Where Minnesota Meets Hmong Cuisine

As recently seen on Good Morning America, 2023 James Beard-nominated and Eater's “Chef of the Year,” Chef Yia Vang has had one of his busiest years to date with his multiple projects including competing as a challenger on Netflix’s Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, hosting Food Network’s Stoked, and most recently premiered his new thrilling cooking and culture series Feral now airing and streaming through the Outdoors Channel.  

Photo courtesy Eliesa Johnson

Vang is also the owner and chef of the James Beard-nominated restaurant Union Hmong Kitchen located in Graze Food Hall in North Loop Minneapolis specializing in Hmong cuisine. Though Minnesota is home to the largest  population of Hmong living outside Asia, no brick-and-mortar restaurant has been exclusively dedicated to Hmong cuisine until Vang and his business partner launched a Kickstarter campaign for Vinai, the Twin Cities’ first brick-and-mortar restaurant devoted to “the past, present, and future of Hmong cooking.” The Vinai space currently houses Slurp Noodle Shop, a new popup concept that Vang will rotate out every three months. Slurp currently has both “brothy” and “saucy” noodle dishes on its menu, including such dishes as Khao Poon (rice noodles, curried chicken broth, chicken, veggies and herbs, marinated bamboo shoots) on the brothy side, and Fun Fun Noodles (wide rice noodles, beef, peanut-chili sauce, toasted peanuts, pickles, herbs) on the saucy side.

Vang has also added keynote speaker to his already impressive resume, as he gears up to deliver his message during this year’s Art of Catering Food (March 26–27 in Orlando). 

See Chef Yia Vang live

There is a story behind every kind of food. For Chef Yia Vang, star of TPT’s Relish series, Iron Chef, and the new Outdoor Channel series, Feral, it’s Hmong food.
Join Vang as he talks about the food and flavor profiles that inform his work, and his gentle and beautiful approach to “mine” versus “ours” in regard to food culture. A tasting will accompany his session, followed by a meet and greet. 

Art of Catering Food is delighted to welcome Chef Vang to the stage on Monday morning, March 27th at 9:15 a.m.  Find more information at: https://informaconnect.com/art-of-catering-food/

Catersource sat down with Vang to hear his thoughts on cuisine, working in the kitchen, and his upcoming appearance at Art of Catering Food. 

Catersource: Where did your love of food and cooking begin? 

Yia Vang: I actually didn’t like it. I wanted to get rid of it. I tried to run away from it for awhile. Growing up, cooking wasn’t the romantic and beautiful thing that everyone thought it was. Everyone had to pull their weight—either you washed the dishes, or you helped cook. It was literally just part of the chores. 

It wasn’t until after college that I realized it was something that I really wanted to do. I really believed in the philosophy that you cook the way you are, and I wanted to cook the food I knew and that I was familiar with. 

CS: What is it about food that makes it such an important part of our everyday life? 

YV: For me coming from a Hmong family, when you don’t have a country, you have to find something identifiable in that culture. Food is sustenance, we all eat, but our cultural identity is intricately woven into the food that we eat. That food actually tells a story of where we are, where we’ve been. Preserving history starts with food. 

Are you thinking about joining us in Orlando? Hurry up! Catersource + The Special Event offers multiple registration packages for catering and events professionals at a low price. You will enjoy a full week of spirited people, ideas, and trends shaping the catering and events industry. Catersource + The Special Event Conference & Tradeshow 2023 is the ideal opportunity to meet live with your industry peers, create new business relationships, and learn powerful strategies for a successful 2023 and beyond. Register now before prices increase on March 3. Register with The Early Bird Rate

Also, as you get older you kind of want to answer the question of ‘Who am I?’ The answer took me to my mom and dad’s table. I understand the food; I understood their story. There was this whole world that I never saw, I saw a different world and that there’s something bigger here. I’m part of something bigger. How can we use this food as a canvas to paint the story of their story? It’s their legacy echoed on a plate. 

CS: What is your process for developing a new dish or new menu? 

YV: Memories. It’s all about memories. It’s activating memories. That’s what drives us. Every time you are making food, every time you’re eating, these flares are going off in your head and that’s what drives you to think of good menus—creating good times, which turn into good memories. 

CS: What inspires you in the kitchen?

YV: Fortifying mom and dad’s legacy; creating a great work atmosphere where we have
a tribe; being a fan of good food.

CS: How has food and culinary evolved during your career? 

YV: Everything is so global now. The world has come to us. 

CS: Hmong cuisine has grown quite a bit recently in terms of recognition and popularity, what do you attribute to this? 

YV: Our ability to say that there are more stories out there. How do we keep hunting for all these stories? We are natural learners, so we need to be curious eaters.

CS: What is your favorite thing
to cook?

YV: I don’t have a favorite; I go through spurts. One day I want to make a really great sandwich, the next I want to focus on a duck dish. I have food commitment issues. 

CS: What is your favorite thing
to eat?

YV: Again, I don’t really have a favorite. I’ll eat a lot of spice-forward dishes for awhile, but then I’ll get sensory overload and eat Jimmy John’s. I love chain restaurants, though. Growing up, I never got a chance to go, so I’m living my childhood dream now. I’m very particular about chicken nuggets.

CS: What are some of your tips and tricks for working as a chef? 

YV: A chef has to wear three different hats. First, they have to be great cooks. Next, they need to know how to work with people. Lastly, they need to know how to operate systems. 

CS: It’s been said that you like to change how people think about food by considering the influences in each bite, can you elaborate on this? 

YV: Our food is very driven in a Eurocentric style of eating. Everything looks really pretty and I remember going over to my friends’ houses as a kid and their mom would ask if they could make me a plate. In Hmong culture, you don’t make someone a plate, you give them a plate and invite them to the table because everyone is equal and there’s no limitation to the plate. 

My food, it’s not pretty, the restaurant is small, but it’s ours. Nobody is taking this away from us, and we take pride in what we have here. We’re never going to say these are small plates, or these are shareable plates because all of the plates are shareable. The menu is meant to be shared. There’s no individual ordering. That’s a first world problem right there. 

CS: Can you discuss Slurp, your new noodle pop-up?

YV: We want the space to be a blank canvas and put in a new pop-up on a rotating schedule from our team. We want to keep that area fresh, it’s a canvas. It’s going to be a good training ground for our younger chefs. 

CS: Can you give an update on the opening of your new restaurant Vinai?

YV: Our target is the end of summer, maybe fall. It’s going to be a completely different feel, we’re going to be taking a deep look at the food that I grew up with, especially woodfired grilling.  Smoke and fire are a key ingredient. 

I hate when people tell me that I’m elevating Hmong food, I don’t call it elevated. It’s food from my mom and dad, the problem was that it came from a poor country and poor people and it was thought to have no value. We are blessed to have a platform to talk about this. 

CS: In regard to AOCF, can you speak to the importance of chefs learning from other chefs? 

YV: We’re all in our own world, you’re in your station, your head’s down. But your station is only a small part of how the whole kitchen works, and the whole rhythm will be thrown off if one thing goes down. You have to dare to try something new and fail. You know that you are part of something bigger and when you respect each other’s area, you learn to respect what people are doing and understand. Before you ask someone to change something on a menu, ask them why. What’s the story behind it? Every dish has a narrative, if you look close enough you get to the people.

CS: What are some of the lessons you hope to share with the AOCF crowd? 

YV: I want to challenge everyone to really think about the why. Why are you cooking the food you are cooking? I want everyone to find their inspiration to be aspiring. You better know your way. 

Grilled Butterflied Chicken with Lemongrass Sauce

Yield: 4

Photo courtesy Laura Murray, Food Styling By Rose Daniels and Yia Vang for Bon Appetit 

Ingredients for Sauce

Method

1. Mix scallions, lemongrass, ginger, and garlic in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a small saucepan over high until hot but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Pour over scallion mixture. Let sit, stirring often to keep aromatics from burning, 5 minutes (scallions will sizzle, turn bright green, and wilt almost immediately). Mix in Aji-No-Moto seasoning (if using) and season with salt.
2. Do ahead: Sauce can be made 2 days head. Cover and chill.

Ingredients for Chicken & Assembly

Special Equipment

A spice mill or mortar and pestle

Method

1. Toast coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until spices are very fragrant and slightly darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill or mortar and pestle and let cool. Finely grind, then transfer spice mix to a small bowl.
2. Place chicken, skin side up, on a cutting board. Using your palms, press firmly on breastbone to flatten breast; you may hear a crack. This means you’re doing it right. Set chicken, skin side up, on a large rimmed baking sheet. Season generously on both sides with salt, then sprinkle spice mix all over, getting in every nook and cranny. (You may have a little spice mix left over.) Tuck wings underneath the breast. Chill, uncovered, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.
3. Let chicken sit at room temperature 1 hour before grilling. Drizzle with oil and pat all over.
4. Prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Place chicken, skin side down, on grate over indirect heat. Cover grill, placing vent (if your grill has one) over chicken so it draws heat up and over it. Grill until skin is lightly browned, 15–20 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook, still covered, until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 160°, 20–25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest at least 15 minutes before carving. Serve with lemongrass sauce and rice.

Purple Sticky Rice 

Photo courtesy Laura Murray, Food Styling by Rose Daniels and Yia Vang for Bon Appetit 

Yield: 4

Ingredients

Method

1. Place both rices in a colander and rinse several times under cold running water until water runs clear. Drain well. Transfer to a medium bowl; pour in cold water to cover by 2”. Cover and chill 12 hours.
2. Line a metal steamer basket with cheesecloth (you need enough to wrap around rice). Pour water into a medium pot to come 2” up sides, then set basket inside. Drain rice and place inside basket; bring cheesecloth up and over rice to cover. Set pot over medium heat. Cover and steam rice until tender, 20–25 minutes.

Blistered Green Beans with Fried Shallots

Photo courtesy Laura Murray, Food Styling By Rose Daniels and Yia Vang for Bon Appetit 

Yield: 4

Ingredients

Method

1. Crush shallot, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger in a mortar and pestle to a coarse paste; set aside. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, chop very finely.)
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Arrange green beans in a single layer; cook, undisturbed, until browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn beans over and cook, tossing occasionally, until deeply browned in spots and tender, about 5 minutes. Add reserved lemongrass mixture; cook, tossing, until fragrant and tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add oyster sauce, season with salt, and toss to coat.
3. Transfer green beans to a platter and top generously with fried shallots.

Tri-Tip Steak with Tiger Bite Sauce

Yield: 4

Photo courtesy Laura Murray, Food Styling By Rose Daniels and Yia Vang for Bon Appetit 

Ingredients for Steak

Method

1. Toast Sichuan peppercorns, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until spices are very fragrant and slightly darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill and let cool; finely grind.
2. Pat steak dry; season all over with salt. Whisk oil, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and spices in a large bowl. Add steak; turn to coat. Cover and chill 4–12 hours (for the most flavor go the full time).
3. Remove steak from marinade and place on a plate. Let sit at room temperature 1 hour before cooking.
4. Prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off). Grill steak over direct heat until lightly charred, about 2 minutes per side. Move steak over to indirect heat and cover grill, placing vent (if your grill has one) over steak so it draws heat up and over it. Grill, turning steak occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of steak registers 120°, 20–25 minutes for medium-rare.
5. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before slicing it against the grain.

Ingredients for Sauce & Assembly

Special Equipment

A spice mill

Method

1. While the steak is resting, place a wire rack on direct heat side of grill, arranging so bars run perpendicular to grate. Toss tomatoes with oil in a medium bowl; season with salt. Grill tomatoes in a single layer on rack, turning occasionally, until lightly charred all over and beginning to burst, about 5 minutes. Return to bowl as they’re done and let cool.
2. Pulse shallot, garlic, chiles, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until mixture starts to resemble a paste. (This is even better in a mortar and pestle, which will create a finer texture.) Add cilantro and pulse until very finely chopped.
3. Lightly crush tomatoes with your hands and add shallot mixture, lime juice, fish sauce, and oyster sauce. Season sauce with salt; let sit 10 minutes. Serve steak with sauce, rice, and lettuce.

Potluck Chopped Salad

Yield: 4

Photo courtesy Laura Murray, Food Styling By Rose Daniels And Yia Vang for Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Method

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Carefully lower eggs into water with a slotted spoon and cook 8 minutes. Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Remove eggs from ice water, pat dry, and peel. Slice eggs crosswise and set aside for serving.
2. Whisk garlic, buttermilk, mayonnaise, dill, and Aji-No-Moto seasoning (if using) in a large bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper. Add romaine, carrot, radish, and herbs and toss to coat; season with salt.

Sweet and Spicy Cucumber Salad

Yield: 4

Photo courtesy Laura Murray, Food Styling By Rose Daniels And Yia Vang for Bon Appetit

Ingredients

Method

1. Thinly slice cilantro stems until you have about 2 Tbsp. and place in a large bowl. Coarsely chop remaining cilantro; set aside for serving.
2. Add shallot, garlic, chiles, tamarind concentrate, lime juice, and fish sauce to bowl with cilantro stems and mix well. Add cucumbers and tomatoes, season with salt, and toss until everything is nicely dressed.
3. Transfer salad to a platter and top with reserved chopped cilantro, then fried shallots and peanuts.