The Rise Of Hmong Food

 The Hmong people have been displaced for centuries. They may have found a place to thrive in Minnesota.Here they can create their amazing dishes and have a thriving community.

Regular contributor Brett Anderson wrote about this much troubled Chinese minority in today's New York Times food sction. The Hmong are a minority , first coming from the Yellow Basin area and the originating to laos, Viet Nam , Thailand and MYamnar. They were displaced and settled in Minnesota. from a group of 200, living in the St Paul area in 1979 the community has grown to 100,000 to day. This is thanks to both democrats and Republicans working with  churches and other charities t o help with relocation. with them they brought a rich  south asian cuisine similar to Laotian Vietnamese and Thai. Out for this came two award winning restaurants, Vinai and Diane's Place. Both chefs and owners Yia vang and Diane Moua have brought the cushions to Minnesota, which is enjoyed by Hmong looking for a traditional recipes and foodies dyigng to try their small minority cuisine.The food is a mix for grilled and spicy along with a wide variety of meats, fish and veggies.

The cuisine and eateries are garnering a lot of attention, Vinai, named for the refugee camp where ChefVang's parents met is loud and boisterous. Guests are encouraged to order one large protein such as a double cut , tamarind glazed pork chop or a grilled chicken with what Chef Vang calls a southeast Asia sofrito. His personality is just as delicious and delectable.His dishes have appeared on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine and  he has a show "Feral" on the Outdor Channel. Many  diners want a selfie with him. Ms. Moua's menu is a bit different. She longed to bake and went to a culinary school after she married at the age of sixteen. Baking interested her after seeing the cakes at Lunds and Byerly where he mother-in-law had a pop up sushi stand. her brunch is an interesting mix of American breakfast foods and Asian staples like egg rolls. The dinner menu is more Hmong centered. she offers Hmong pulled pork and spicy Hmong sausage with sticky rice. she also bakes croissant and muffins too.

There will be a day when Hmong cuisine will be just as well known as other South Asian cuisines.Thanks t chefs Vang and Moua this is happening. The food will be popular throughout the US and not just in Minnesota.