GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Embrace the wild as Minnesota’s own Chef Yia Vang sets off on a mission to pursue, gather, prepare, and devour invasive species in Outdoor Channel's series, Feral, with season two premiering on Monday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. CST.
Feral highlights the wilderness adventure, thrill of the chase, and exploration of less-traditional hunted species with a fun host and engaging guests who are in search of unique and wonderful food prepared by Vang, a James Beard Award nominee and master chef.
A trained chef, avid traveler, angler, and hunter, Vang is always up for a culinary challenge. He has been named Best Chef in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) multiple times and has been featured on CNN’s United Shades of America, in the pages of National Geographic, and graced the cover of the May 2020 issue of Bon Appetit.
Some examples of the invasive culinary delicacies Vang will prepare on the show include:
- Copi/ Asian Carp: Considered a nuisance and trash fish, the Asian carp has overtaken the Illinois River’s biomass and now outcompetes native species. Lucky for Yia, fishermen Clint Carter and Dave Buchanan have devised an ingenious way to rebrand this delicious fish by calling it Copi.
- Squirrel: When Yia receives an offer to join Ryan “Backwoods'' Dodd and his mentor, Barry Carter, on a squirrel hunt, he can’t resist. Squirrel is hugely popular in the Hmong community and was a family favorite in the Vang household when Yia was growing up.
- Beaver: Described as a keystone species, beavers heavily influence their environment. But when the population moves into the wrong properties, it’s up to Wisconsin state trapping educator Jim Binder to help landowners remove these destructive pests.
- Canada Goose: The Canada Goose was once a federally endangered species but through years of protection the population has exploded. Unfortunately, they are now doing millions of dollars a year in damage to farms and city parks.
The Outdoor Channel original series Feral will air during Monday night's “Taste of the Wild” programming block at 8 p.m. CST.
In September, Chef Yia Vang announced that his much-anticipated restaurant, Vinai, is moving into 1300 2nd St. NE, Minneapolis' Northeast Bank Building, which was the former Dangerous Man Brewing Company's taproom.
Vang is the owner/chef of the James Beard-nominated restaurant Union Hmong Kitchen located in Graze Food Hall in the North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. Union Hmong Kitchen specializes in Hmong cuisine and started out years ago as a pop-up in Vang's friend's backyard.
Duck Fried Rice
2 duck breasts with skin on
1 Tsp chopped garlic
1 Tsp chopped ginger
1/4 C chopped onions
1/4 C chopped carrots
2 C cold leftover rice
1 duck egg
1 Tsp soy sauce
1/2 Tsp fish sauce
1/2 Tsp Maggi seasoning sauce
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