Adding an Asian Twist to Comfort-Food Classics

Chefs across segments are looking for new approaches to popular dishes

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Consumers want a unique experience when they dine out, putting pressure on restaurants to offer innovative and exciting menu items. This has led many operators to turn to an infusion of Asian flavours — executed in unique ways — as a means of differentiation. In fact, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ 2020 Culinary & Cocktails Trend Forecast identified “cross-cultural fusions” as key trend that will shape menus this year.

Not only do unique fusion dishes pique the interest of potential guests and act as buzz generators, but they capitalize on a series of key market trends, such as bowls.

Bowls are a perfect way to allow diners to create their own adventure and incorporate a variety of global cuisines,” says Jane Foreman, Senior Manager of Marketing & Product Management for Foodservice at Kikkoman Sales USA, Inc. “Menu penetration of bowls continues to rise steadily. If you break down the trend, it’s pretty simple: base, protein, sauce, garnishes, spices, plus final toppings — and you’ve got a meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner.”

Breakfast foods are among some of the most popular comfort foods, with this segment continuing to show growth — and increasing competition. In this environment, updating a breakfast menu with fusion offerings such as a Pork Belly Hash  or Asian Breakfast Bowl with Tempura Egg can help a restaurant stand out from the pack.

When creating dishes with Asian flavours, it’s important to strike a balance between uniqueness and approachability. As Mark Brandau, managing editor of U.S.-based Datassential, points out in the 2019 Asian Flavor Boom webinar, presented by Kikkoman, when adding such items to the menu, purchase intent tends to improve when they’re presented with a “less specific” menu-item name, coupled with a comprehensive description.

Brandau specifically called out Zaxby’s popular Zensation Zalad as walking this line perfectly — conveying its Asian-influenced flavour while remaining unintimidating. The success of this item even led the chain to launch a Zensation Fillet Sandwich in 2019.

“To pique consumer interest, operators should create a balanced menu to ensure dishes remain approachable and still drive cravings,” Natalie Barone, research analyst at Chicago-based Technomic, explains in the company’s 2019 Canadian Flavour Consumer Trend Report, which indicates 65 per cent of consumers “like trying new flavours from time to time.”

“Adding unique flavours to familiar, craveable dishes can help combine familiarity and innovation in a way that resonates with consumers,” adds Barone.

Introducing new flavours through sauces and glazes for proteins is a tried-and-true strategy to put a new spin on familiar items. Chef Irene Li of Mei Mei in Boston ran with this concept when creating her unique take on a classic BLT — the BLT Scallion Pancake Sandwich — which features a soy aioli.

“Thinking about umami and how to leverage it in your food, regardless of cuisine, is a point of differentiation,” says Andrew Hunter, corporate chef, Kikkoman Sales USA, Inc. He points to aged, dried, fermented or brewed ingredients — including soy sauce, ponzu, kombu, bonito flakes and miso — as top sources of umami flavours.

“When you’re making sauces, dressings and marinades of any flavour profile — whether it be Japanese, Chinese or Italian — you can add just a whisper of soy sauce and it adds this mystery that you can’t quite put your finger on,” he explains. “That’s part of what makes food with an element of umami delicious.”

Various Asian-inspired takes on classic fried chicken and wings have also been gaining traction, with menu items such as the Sweet & Spicy wings — featuring pickled chili and peanut furikake — offered at Vancouver’s Juke Fried Chicken — and Jack in the Box’s LTO Asian Fried Chicken Sandwich with gochujang mayo and Asian-style slaw.

Of course, there are also more refined ways to offer comfort-food favourites with a twist. At Ellē in Washington, D.C., the menu features a buttermilk-fried chicken served with XO aioli, kimchi, brioche and iceberg lettuce; and Kimchi Toast with napa cabbage, XO sauce, labneh (strained yoghurt), furikake and scallion — infusing popular familiar items with a unique twist. At the restaurant, chef Brad Deboy also uses Kikkoman Gluten-Free Tamari to create an inventive butternut-squash kimchi.

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