Close Menu
    South East Asia

    Chasing the Cuisine of Southeast Asia’s Invisible People



    Chasing the Cuisine of Southeast Asia’s Invisible People

    With a population of more than five million, the Hmong are one of the largest minority ethnic groups in Southeast Asia. But their food, culture, and people are invisible- and when we tried to find out why, we had to confront a long history of tragedy, disaster, and my own country’s abandonment of a people who once laid everything on the line for the American military. And it led us on a path towards one of the most fascinating and incredible cuisines we never knew existed.

    –

    Please “Like” if you enjoy the video, subscribe to the channel, and turn on notifications!

    –

    Please consider supporting OTR on Patreon and thanks so much to anyone who does; your support truly keeps us going. http://www.patreon.com/OTRontheroad
    Website: http://www.OTRontheroad.com
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/otr.offtherails/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

    –

    0:00 – Introduction
    1:21 – Breakfast
    5:30 – Origins
    8:37 – The Map Pin
    14:03 – Kilometer 52
    17:26 – The Hmong in Southeast Asia
    20:07 – The Secret Army
    22:31 – Off the Menu
    26:40 – Hope and Acceptance
    29:29 – What is Hmong Food?
    35:35 – Survival
    41:23 – Ban Vinai
    45:29 – The Unexpected Feast
    48:20 – Dinner
    51:31 – Spirit
    54:09 – Credits and Post-Credits

    –

    Video Credits:










































    50 Comments

    1. @OTRontheroad on

      A couple notes and location pins, including a place you must try if you're in the Bangkok area.
      First, I appreciate the patience; this took a ton of work- there's a ton of pressure to get a story like this correct and to tell it as well as we can, so we took a bit of extra time to get it done. Hope we did it justice.
      Second- on that note, drives me crazy that there's a mistake I didn't catch; you probably won't catch it either (it slipped by like 15 drafts and final reviews) but I misspoke "southern" instead of "northern" when talking about the Vietnamese army fighting in Saigon. Just in case you notice, yep, it's a mis-speak.
      LOCATION PINS:
      1) https://maps.app.goo.gl/JEz5XCUD9yUWWQYu7 – This is the pin we followed for the Hmong chicken soup (north of Vientiane, Laos). It's not accurate, but if you follow the map, there are a couple vendors selling this dish inside the market itself, which is here:
      2) https://maps.app.goo.gl/7sg5B3GnanZFFw6u8 (and if you go there and walk in from the parking lot, seriously, ask the grilled fish vendor right inside the entrance if they have any of the red bugs. Insane. Watch the post-credits scene for reaction.)
      3) GO HERE if in Bangkok: https://maps.app.goo.gl/tB6VYAXGkPw7jvKg8 call ahead, book the Hmong feast (there are two versions, for a bigger group they'll roast a whole suckling pig). You probably need someone to help with Thai for the booking.
      4) And for Chef Yia Vang's place in Minneapolis: https://maps.app.goo.gl/zr1mkAzJ3LZdmZCDA

    6. @kv13944 on

      Thank you for telling our story. You are brave, patient, kind and fair in your research to tackle this story. I would say, you have become one of the best story tellers in comparison to other foodies. Every dish has a story. You have done well.

    7. @pannachawangkul585 on

      Hi Adam. I am still following your food journey. FYI. You didn't disappoint. I find myself wiping away tears for those Hmong who died in the war & how proud of those who survived & making something of themselves. To the chef and all deeper skin tone Hmong people, there is nothing wrong with your skin tone. Those lighter skin tone MUST realize that without the deeper skin tone working the soil, the lighter skin tone would not be able to buy food with all their riches. I SALUTE all the FARMERS & RANCHERS for their hard work! 🙏

    11. @leonyang8469 on

      I was going to say if you wanted to eat real hmong food, all you had to do was find them in nc because we are here too. There are some in Minnesota and California too. There is more background to the secret war too. My grandpas were in that war. Sadly one passed way recently from Covid.

    12. @tswvyee on

      Sometime elderly or kids like the chicken broth added to the rice. It make it all go down easier lol that how I was taught eat it growing up by my parents. They still make it today here and there when they want something simple. Thank you for making a documentary of the Hmong ppl.

    13. @JennaSakura on

      Don’t always believe what the mainstream wants you to hear. I’m a Lao American and have gone back to Laos. Hmong people are not persecuted as they want you to believe. They just say they are persecuted so they can easily immigrate to America under the guise of fleeing from persecution. And there are still pockets of Hmong resistance that still want to overthrow the Laos government. So, if they truly are persecuted, it’s only because they want to overthrow the Lao government.

    14. @27gv on

      Appreciate you, brother, for sharing about my Hmong/Mong people. Just to add, we are the Xiongnu—Steppes people, also known as Mong or what is now Mongolia. Our roots trace back to the north, above the Yellow River Basin, with legendary leaders like Genghis Khan and Kublai Khan. Thanks again for shedding light on our history!

    15. @KeanelCV on

      This was a great video, and I know I'm nitpicking here, but many times, when videos are done on Hmong people, it fails to get the background music correct. I'm not expecting to hear some modern Hmong music, but give me some qeej music.

    17. @shallowdream2928 on

      Feels good to be HMOOB. Feels even better to slowly be recognized by the world. As I watch this, I see the struggle of you finding Hmoob food, but I on the other hand take it for granted daily as my mom cooks HMOOB food daily. I will definitely cherish it more on my next meal. <3 Thank you for doing this episode!

    22. @SanJacintoArtGuild on

      What an amazing video! I think this is your best on yet!!!
      Again, thanks for your time and effort.

      I remember living in Fresno, California between 1980 and 1990, when there was a large influx of Asian refugees collectively referred to as "the boat people" in local media. Driving down the street, there would be an Asian mini-mart one every corner. Each one served a different ethnic group: Hmong, Vietnamese, etc.

      I loved to visit those mini-marts and slowly peruse the shelves. While the store owners and I didn't usually speak each others language, I always left with several items that intrigued me, even if I didn't know what it was, exactly, or how to prepare it. That was how I 1st discovered Sriracha Sauce, 20 years before it became a household pantry item!

    27. @kimsam574 on

      Damn Yia’s story has hit me. I’m not a Hmong but hearing the story, teaching similar to my Khmer parents. War just really ruin people. The sacrifices is unimaginable to what us younger generations can do now. Honor, value and respect your elders for reals!!!!

    28. @d0m0lee on

      The last chef explaining what's in the broth in the first dish;
      "black chicken, boiled with medicinal herbs; herbs that's said to aid a woman when bringing a little into the world." (gives her strength)

    30. @Farmerjuju on

      Thank You for this. As a community of 1 Hmong person in Canada, growing seeds from the diaspora, and sharing the Hmong culture as an identity project, I appreciate this very much.

    36. @tuskmite on

      It'd be very interesting to see an episode investigating Dai cuisine (from southern China), which shares striking similarities with Northern Thai and Lao cuisine. There is very little information online about it and most of the articles say the same thing so getting some insight about it would be fascinating!

    38. @thewholesomeheart on

      Uncle Chef Yang's details about the black chicken Hmong medicinal soup: The herbs are exclusively grown by Hmong people and is served to women after giving birth and/or when men feel weak- helps them regain strength. The other items are pretty well translated.

      Thanks for shining some light on the Hmong people, OTR!

      Also. My man's Yia Vang was feeling it. As I like to say: knowledge is best when shared rather than being kept hidden and away. Knowledge is power my friends.

    40. @WilliamWallace-l2b on

      Very interesting video as my grandfather was involved in the CIA ops from 1959 to 1962-65 if I remember correctly. I recall him talking about the people/tribes, he was very fond of them. It wasn't till after he passed that I found out his "stories" were true. Good channel, now subbed.

    48. @kingme6839 on

      I'm second generation Hmong American. My dad was forced into the war at a young age. Fought for the US interest. When the US pulled out so many were left to die. We were one of the lucky ones that made it here to the US in the late 70's. Americans don't understand the sacrifices the Hmong did. Even to this day my parents don't talk much of the war. They say experiencing it is enough and would not want us to feel their pain. Thank you for covering this.

    Leave A Reply