Asian Flavors Elevate Classic Dishes and Inspire Creativity

Asian flavors have been red hot for several years. The flavors are increasing, in fact, as U.S. consumers look to explore more continental cuisine beyond the usual suspects. They’re also inspiring chefs to push beyond traditional recipes with creative twists that defy expectations.¹

At Thai Dang’s HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen, the rotating seasonal tasting menu does exactly that: In nine comprehensive courses, it highlights various regions of the coastal country. For example, curried meats and vegetables are featured from northern Vietnam, while luxe tapioca dumplings stuffed with shrimp and garlic sauce are popular on plates in central Vietnam.

“Each dish embodies the rich culinary traditions of the region,” explains Dang about his central Vietnamese, or Imperial Huế, menu. “It showcases not only the bold flavors that characterize Huế cuisine but also the cultural significance embedded in each plate. Like my version of a classic Huế dish using mountain figs into a flavorful salad or a lesser-known dish I enjoyed at a monk’s house during my recent travels, which uses banana leaves to wrap and steam flat vegetable dumplings.” What an experience!

According to Datassential, consumers have a high opinion of Asian cuisines in general. More than 80% love/like Chinese food, with Japanese (55%) and Thai (45%) close behind. Meanwhile, Vietnamese cuisine has grown upwards 3% over the past two years.²

Here are additional insights:

This shows operators a grand opportunity for menu exploration at Asian-focused restaurants as well as establishments not typically centering Asian fare. For the latter, showcasing a limited-time offer (LTO), “secret” dish or even featuring an item on a tasting menu may be the way to go to test the waters.

“American diners are no strangers to Pacific Fusion cuisines,” Michael Zeller, Senior Corporate Executive Chef, Simplot, said. “Their familiarity with Korean, Japanese, Filipino and other flavors is inspiring a new generation of chefs to push beyond traditional recipes with creative twists that defy expectations.”

Asian foods growing in consumer awareness

Nevertheless, Asian foods and flavors are indeed growing in consumer awareness, according to a report by Datassential. For example, 46% of consumers love/like shrimp tempura, with 75% overall knowing what it is. That’s up 5% over a two-year period. Forty-one percent love/like rice noodles, with 76% knowing what it is (up 5% over two years). And 37% love/like Thai chili sauce, with 70% knowing what it is (up 6% over two years).²

Here are additional data:

Favorite American foods with Asian accents are also on the rise, reports Datassential. For example, globally influenced loaded fries appeal to the masses, such as Thai (up 144% in five years), Kimchi (up 95%) and ramen (up 5%) fries.³ Also, BBQ and small plate offerings, such as Simplot’s culinary team’s Korean-Spiced Roasted Sweet Potatoes, get a boost.

Pub grub at longtime chain Bar Louie recently experienced a makeover, adding Thai Crispy Calamari and a few other Asian-inspired dishes to the menu. The breaded calamari come drizzled with a sweet Thai chili sauce, plus zesty togarashi seasoning, scallion and cilantro. Meanwhile, wine-focused Cooper’s Hawk boasts Asian flavors all over its menu, including Thai Lettuce Wraps with sweet chili-crisp glazed chicken; Crispy Asian Sesame Chicken Salad; and Wasabi-Buttered Mashed Potatoes.

For inspiration, Simplot’s talented culinary team has whipped up a few new Asian-forward recipes: