What to eat and drink at CelebrAsian, the Asian festival in Des Moines
A weekend of Asian foods, music, and culture takes over the Western Gateway neighborhood of Des Moines for the 50th anniversary of CelebrAsian, the festival honoring Iowa’s Asian populations and their history and roots in the Hawkeye State.
The event that brings tents of vendors along Grand Avenue and Locust Street, and along 12th and 13th streets in downtown Des Moines, features a fashion show, cultural performances, and more than 100 food and retail vendors.
Vendors at this festival are arranged by villages, each representing a different country. The 15 villages cover Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Marshallese, Micronesian, Burmese, Nepalese, Tai Dam, Thai, and Vietnamese traditions.
Each has its own food to buy, giving festivalgoers a chance to sample everything from chicken satay to Korean corn dogs, with some represented by local restaurants and others by food trucks or associations representing the culture in Des Moines.
Tin Lam, the co-owner of EatFuti, the local food delivery app that recommends restaurants to try and delivers food to your door, sampled some of the dishes at the festival to give readers ideas about something new to try.
What to eat and drink at CelebrAsian
Sugarcane drink, $12: It’s fascinating to watch sugarcane stripped of its outer husk and turned into a drink at Lao Flavors. The 32-ounce drink comes with a handle so it doesn’t heat up from your hands holding the glass. And it’s not as sweet as you might expect. 12th Street between Locust and Walnut streets
Terong balado, $6, and tongseng, $6: The Indonesian Community of Iowa represented with several dishes, including terong balado, dubbed an angry eggplant served over rice, and tongseng, a beef curry stew served with rice. 12th Street near Locust Street
Beef on a stick, $6: Lemongrass flavors these skewers of beef that make the perfect walking food. Find them at the Cambodian Street Foods stand. 12th Street between Walnut and Locust streets.
Crispy pork belly, $10: Myanmar saw representation at the Myanmar Village. Savory pork belly was enough to feed two people with a generous portion. 12th Street between Walnut and Locust streets.
Aloo tikki chaat, $12: This northern Indian dish from the Tikka Talk food truck featured crispy potatoes stuffed with spiced lentils, a green chutney, sweet tamarind sauce, and aromatic chaat masala. The dish had crunch, sweetness, sourness, heat, and creaminess. Locust Street near 13th Street
Special banh mi, $12: Paris Banh Mi in Windsor Heights brought its Vietnamese fare to the festival. Aside from banh mi, the Vietnamese sandwich on a baguette, the tent offered Thai tea and boba, eggrolls, and potstickers. 13th Street near Grand Avenue
Bao buns, $5 each: Chikin Lickin’, the Korean fried chicken restaurant in Waukee, served bao buns with bulgogi chicken (the Bridezilla bao) and bulgogi beef (the Moo-lisa bao). The stand also offered wings with sweet and spicy, gochu, spicy gochu, or Thai basil sauce, and chicken tenders with the same sauce options. Grand Avenue near 12th Street
Mochi doughnuts, $3 each or four for $10: Crème, the Asian bakery from Sammy Mila off Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines, brought its wildly popular mochi doughnuts to the festival. Try flavors such as ube latte, strawberry matcha, cinnamon sugar, and the exclusive Thai tea. 12th Street between Grand Avenue and Locust Street
What to know about CelebrAsian
When: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. May 23 and 24
Where: Western Gateway Park, 1205 Locust St. in Des Moines
For more information, visit iowaasianalliance.com/about-celebrasian.
Des Moines Register social justice reporter F. Amanda Tugade contributed to this article.
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