History

Saint Paul holds the largest urban Hmong population in the United States, about 80,000 in the metro, descended from Lao and Vietnamese refugees who arrived after 1975. The Hmongtown Marketplace on Como Avenue and the original Hmong Village on East Johnson Parkway became the city's twin Hmong food halls in the 2000s. Chef Yia Vang's Vinai opened in Northeast Minneapolis in 2024 and was nominated for a James Beard Best New Restaurant award in 2025; Vang's pork sausage and papaya salad combo has set the canonical version of the dish for Twin Cities diners.

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Common allergens: Fish (fish sauce), Peanuts (in salad)

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 30 minTotal 60 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground pork shoulder
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, white parts minced
  • 1 thumb galangal, grated
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 small green papaya, peeled and shredded
  • 2 thai chilies, 1 lime juiced
  • 2 tomatoes quartered, 2 tbsp roasted peanuts
  • 1 tbsp dried shrimp (optional), 1 tbsp palm sugar

Method

  1. Mix pork with lemongrass, galangal, garlic, 1 tbsp fish sauce, sugar and a pinch of salt. Rest 30 minutes.
  2. Form into 1-inch logs or patties. Griddle over medium-high until charred outside and cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
  3. While sausage rests, pound chili, garlic and palm sugar in a mortar to a rough paste.
  4. Add lime juice, fish sauce, peanuts, dried shrimp; pound briefly.
  5. Add tomatoes; smash lightly. Add papaya; toss with the pestle to bruise but not break.
  6. Plate sausage alongside salad with sticky rice. Eat with fingers.

Tip from the editors. No mortar and pestle works in a pinch; use a sturdy mixing bowl and the end of a rolling pin to bruise the papaya without shredding it.

Where to eat hmong sausage and papaya salad

Hmong sausage and papaya salad in Minneapolis

Hmongtown Marketplace ★ 4.6

$ MarketSaint Paul

Hmongtown Marketplace on Como Avenue has run the country's largest Hmong-owned market in Saint Paul since 2004. Dozens of food counters, fresh produce.

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Vinai ★ 4.7

$$$$ Tasting $110 (chef tasting)Southeast AsianNortheastChef Yia Vang

Yia Vang's Vinai in Northeast Minneapolis runs the country's most serious Hmong dining room since its 2024 opening. James Beard finalist two years running.

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