Dessert Ideas for an Asian Restaurant

Your Asian restaurant will likely have an extensive menu that includes appetizers, soups, salads, and delicious entrees featuring exotic Asian flavors from throughout the continent. What happens, though, after your guests have finished their main course? If you want to keep them dining for a little longer, consider adding some dessert options to your menu. You can create delicious Asian-themed desserts with these tips and ideas, or stick to traditional Asian desserts.

Using Asian Flavors and Ingredients in Dessert

The easiest way to create Asian-inspired desserts is to use common Asian flavors and ingredients when creating your menu. For example, Asian egg rolls are often wrapped in a very thin pastry commonly known as a wonton wrapper. You can wrap other ingredients, such as fruit, in these wrappers to create an Asian dessert dish that looks like a crab wonton dish. Other Asian flavors include orange sauce, sweet and sour sauce, cream cheese, and tofu. These may not sound like dessert options, but you can use these flavors as accents for a dessert item.

Mimic Asian Dishes

One clever way to create a variety of Asian desserts is to mimic dishes commonly found on an Asian menu. For example, a dessert option that looks like sushi might be made using sugared rice, fruit, and chocolate sauce. You can roll this dessert just like you would roll sushi, for a clever and creative treat at the end of a meal. Similarly, you can make "egg rolls" that are stuffed with fruit and dipped in melted chocolate rather than soy sauce. With a little creativity, an Asian dessert menu can be as exciting as the main menu.

Draw From Multiple Cultures

Many Asian restaurants solve the dessert conundrum simply by drawing from several different cultures when they prepare a dessert menu. For example, you can offer éclairs, a definitively French dessert option, but stuff these rich pastries with candied ginger or drizzle them with sweet and sour sauce for an Asian twist on a classic option. Many Asian restaurants dispense with the Asian theme entirely for their dessert options. After customers have had their fill of Asian cuisine, they can choose a traditional American or European dessert to have offer over a cup of hot coffee. There are no set rules for Asian desserts, and your restaurant can, and should, include any dessert menu item that you think will be popular among your guests.

Everyone Loves Ice Cream

Never forget that ice cream is an incredibly popular dessert option. In fact, ice cream is thought to be the most frequently ordered dessert option available, no matter what the theme of the restaurant. After a filling, hot meal, many guests like to relax with a small bowl of ice cream. It is easily digested and won't contribute to that unpleasant "full" feeling. You can add Asian flair to traditional ice cream by pairing it with a dessert egg roll, an Asian-inspired sauce, or another Asian ingredient. Try topping vanilla ice cream with fried, salted soy beans for a crunchy Asian dessert that your guests will flip over.