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Tribune News Service

An aromatic chicken soup made according to centuries of Hmong tradition brought comfort to Diane Moua when she first became a mum 23 years ago. She remembers her then mother-in-law toting the broth in a Tupperware container into her hospital room.
Hmong custom encourages new mums to have the herbal chicken soup, freshly cooked rice and warm water – and nothing else – for the first month after giving birth. (Yes, that is for every meal, every day.) The strict post-partum diet is seen as a way to cleanse and heal the body after trauma and transformation.
How did Moua do?
“I did cheat a little,” concedes the James Beard-nominated pastry chef and restaurateur. “It’s really hard to do it for 30 days. I was craving sweets and gummy bears.”

But that is not a slight against the soup itself. Moua describes it as herbaceous, yet not medicinal. Often seasoned with lemongrass and traditional Hmong herbs, it is delicious, she says. It tastes like home.
The soup is not just for post-partum mums; it is a staple in Hmong kitchens. It is good for hangovers, recovering from injuries, or if you just need a pick-me-up. Moua even has plans to introduce a version of it to her patrons at Diane’s Place in Minneapolis, in the US state of Minnesota. (You can also go on TikTok and YouTube to find instructions on how to make the simple soup.)
Awash in earth tones, Diane’s Place, Moua’s new restaurant, marries her pastry-making prowess with the comfort dishes of her Hmong heritage.

The custom of having mothers rest for the first month after labour is common throughout Asia. A Chinese tradition forbids new mums from venturing outside the house or even washing their hair for those first 30 days.
In neighbouring city Saint Paul (which, with Minneapolis, is one of the US’ Twin Cities), St John’s Hospital has been serving the Hmong chicken herb soup for at least 19 years.
We know this because kids are reliable markers of time: when Moua gave birth to her daughter Lily, who is 19, St John’s was offering it on the hospital menu. Other hospitals in the area also offer the soup to patients.
Famished after labour, Moua says it meant everything to have the soup as her very first meal. (When her son, Thomas, was born four years earlier at a different hospital, Moua remembers her then-husband had to leave her bedside to go home and make the soup.)
“I love that we’ve normalised it,” says Dr Laurel Ries, a family obstetrics provider who says about 40 per cent of her patients are Southeast Asian. “Of course we have this available. This is the food that people eat in our community.”

The diet was developed at a time when people did not have easy access to nutritious foods. And yet, says Ries, the soup has nutritional properties that help women recover and feed their babies.
The chicken contains protein needed to heal wounds, as well as iron for replacing blood loss. Rice is a great source of calories, and helps increase the supply of breastmilk. The greens provide vitamin B and a bit of fibre to help with digestion.
Ka Vang stuck to the Hmong chicken diet after giving birth to all three of her children, and supplemented it with vitamins. To prepare for the undertaking, she stocked up on herbs at Hmong markets and groceries.
“You can go to Hmongtown or Hmong Village and just say, ‘Can I get the Hmong diet chicken soup herbs?’,” says Vang. “Everyone will know what you’re talking about. In some places, it’s already bundled up for you.”

And her parents, pleased to see their daughter connect to their culture by committing to the diet, were excited to support Vang. Her dad slaughtered 45 chickens for the occasion. (Many Hmong believe you should use free-range chickens that have not been pumped with antibiotics.)
“My mom was thrilled I was taking it so seriously,” she says. “I think it brought us closer because I was willing to do it.”
And even though her husband, Brian, does not share Vang’s Hmong heritage, he also supported her by quartering the whole chickens and making the broth. Vang swears by its healing properties, but says she also did it to honour her culture.
“I know this sounds kind of sappy, but I felt like the spirits of my ancestors were happy,” she says. “I felt their support, too.”


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Food and Drinks

Chicken soup that’s a hangover cure, pick-me-up and a must for post-partum Hmong mums

A Hmong chicken herbal soup, often made for new mums, is a staple in Hmong kitchens. Photo: YouTube/@C.HerCreations

Diane Moua is a fan of the centuries-old Hmong chicken herbal soup. Photo: TNS

Moua describes the chicken soup as herbaceous, yet not medicinal. Photo: Instagram/@amyhmong

Moua at Diane’s Place in Minneapolis. Her new restaurant marries her pastry-making prowess with the comfort dishes of her Hmong heritage. Photo: Instagram/@dianesplacemn

Hmong Chicken soup has nutritional properties that help women recover and feed their babies. Photo: Instagram/@sunshine_mouacheupao

Beyond Manchurian chicken: the Mumbai fine-dining chefs adapting Chinese-Indian food

Assorted dishes at Mumbai Chinese-Indian restaurant By the Mekong, where the cuisine has evolved by incorporating Southeast Asian flavours. Photo: By the Mekong  

Dishes at By the Mekong, a Chinese-Indian restaurant with Southeast Asian influences at the St. Regis Mumbai. Photo: Lisa Cam

A selection of modak – an Indian dessert – with international, savoury twists, at Mumbai Chinese-Indian restaurant Papa’s. Photo: Papa’s

Char siu modak at Papa’s. Photo: Lisa Cam

Inside By the Mekong, from where diners can enjoy views of Mumbai’s skyline. Photo: By the Mekong

Raymond Wong, master chef of Asian cuisine at the St. Regis Mumbai. Photo: Lisa Cam

Ho Chi Minh purple cabbage and corn kernel dumplings served at By the Mekong. Photo: Lisa Cam

Custard flavoured dumplings at By the Mekong. Photo: Lisa Cam

As Masaaki Miyakawa opens Macau sushi restaurant, master chef reflects on his journey

Chef Masaaki Miyakawa raised the bar for Hong Kong sushi a decade ago at Sushi Shikon, then earned three Michelin stars for his eponymous restaurant in Hokkaido, Japan. Now he is back in the Greater Bay Area with Sushi Kissho, his own place at Macau’s Raffles hotel. Photo: Sushi Kissho

A pristine piece of fatty tuna belly nigiri at Sushi Kissho. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Miyakawa specialises in Edomae sushi, a style that places emphasis on aged, marinated or cured fish. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Miyakawa aims to visit his Macau sushi restaurant at least two to three times a year. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Miyakawa says his French culinary experiences taught him about sauces, which he now tries to incorporate into his cooking. Photo: Sushi Kissho

A selection of Edomae-style sushi at Sushi Kissho. Photo: Sushi Kissho

The spacious sushi counter at Sushi Kissho. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Miyakawa’s journey to culinary distinction began in the rural Japanese town of Asahikawa. Photo: Sushi Kissho

Black abalone with liver sauce, one of Miyakawa’s most memorable dishes at Sushi Shikon, makes an appearance at Sushi Kissho. Photo: Sushi Kissho

How chilli peppers in China were a substitute for salt before becoming widely popular

Chinese farmers pick chilis in Hainan province. Centuries ago the chilli pepper was a salt substitute for the minority Miao people of southwest China, and unknown elsewhere in the country. Photo: Getty Images

Instant Buldak 2 x Spicy Chicken Ramen noodles from South Korean company Samyang similar to the ones recalled from stores by Danish health authorities for being dangerously spicy. Photo: EPA-EFE

Villagers dry chilli peppers in Tongren, Guizhou province, southwest China, the part of the country where their use as a food flavouring was first documented in the 18th century. Photo: Getty Images

Mapo tofu, a popular soy dish in Sichuan cuisine made with chilli peppers. Photo: Shutterstock

How Macau birthed the world’s first fusion cuisine, mixing Portuguese and Chinese traditions

“Galinha a Africana” or “frango assado” is a dish traditionally associated with Macau, and example of early fusion cuisine. Photo: Shutterstock

Vintage engraving from 1851 showing a view of Macau. Photo: Getty Images

Manuel Antonio de Jesus, owner of the recently shuttered Cozinha Aida, which served authentic Macanese cuisine. Photo: Handout

Tacho at Cafe Litoral in Macau. Photo: Juliana Loh

Sonia Palmer (left) with her mother in Macau. Photo: Mario Chui

Can André Chiang reinvent hotpot? At Broth, the chef’s new Macau restaurant, he is trying

Laksa is one of the eight hotpot soup bases available at Broth. Photo: Broth

Broth by André Chiang (above) is a new hotpot restaurant in Macau where the chef puts his spin on the popular meal. Photo: Lisa Cam

Broth by André Chiang has taken over Japanese restaurant Mizumi at Wynn Macau. 

Chiang received the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. 

The Hokkaido flavour hotpot base is a miso and milk broth inspired by traditional Japanese soy milk broth. Photo: Broth

The laksa soup base is one of eight available for hotpot eaters at Broth. Photo: Broth

A seafood tower for two in the first part of Broth’s hotpot experience. Photo: Lisa Cam

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

An aromatic chicken broth, bolstered with lemongrass and traditional Hmong herbs, is a classic post-partum elixir. What makes it special?


A herbal chicken soup, often made for new mothers, is a staple in Hmong kitchens and is good for hangovers, recovering from injuries, or if you just need a pick-me-up.


Wellness

Asian Cuisine

Asian diaspora

United States