Increase Restaurant’s Orders with 5 Delectable CNY Dishes
Being one of the most lucrative holidays of the year, Chinese New Year (CNY) has become an excellent opportunity for restaurateurs to generate higher profit.
Also known as the Spring Festival, said holiday has generated a massive amount of consumer spending, particularly for the F&B and retail industries. Last year during this time, Chinese consumers spent around $127 billion for shopping and dining.
It was also reported in 2021 that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants had experienced over 79% increase in sales during the holiday season. This, combined with the fact that seasonal dishes can generate up to 26% more orders for restaurants, makes CNY an absolute must for restaurateurs to capitalise on.
In ensuring that restaurants can gain more orders this CNY, the following dishes should be considered to be put in the menu;
- Steamed fish
No CNY meal is complete without a whole fish. The word ‘fish’ itself in Chinese sounds similar to the word ‘abundance’. Hence, for Chinese culture, it is important to serve the fish whole, with its head and tail still intact - this is to ensure a prosperous beginning and ending of the new year.
For restaurateurs, consider coming up with innovative ways that a whole fish can be served to the customers. This featured recipe is based on Cantonese style steamed fish with soy sauce based dressing topped with scallions and ginger. The twist will be by infusing dried chilli and Sichuan peppercorn into the oil.
- Red braised pork belly
With its enthralling mix of tastes, Chinese red braised pork belly is a sure-fire way to attract more diners. This dish, though it may seem simple, can actually be quite tricky to prepare. It contains a high percentage of fat, which then requires it to be cooked in a certain way to minimize its greasy taste.
Typically, chunks of pork belly need to be braised with a variety of ingredients which include; soy sauce, rice wine, sugar and spices. This compelling mix creates a blend of salty, sweet, aromatic and umami. This combination of tastes has led it to become among customers’ favorites in celebrating CNY.
- Spring Rolls
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Traditionally eaten during CNY, spring rolls are a great appetizer for your customers. Its fillings typically consist of sliced vegetables (such as carrot and beans) and small chunks of meat (or even marinated shrimp).
This crunchy snack is also fairly quick and easy to make, as it only needs to be rolled in thin layers of dough wrappers and is deep dried until it turns golden brown.
- Longevity noodles
Longevity noodles, true to its name, represent health and smooth comings for the new year. According to Chinese tradition, eating longevity noodles is quite significant as it is encouraged to consume it not only during the lunar new year but also for birthdays.
The recipe featured here ensures that restaurateurs can prepare this meal quickly, but at the same time still maintaining the dish’s healthiness as it is packed with crunchy water chestnuts, bean sprouts and snow peas.
- Stir-fried chicken with chinese cabbage
This last CNY dish above also holds a plethora of flavors that will leave any diners wanting more. Normally eaten along with steamed rice, stir-fried chicken with Chinese cabbage makes the perfect side dish, as it is rich with garlic, soy sauce and hot pepper.
To maintain a balance and survive the strong combination of flavors, it is recommended to serve it along with white wine.
Entice the upcoming diners with these 5 delectable dishes this CNY!
With the five recipes above, any restaurateurs will be more than equipped when it comes to diversifying their menu offering this holiday season.
Get inspired with seasonal dishes by reading more recipes in our previous article. To know more about Food Market Hub and the services offered, visit our website.
