but let me try her version of it. I think there's just more so beauty than having to be nervous about being truly authentic to every seasoning and ingredient that other families use as well.

34:29Matt Rodbard:Totally. And I think that you also do your work as a recipe developer to say, this is a traditional dish. This is my own interpretation of it. And I think sometimes those more personal spins can be some of the most delicious ones. Like even your recipe for mamoul that you have in the book, these, you know, beautiful date stuffed cookies. There's a Palestinian bakery here in Brooklyn called Zina Bakery that does a maple pecan mamoul that I had recently that I'm sure is not the most traditional flavor, but it's so incredibly delicious. And it's, you know, rooted in this technique of using nuts in this cookie.

35:03Matt Rodbard:I feel like that's like one of my favorite expressions of it. Yeah, that sounds amazing. I have to check that out. Yeah, I'll send them to you after this. I'm curious, just thinking about the recipe development process for the book, how would you say, like, what percentage of the book are recipes that you had already shared online as opposed to ones that you created for the book? I would say the percentage is a good 80-20. 80 new recipes and 20 fan favorites, like the cinnamon rolls and tomato soup. The recipes that my followers tend to really gravitate towards. I made sure to include those in the book.

35:37And then, of course, some nice and exciting new ones as well, which I'm really excited for everybody to get their hands on.

35:44Matt Rodbard:Yeah, you share so many recipes online. I imagine it must have been really difficult to decide which ones would actually make it in. Yeah, for sure. And when you're looking back on the development, is there a recipe that comes to mind that was maybe the hardest to perfect? I again I would say the makluba Because not in the sense that it was a hard recipe to make because I grew up making it and seeing my mom make it more so It being a traditional recipe that I grew up my mom with my mom saying, you know Add a little bit of this make sure you add enough black pepper so you can taste it properly in the back of your throat or like It was the the senses that she gave to make sure you're seasoning it properly weren't exactly how I would be able to include in a cookbook.

36:30It wouldn't be very helpful. So it was more so getting the water amounts and the exact seasoning amounts for this traditional dish. It was a bit difficult just because it's not something I'm used to measuring out in every sense of every step. So making sure that the water amount compared to the seasoning gave you the most flavorful rice and making sure that it comes out perfectly every single time and making sure anybody back home that, you know, had the same thing where their mom didn't really give them the exact measurements are now able to follow it accurately and hopefully have that perfect result at the end.

37:08I just, in my head, I created more pressure than maybe necessary, but I would say the McClubba and more so like the traditional recipes in general, just making, you know, cracking down on those specific measurements and making it easy for everybody at home.

37:23Matt Rodbard:Totally. I think sometimes when you have a really clear idea of how something is supposed to taste and you're working to match that again, as opposed to making something that hasn't been made before, it can be a lot harder to kind of replicate that taste memory. Exactly. Yeah. But you did it and you did the work for your family and now future generations will have the recipe. Thank God. Now that this book is, you know, coming out into the world and there's a new kind of medium that you're expressing yourself in. I'm curious if it feels different to be creating recipes that are going to be shared in a book as opposed to on social media or online.

38:02It definitely feels different, but different in a good way. I really enjoyed the process of making the cookbook. I'm somebody that enjoys behind the scenes work in a sense. So recipe testing and just being in the kitchen and just really working on recipes and seeing what works and what comes together wonderfully. I really just enjoy creating recipes. And I think as much as I enjoy creating videos and content, my happy place is creating recipes and being in the kitchen and taste testing and trying new techniques. So it was really, really enjoyable. And I truly enjoyed the process of this. And it was definitely different than, you know, propping up my camera and testing videos that way and testing recipes that way, which I think that's why it made it a bit more enjoyable.

38:49It's just there was a little less pressure without having the camera up 24-7.

38:54Matt Rodbard:Totally. I mean, your book is literally called I Sleep in My Kitchen. So I think it would make sense that you like that part of the process. How did you come up with that title? It's super fun and unexpected. I love it. Literally just our last conversation. I've always been in the kitchen quite a lot. If I'm testing a recipe, I'll be in the kitchen until 12 a.m., 1 a.m., and I don't find a problem with it. I find myself there quite often. So I've also had it in my bio for quite some time, too. I think since 2020, like since I started posting, it just always resonated with me. And I always thought it was fun and quirky, and it would be the perfect title of my first cookbook, which it did.

39:40and I'm really happy that it did. And I feel like it encapsulates the vibe of the book in general. I just want people to love being in the kitchen and want to open it up every day and make something.

39:53Matt Rodbard:Totally. I think it makes me feel very comfortable that the recipes are going to work because the person who made them is being like, yeah, I sleep in my kitchen. I've got it. What was the cookbook shoot process like? The photos are so gorgeous in the book. thank you um it was wonderful my I would say it was more so wonderful because of the people that I was around the photographer Jim Henkins he was wonderful to work with he was incredible the photos turned out beautiful I couldn't ask for better pictures um and just the environment that he had he has a little studio that he created near his home in Connecticut and that's where it was shot and it's just the environment of the of the whole photo shoot was just so comforting and And honestly, very similar to how I want the book perceived.

40:41It was just wonderful to have the photo shoot for the book to also feel that I felt that personal comfort and excitement and how it went. Did you work with any food stylists for the book? Yeah, her name was Kate Bunkins. Sorry if I'm mispronouncing her last name. But there was also two assistants on the shoot as well. And they were incredible. and every shot turned out beautifully.

41:07Matt Rodbard:Yeah, it must be interesting to get to see other people making your food instead of like being the person to make it yourself, like for a social media shoot that you would do. I definitely helped with the traditional recipes because again, it was a, you know, new to them too in a sense, but they were incredible and they took on every recipe like a champ and I wouldn't have chose to style any of the recipes differently. Yeah, they really are so beautiful. And I'm really curious about the cover image for the cookbook. I know that's such a big decision normally. How did you guys land on this cover?

41:39There was a lot less thought behind it than I thought would or I could have anticipated going behind it. We took the shot. I'm wearing my grandmother's traditional tholbe. So it was, if I remember correctly from what my mother told me, it was the first one that my grandma had made when she immigrated to America. so it's very special to me but I did not know that that was the image that would end up on the front of the cookbook um so now looking back it's just everything aligned beautifully um when my photographer printed out the image he looked at me and he gave me the he gave me the picture he was like I just know this is going to be the cover of the book I was like I I hope so but I have no idea because like they were also leaning towards uh a food shot of something I can't remember exactly what it was some time ago now.

42:31And I still have I'm still I still have the printed out picture that he gave me because I thought, wow, like this would be incredible if it if, you know, he can guess correctly. And he did. And I'm I couldn't be happier. I'm just so in love with it.

42:45Matt Rodbard:Well, shout out to your photographer, Jim Henkins, because I think that shows how much photographers know when they get the good image. And you're holding this giant platter of misachan, which is this beautiful, fluffy flatbread that it's the national dish of Palestine, right? Yes. So it has so much meaning in that, like not only like how this dish represents the cookbook, but also like I want to bury my face into these flatbreads. They look so good. They're puffy. They have these kind of like lacy, like thick edges. Like it's such a like it's a cookbook cover that works in so many ways, not just selling the food, but also the who you are and the larger purpose of the book.

43:24Matt Rodbard:So I think it's such a great one. Thank you so much. That means everything. This episode is brought to you by ButcherBox. Hot take. Most people have no idea what's actually in their meat. Zero antibiotics, no added hormones, response to be raised. These should be the baseline, not the premium. ButcherBox decided to make them the baseline anyway. There are 100 premium protein options delivered to your door. 100 % grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, wild-caught seafood, for over a decade, ButcherBox has led the industry with meat and seafood that's antibiotic-free, hormone-free, and independently verified.

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46:19This one, I would say I just picked it up actually. So I haven't cooked from it yet, but it's beautiful. It's called Will This Make You Happy by Tanya Bush.

46:27Matt Rodbard:Oh, I love Tanya. That's my best friend. So that's a great answer. Amazing. Not planted, but I love it. Your favorite Studio Ghibli movie? Ooh. I would say Ponyo. Great answer. Three things that are always in your fridge? Ooh, butter, eggs, and parsley. Your favorite season for cooking? Spring. Why spring? One thing I'm just really excited currently, and rhubarb. I love I love cooking with it I love rhubarb too that's such a good answer your go-to breakfast to make at home homemade sourdough smoked salmon and either a poached egg or a sunny side up egg your go-to ice cream flavor to order I've gotten a little boring as I've gotten older I would say vanilla I mean a good vanilla is a good vanilla exactly something you think is an underrated kitchen utensil?

47:35Matt Rodbard:A fish spatula, I would say. Why do you like a fish spatula? It's so diverse in the kitchen. It makes flipping a pancake so much easier down to fish. I use it for so many different things, more so than just, you know, a good fish filet. When I go travel and I go cook in other places, if I'm like going out of town for the weekend, And I pack my fish spatula to bring with me. See? It's the elite spatula to use for sure. I agree. Okay, final question. A fictional food scene from a book or a movie that you wish you could magically eat in real life? There was this one scene from, I don't know if you've ever watched The Bear.

48:18There's a scene of Marcus. He made this savory cannoli with roe on top and a drizzle of olive oil, I believe it was. it was just a very interestingly made cannoli. And I've ever since then wanted to recreate it, but I just don't know how to in my head yet. So I would say that one.

48:37Matt Rodbard:Well, I believe that you will figure out how to recreate it at home sometime soon. And I hope you will report back and tell me how it is. Thank you so much for coming on the show. This was so much fun. Thank you so much for having me. It was amazing.

48:54Matt Rodbard:This is Taste is hosted and produced by Matt Rodbard and me, Eliza Abarbanel. The show is edited by lead producer Clayton Gumbert and supervised by Pat Stango, director of media production and development at Penguin Random House. Thanks to Shalia Harris and the production team at Penguin Random House. Theme music by Steve Rydell. Episode portraits by Louise Zergang Pomeroy. Logo design by Ellie Skurzat and Ian Dingham. Visit Taste Online at tastecooking.com and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to keep updated on all cool things in the world of taste.

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