Frozen Fusion: Asian Inspirations Stirring a Sensation

Increasingly popular with American consumers, Asian entrées and appetizers are edging out other types of cuisine in the supermarket freezer case. East Asian (especially Japanese and Korean), South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, and even Nepalese), and Southeast Asian (mainly Thai and Vietnamese) frozen meals and snacks are making inroads in mainstream American grocery stores. In addition, many North American food startups and established firms are rolling out Asian-influenced fusion fare and flavors; common claims include vegan or plant-based, clean label, organic, not genetically modified, and free of allergens.

“Asian frozen entrées and appetizers have done very well and have grown over the last few years, but like the market overall, there was some contraction during the past year due to inflation,” says Matt Troyka, vice president of CPG category management for Ajinomoto Foods North America. “Despite the industry challenges, our Asian items have been less impacted than the total overall frozen market.”

Surge in South Asian SKUs

Compared with other Asian food SKUs, South Asian cuisine products (ready meals, entrées, appetizers, and side dishes) are showing the highest growth in retail in the past five years, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9% in the United States and Canada, states Innova Market Insights in a report prepared for Food Technology. The fastest-growing South Asian flavors in main dishes and ready meals are Indian masala (CAGR 50%) and Indian korma (CAGR 32%).

South Asians also represent the fastest-growing Asian population in the United States, increasing from 23% of all Asian Americans in 2011 to 29% in 2021, according to AAPI Data. From television and cinema to Congress and the campaign trail, South Asians have become more prominent in American life, and with that comes greater consumer awareness of and willingness to try their traditional, flavorful main dishes and appetizers.

In large urban areas, American consumers who are not of South Asian descent typically become captivated by Indian cuisine for the first time in an Indian restaurant. That experience is not as available in small towns or rural areas. “The interesting thing with Indian cuisine is that it is arguably becoming more common at retail than it is at restaurants,” notes industry consultant Maeve Webster, president of Menu Matters. “There’s a growing category of products in the frozen aisle (as well as the center aisles) in retail that are exposing a broader array of consumers to Indian cuisine.”

As Webster observes, another distinguishing feature of the rise of frozen Indian cuisine is greater emphasis on authenticity, compared with other Asian food segments popular in the United States, such as Korean. “With Korean cuisines, it’s more about Korean flavors—such as bulgogi and gochujang—than authentic meals or dishes,” she says. “With Indian cuisine, however, we’re seeing full dishes as well as flavor influences show up.”

One prominent Indian frozen food brand in U.S. supermarkets has recently expanded its product selection. In February 2024, Deep Indian Kitchen launched its first frozen handheld line, Kati Street Wraps, available in five varieties: Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, and Spinach Paneer. Those SKUs mirror the flavors in Deep’s entrée and appetizer lines. “We spent over a year developing and customizing our handmade paratha wraps specifically to deliver the perfect flavor and crunch inside a crisping sleeve after only two minutes in the microwave,” said Kiernan Laughlin, general manager of Deep Indian Kitchen, in a press release.

The many ingredients in South Asian recipes can be intimidating to American consumers, which is why the convenience of microwaveable frozen items is so appealing, points out Mohammad Wahid, founder and president of Aliyans Global, which manufactures the Aliyans brand of halal Pakastani frozen food. Among other items, the SKUs in this brand include moderately hot Beef Nehari, a classic Pakistani dish made with tender beef slow-cooked in a rich and flavorful stew of spices, herbs, and ghee; Boneless Student Chicken Biryani, a milder entrée featuring marinated chicken, basmati rice, and a blend of spices; and spicy 100% halal Beef Seekh Kababs, another traditional Pakistani favorite. All of the items in the line are labeled with a specific level of spiciness.

Sold online and through South Asian specialty stores in the United States, the Aliyans brand is only beginning to emerge in mainstream U.S. supermarkets. The time is ripe to make this foray, Wahid is convinced.

“There have been many ethnic food trends in the United States over the past decades, with American tastes evolving from ketchup and mustard to jalapeño peppers,” he explains.

“Initially, it was Mexican; then Mediterranean caught on,” he continues. “It’s a logical progression that ‘American natives’ would be ready to try the very rich flavors of Pakistan and India.”

Dumplings Deliver a Flavor Adventure

Closely associated with Chinese food, dumplings are ubiquitous in Asia and common in cuisines all over the world. And they are gaining more and more momentum with Americans, says Vivek Kunwar, founder and CEO of Nepaley, which manufactures the Nepalese frozen food line Himalayan Momo. Kunwar also owns two Chicago-area Nepalese restaurants, which serve a cuisine heavily influenced by Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese recipes and flavors.

Momos (dumplings filled with either meat or vegetables) are an integral part of Nepalese cuisine. Launched in 2019, when the restaurateur decided to introduce the popular Nepalese appetizer to a broader swath of consumers, the Himalayan Momo line comes in four SKUs: Chicken, Paneer, Vegetarian, and Beef. Each 15-ounce bag includes packets of sesame sauce and chili garlic sauce. The vegetarian momos, for example, are filled with cabbage, potato, onion, beans, soy, carrots, peas, cilantro, scallions, and tofu. All the dumpling varieties are surrounded with a wrapping made of wheat flour, malt barley flour, water, cornstarch, and salt.

“Every Asian country has its own version of dumplings, and this is the Nepalese version,” says Kunwar. “The difference between Nepalese food and Indian food is that Indian food has a lot more spices and a lot more oil. We tend to use more herbs and ginger and garlic.”

Founded by J. Patrick Coyne, who developed a passion for dumplings while teaching English in China after college, Laoban Dumplings is another frozen Asian brand started by a restaurateur. With the help of Chef Tim Ma, who serves as the company’s culinary director, Coyne has launched dumpling varieties including Mala Beef, Ginger Chicken, Pork Soup, Pork and Chive, and Livin’ on the Vedge.

“Our first dumpling shop opened in 2017 in Washington, D.C., and we launched in retail in 2021,” says Coyne. “At our dumpling shops, we rotated flavors frequently and had the opportunity to fine-tune and tweak recipes based on years of feedback.”

Coyne emphasizes that Laoban aims to recreate the dumpling shop experience at home. “What differentiates Laoban is that our dumplings are made in small batches and utilize premium ingredients, including grass-fed beef, Berkshire pork, and free-range chicken,” he says. “We’re proud of the fact that we’ve created a clean label product that is free of preservatives, hormones, and additives.”

Why do people have a penchant for dumplings? “Dumplings are a perfect food,” Coyne insists. “They’re a complete meal with protein, vegetables, and carbs but also flexible enough to be a snack and eaten any time of day. They’re super convenient and can be ready in about 10 minutes at home.”

In December 2023, Ajinomoto Foods North America debuted Ajinomoto Japanese Style Gyoza Dumplings in the United States (exclusively at Costco). “Costco was very interested when they saw our product in Japan and knew it was something their U.S. customers would love,” said Taro Komura, chief commercial officer for Ajinomoto Foods North America, in a statement. The company also has a line of Chinese-style potstickers.

Cultural and Creative Convergence

In the United States and Canada during the past five years, two in three launches in Asian ready meals, side dishes, and appetizers were from East Asian cuisines, according to Innova, with Japanese teriyaki being the top flavor.

Chinese food was the first East Asian cuisine to win over American consumers, evolving from the Cantonese American takeaway “chop suey” and, later, frozen egg rolls popular in the 20th century to a greater appreciation of regional Chinese flavors (such as Szechuan versus Mandarin) and higher-end Chinese restaurants. Webster believes that Americans’ comfort with Chinese food is what has spurred their willingness to try other East Asian, as well as Southeast Asian, dishes, particularly Japanese, Korean, Thai, and more recently, Vietnamese.

“It is very interesting that Asian cuisines have struck such a chord with Americans, more so than even most European cuisines,” says Webster, noting that Asian Americans and Asian immigrants make up a relatively small proportion of the U.S. population (approximately 7%, according to the Pew Research Center). “While every Asian cuisine is unique and has its own aesthetic and culinary approach, I think there are elements—formats, flavors, presentation—that make ‘non-Chinese’ Asian food approachable to Americans. They can see elements that remind them of what they love from Chinese cuisine, so they are more likely to take that risk.”

What is truly authentic Asian versus Asian-style cuisine has become difficult to define, however. On the Asian continent itself are 48 countries, each with its own culinary heritage. But each country’s cuisine is influenced by its neighbors’ specialties, as well as the food of far-flung lands. For example, Mongolian beef—long a staple of Chinese American cuisine—is a dish from Taiwan. Actual Mongolian food—such as khuushuur (handheld meat pastries featuring minced or ground mutton or beef) and boodog (meat such as goat or marmot cooked in the carcass on hot stones)—is much less well-known outside of Asia.

In the United States, the Asian specialty grocery chain H Mart features several brands of frozen Korean corn dogs, made with a filling of mozzarella cheese and fish sausage. Typically found at fairs and carnivals in the United States, corn dogs are an omnipresent street food in South Korea.

Indeed, the incredible diversity and creative potential of Asian cuisine, and its upward trajectory in North America, are what prompted Yves Potvin to establish the Asian-inspired, plant-based food company Konscious Foods. The Konscious brand includes three lines: plant-based sushi and plant-based onigiri, each in four varieties; and plant-based salmon and plant-based tuna poke bowls. The onigiri comes in four flavors: Kale Gomae, Japanese Vegetable Curry, Korean BBQ Mushroom, and Corn + Poblano. And this year, the company will unveil a line of plant-based kimbap, a Korean seaweed rice roll with various fillings, often including cooked beef or pork.

“I study traditional French cuisine, but I think Asian cuisine in general has probably the most variety of flavors,” says Potvin, who also owns a boutique cooking school in Vancouver, British Columbia. As he puts it, Asian cuisine formats provide an ideal “vehicle” for experimentation and innovation.

“Japanese and Korean now are on fire everywhere,” says Potvin. With a sushi restaurant on every corner where he lives in Vancouver and in many cities in the United States, it occurred to the entrepreneur that he could fulfill a couple of unmet needs: for high-quality, plant-based versions of sushi and other Asian delicacies and for more convenient frozen formats for those products. Retaining their flavor, moisture, and texture far longer than their fresh counterparts, Konscious SKUs can be eaten after a few minutes in the microwave or hot water or after thawing at room temperature.

“Younger consumers (millennials and younger) are interested in trying a far wider array of cuisines than past generations,” Webster observes. “They’ve been exposed to more cuisines at a younger age and are comfortable with ‘taking chances.’” At a time when it costs far more to dine at restaurants, “there is a huge opportunity for retail brands to fill that gap with high-quality, restaurant-inspired meals that allow consumers to enjoy the food they used to get primarily away from home,” she says.

Ajinomoto Foods North America has taken notice of Generation Z’s standout enthusiasm for Asian cuisine. “We are excited about the developing trend of wider acceptance of Asian products, especially among younger consumers, with Gen Z driving interest in Asian Foods,” says Troyka. “We take great pride in offering authentic products, with our recipes and methods coming from Japan that deliver exciting offerings to younger consumers.”

What’s more, according to Webster, emerging Asian cuisines (such as Malaysian and, particularly, Vietnamese), which have just started to take hold in mainstream U.S. supermarkets, offer tremendous opportunities for growth. And there are still dozens of other Asian cuisines that await American adventurers.ft