Minnesota State Fair food review: Korean corn dogs to quesabirria

Sahan Journal reporters Katelyn Vue and Elza Goffaux, operations director Mayuri Utturkar and photographer Aaron Nesheim tried several new ethnic foods on the first day of the Minnesota State Fair , from Korean corn dogs to a Palestinian American bacon and sour cream hummus on tater tots that was an unanimous hit.

There are 33 official new foods at the fair this year and six new vendors, including a Korean corn dog stand , and the debut of the Indigenous Food Lab , which will anchor the second week at the Midtown Global Market booth.

This year, 1,600 foods will be available at nearly 300 concession locations during the Minnesota State Fair’s 12-day run.

A full list of new foods and vendors is available on the fair website along with a map .

The fair runs through Labor Day, and is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. through September 1, and from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on September 3.

Click here for frequently asked questions about what you can bring to the fair and other topics, and here to learn how to get to the fair.

Korean hot dogs at Chan’s Eatery

• 2.5 out of 5 stars
• Find description and location here .

One of the most Instagrammable new vendors this year is Chan’s Eatery, with their three flavors of Korean corn dogs. The corn dogs consist of a hot dog and mozzarella center coated battered with panko and dusted with cinnamon sugar. Other are dusted with hot Cheetos or topped with fries. Chan’s also serves mochi donuts and boba tea.

The team unanimously felt that the crust and the batter were too thick on all three types of corn dogs, making it hard to get to the hotdog.

It was Elza’s first corn dog. She found the flavor surprising and the crust tasty, but after a second bite, she was disappointed.

“The hot dog is too salty and does not fit with the taste of the batter and the crust,” she said.

Mayuri preferred the hot Cheetos version, but overall, felt the batter was bland. “It’s very State Fair,” she said. She struggled to taste the hot dog after her first bites.

It was difficult to eat the corn dog, she said, adding that it missed the point of being on a stick. “It’s too big and it falls,” she said.

Aaron shared the team sentiment. “The cinnamon sugar is weird. I would have been happier if it tasted like french fries,” he said. “Sweet is not working.”

There was too much batter compared to hot dog, said Katelyn, who also wasn’t impressed with the classic milk boba tea.

“The tea is too watery and the boba is not very chewy,” she said.

Mochi donuts: 4.2 out of 5 stars

However, the mochi donuts raised the team’s spirits. They tried the taro and cookies and cream donuts.

“They are nice and soft and fluffy,” Mayuri said.

Aaron, who was tasting them for the first time, was surprised by their texture as well.

Ba’bacon at Baba’s

• 5 out of 5 stars
• Find description and location here .

Ba’bacon Sour Cream + Onion is Baba’s new dish this year at the fair. It’s a sour cream and onion hummus topped with beef bacon, sumac tater tots, caramelized onion, scallions, creme fraiche and bread.

“It’s a great mix of Palestinian and American cuisines,” Elza said. She liked the taste of the hummus with the saltiness of the bacon, as well as the tart flavor of the sumac on the potatoes.

Mayuri agreed. “It’s an explosion of flavor,” she said, adding that she liked the firm but soft texture. “I would come back.”

“This is actually better that I thought,” said Katelyn in agreement. The dish was the perfect size for a dip, she added.

“I don’t even like sour cream. I would give it a 5,” said Aaron, who was also convinced by the dish.

Overall, Ba’bacon sour cream and onion is Sahan’s favorite this year.

Koshari at Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine

• 3.5 out of 5 stars
• Find description and location here .

Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine is one of this year’s new vendors. Its signature dish, koshari, is made of rice, pasta, lentils and chickpeas topped with fried onion, tomato sauce and a garlicky vinegar dakkah sauce.

On first bite, Mayuri and Katelyn were confused, trying to figure out what exactly they were tasting.

“It’s comfort food,” Mayuri said after a few bites. “It’s growing on me.”

Aaron agreed with them. “I keep going back for another bite,” he said.

Elza used to eat koshari when she lived in Egypt, and found the State Fair version authentic and tasteful, especially the garlic vinegar and fried onions, which hit the spot. She also appreciated the karkardeh hibiscus tea, even if it was too sweet.

Crab boil wings at Soul Bowl

• 4.5 out of 5 stars
• Find description and location here .

A round of rain Thursday failed to empty the tables outside the fair’s food building. Streets stayed busy and some fairgoers pulled out plastic ponchos.

For their new offering this year, Soul Bowl chefs marinated chicken in hot sauce, grilled and fried it with corn, chicken apple sausage and potatoes. The wings are tossed with crab boil butter.

“I want this to be good,” Mayuri said before tasting the chicken wings.

She was not disappointed. “It looks great, it smells great, it tastes great and it’s sharable,” she said. “Satisfying on a rainy day.”

Katelyn liked the dish’s different elements. “It makes it fulfilling,” she said.

“It reminds me of my grandmother’s soul food,” added Aaron. “But not as good.”

Although the team seemed satisfied by the dish, Elza was not convinced.

“I don’t feel the seafood or crab flavor,” she said. She preferred the potatoes and sausage to the wings.

Afro poppers at Afro Deli

• 4.6 out of 5 stars
• Find description and location here .

Afro Deli’s new dish, Afro poppers, are deep-fried bite-sized pastries infused with vanilla, cardamom, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. They are available with sugar or plain. Sahan’s team topped their order with coconut flakes.

We were pleased with this little treat after tasting Soul Bowl’s crab boiled wings and other savory, sometimes very salty, dishes. The bites were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, and were not too sweet.

Elza was struck by the texture and coconut flavor. Mayuri liked dipping the popper in the mango sauce.

“The mango added sweetness and the coconut added substance and texture,” said Mayuri, who liked the dish despite not having a sweet tooth. “This is how beignets should actually be.”

“It’s like a donut but better,” said Aaron.

The bites were too mushy for Katelyn’s taste. “Could have been the rain, or the sauce on top — it was kind of wet,” she said.

Grilled purple sticky rice at Union Hmong Kitchen

• 1.5 out of 5 stars
• Find description and location here .

Yia Vang’s booth is serving purple sticky rice this year, grilled over an open flame and topped with a choice of shredded Hmong beef jerky or pickled mushrooms.

The team tasted both versions of the dish after a long wait in the queue.

“It reminds me of the sticky rice that I would always get at Hmong Village, rice ground up into a pancake,” said Katelyn.

Though Katelyn found the dish creative, she expected more grill flavor.

Overall, the team was not fully convinced. “The rice was flavorful but chewy and dry,” said Mayuri, who would have liked it in a different format.

“Trying to go through all that would be a chore,” added Aaron, who really liked the beef jerky’s flavor.

Elza liked the flavor of the toppings as well, but was a little disappointed in the rice. The team felt that more sauce would have made the dish easier to eat.

Deep-fried halloumi at Holy Land Deli

• 3.5 out of 5 stars
• Find description and location here .

Holy Land Deli’s deep-fried halloumi divided Sahan’s team. Katelyn tried it first and said the cheese tasted like cream cheese, and that the crust was very thin with little flavor.

“It is not memorable,” she said.

Mayuri disagreed on the crust: she could taste the cheese because the crust was thin.

“It felt like they wanted people to taste the halloumi,” she said. “It’s good halloumi.”

Overall, the sauce won over Mayuri. The sweet chili balanced the saltiness, and she gave it a 5. She joked that she would have bought a whole bottle of sauce if it was available.

“I am biased, I love halloumi,” said Elza, who felt that the dish was the perfect halloumi bite, even if it was a bit too salty for her taste.

“It’s good, but it is not gonna win me over cheese curds,” said Aaron, adding that it reminded him of cotija cheese.

Fried momo on a stick at Momo Dosa

• 3.9 out of 5 stars
• Find description and location here .

Momo Dosa is back this year at the Midtown Global Market booth, offering fried momo on a stick. Their chicken dumplings are now available steamed or fried, with a tasty tomato chutney.

The cardamom in the chicken was a surprise to Mayuri. “That with the fried wrapper adds a layer of complexity,” she said. “It’s one of the good momos I’ve eaten for sure.”

Katelyn agreed: “There is something about the outside, the texture. I think it complements the spice inside very nicely.”

Aaron is a big fan of the momos after trying them last year. “They are even better fried,” he said of the dumplings.

The team is unanimous on the matter.

“It is so tasty, I love it,” said Elza, whose favorite part was the sauce.

Quesabirria taquitos and esquites at El Burrito Mercado

• Esquites: 3.5 out of 5 stars
• Quesabirria taquitos: 2.5 out of 5 stars
• Find description and location here .

El Burrito Mercado prepared its esquites with corn kernels cooked with herbs, and the sour cream is topped with cheese and chili powder.

Mayuri felt taht the esquites would be a good side dish to accompany something spicier. “The sweetness of the corn balances the sourness of the seasoning,” she said.

Katelyn really liked the corn: “It’s sweet and not watery at all.”

The quesabirria taquitos were less successful for Sahan’s staff. They are deep-fried rolled tacos with beef marinated in red sauce and cheese, with salsa verde and crumbled cheese.

“It needs consommé, the meat sauce that’s for dipping and that has spice,” Aaron said.

Mayuri was not a fan, either. “The meat is too dry to be birria,” she said.

However the shape “is super practical” for walking and eating at the fair, Elza noted.

The post Minnesota State Fair food review: Korean corn dogs to quesabirria appeared first on Sahan Journal .