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    Home » Festive Asian Recipes

    Published: Dec 21, 2022 · Modified: Jan 4, 2023 by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    22 Asian Appetizers for Lunar New Year

    Sharing food makes everyone happy! :)

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    The best Asian Appetisers for a party, whether it be Christmas, Lunar New Year and Thanksgiving!

    Someone dipping a cracker into a bowl of spicy coconut tuna curried dip.
    Jump to:
    • 👩 Expert Tips
    • Chinese
    • Japanese
    • Korean
    • Taiwanese
    • Vietnamese
    • Thai
    • Singaporean
    • Indian
    • 📋 Others

    You know how many people say they prefer the Thanksgiving side dishes to the turkey main dish? Well, you'll feel the same way about starters after trying these new recipes!

    Note: Most of the specialty ingredients required in these Asian appetiser recipes can be found at Asian grocery stores or on Amazon.

    👩 Expert Tips

    Tip #1: You want to serve a good mix of popular Asian appetisers at your dinner parties, ranging from cold to hot and sweet to savory. That way, you can cater for all tastes!

    Tip #2: If you're following these great snacks with a hearty main dish, serve 3-5 appetisers per person. (Note: this is for all the appetisers, and not 3-5 per type of appetiser!) If it's just a cocktail party, make sure everyone can get at least 12-15 pieces. You don't want anyone to leave hungry!

    Tip #3: If you don't have time to make a wide range of canapés and starters for the cocktail party, you can prepare a variety of your favorite sauces instead. For example, a spring roll dipped into hoisin sauce tastes very different from 1 dipped into a rice wine vinegar dipping sauce!

    Chinese

    Wonton Soup

    Chinese wontons in a bowl of clear chicken soup.
    Easy Vegan Wonton Soup for Colds
    Done in 20 minute vegan Chinese wonton soup that tastes as good as the traditional version. Gluten-free and made without commercially bought stock/ bouillon cube OR hours of making homemade stock! A great flu fighter thanks to the ginger and garlic!
    Click here for the Vegan flu-busting clear soup!
    Chinese wontons in a bowl of clear chicken soup.

    Egg Rolls

    This fusion Egg Roll recipe rather interestingly uses pomegranate juice, which I've never seen in a Chinese (or even Chinese fusion) recipe before.

    Note: if you can't get the egg roll wrappers, feel free to use phyllo dough instead.

    Chinese Chicken Wings

    A plate full of sticky Chinese chicken wings next to a bowl of rice porridge.
    Sticky Chinese Chicken Wings (Braised)
    These sticky Chinese Chicken Wings are braised in a savory sauce and require no marinating: they can be cooked whenever you have a crab ing without pre-planning! Fresh and zingy, they taste better than any from a Chinese restaurant and are on the table in 30 minutes!
    Click here for the braised wings recipe.
    Close-up of a braised chinese chicken wing held up by a pair of chopsticks.

    Lettuce Wraps

    Step aside P.F. Changs and try these chicken wraps which only require 30 minutes to make! Extra Soy Sauce Braised Chicken Thighs taste terrific when shredded and uses in this recipe.

    Note: You can also use leftover Peking duck meat!

    Cucumber Salad

    Close-up of red spicy asian cucumber salad.
    Cold cucumber salad recipe
    The easy Chinese cold cucumber salad recipe is delicious and full of spicy flavor. Best of all, it only requires 4-ingredients and takes 5-10 minutes to make. 
    Click here for the spicy cucumber appetiser.
    Close-up of red spicy asian cucumber salad.

    Shrimp Toasts

    We're all familiar with the open-faced version served at Dim Sum restaurants.

    Thus, today I thought I'd share this shrimp toasts recipe inspired by Chef Lee Yeon Beok, a Korean-Chinese chef, which is more like a fried shrimp sandwich! Crisp outside but soft and juicy inside, it's done in 35 minutes!

    Japanese

    Edamame

    Edamame is 1 of the easiest and healthiest authentic Asian appetizers that you can serve.

    Simply boil a large pot of water, pour in the frozen edamame and boil for a minute or 2. (Check the back of your packaging for the exact timing.) Carefully strain through a colander and serve!

    Don't eat the skin- you're meant to pop the pods out (like peanuts.) The skin is super tough and fibrous and not very tasty I imagine!

    Note: add a bit of salt to the pot of water, or sprinkle some garlic powder and chili powder on the cooked beans if you want more flavor. You can also coat with some sesame oil.

    Onigiri

    These Japanese rice balls can be quite filling so make each 1 mini-sized. You can serve them plain or with filling inside, such as canned tuna mixed with mayonnaise or pickled plums (umeboshi.)

    If you still can't decide, try 1 of these 14 orinigi recipes!

    Miso Soup

    This authentic Miso Soup recipe only takes 10 minutes to make!

    It's very light, consisting of mainly dashi, seaweed and silken tofu, so the perfect appetizer to start a heavy meal with.

    Note: for more Japanese foods, click here.

    Korean

    Pajeon

    You can fill these Korean pancakes with plain scallions, fancier seafood or kimchi. Or even a mix of all 3!

    Note: for sweet Korean pancakes, try my all-time-favourite Korean snack, hotteok!

    Taiwanese

    Green Onion Pancakes

    3 golden crispy spring onion pancakes on a wooden platter.

    If you're out of scallions, you can use leeks or 1 of these green onion substitutes.

    Note: don't for get the dipping sauce!

    Taiwanese green onion pancake recipe (Cong you bing)
    Taiwanese green onion pancake (Cong you bing), also known as Chinese scallion pancake, is a delicious savoury street snack that is easy to batch make and freeze.
    Click here for the savory Taiwanese onion pancake recipe.
    Crispy and flaky pan fried scallion pancakes on parchment paper.

    Note: for more Taiwanese dishes, click here.

    Popcorn Chicken

    This favorite Taiwanese street snack gets its flavor from Thai Basil, garlic, shaoxing wine and 5-spice powder. (I recommend making your own Chinese spice rub for the freshest flavor.)

    You can also serve the popcorn chicken with a chili garlic sauce for even more oomph. This finger food is so addictive, it's perfect for Game Day- you'll be popping it into your mouth non-stop!

    Note: If you don't have shaoxing wine, feel free to use dry sherry as a substitute.

    Vietnamese

    Vietnamese Spring Rolls

    These come fried (Cha Gio) or fresh.

    For fresh spring rolls, the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce is really important as it provides most of the flavor: you will need brown sugar, fish sauce, garlic, lime juice and fresh red chilies (optional.)

    Fun fact: did you know that extra rice paper can be rolled to make DIY tteokbokki rice cakes?

    Chao Tom

    This delicious shrimp paste wrapped around sugarcane sticks is 1 of my favorite Asian appetizer recipes.

    Note: if you can't get sugarcane, feel free to use lemongrass instead- it'll give the shrimp a most delightful aroma!

    Banh Khot

    These savory bite-sized pancakes come with shrimp and coconut milk. Once you've had 1, you can't stop!

    Thai

    Pok Pok Wings

    2 baked chicken wings that are super crispy and have been tossed in a sticky Vietnamese glaze.

    Well, these are really fusion Thai food not authentic but, either way, they're fingerlicking good! Although baked not fried, the skin is still super crisp!

    Crispy Fish Sauce Wings Recipe (Baked)
    Inspired by the famous Pok Pok wings, this Vietnamese Crispy Fish Sauce Chicken Wings Recipe has big, punchy flavors. Though baked and not fried, it is still super crispy, tangy and delicious with a fingerlicking, sweet, salty and tangy sticky glaze! 
    Click here for the Asian baked wings recipe.
    2 baked chicken wings that are super crispy and have been tossed in a sticky Vietnamese glaze.

    Abalone Vermicelli Noodle Salad

    Close-up of someone picking up sliced abalone and glass noodles with chopsticks.
    Thai Vermicelli Noodle Salad with Abalone
    Tangy, sweet, spicy, and savory, this light Thai Vermicelli with Abalone Salad is a great make-ahead recipe for your Chinese New Year 2023 celebration dinner. It can even be a no-cook recipe, and is the perfect dish for beginner home chefs!
    Click here for the abalone salad with noodles recipe.
    Vermicelli glass noodles mixed with sliced abalone, coriander, peanuts and dried shrimp on a leaf-shaped plate.

    Singaporean

    Satay

    I've tried several KitchenTigress recipes and enjoyed them very much. You know this peanut sauce recipe is legit as it uses real peanuts and not peanut butter!

    Click through for the recipe!

    Spam Fries

    Dipping a SPAM fry into a bowl of Gochuajng Mayonnaise Sauce.

    These pair really well with Korean Gochujang Aioli Sauce or Singaporean Sambal Mayonnaise!

    Spam fries (2-ingredients)
    Savoury and full of umami, these luncheon meat fries, or SPAM fries, will leave you wanting more! Crisp outside but soft inside, they're super simple to make and on the table in under 30 minutes! (I have tested them 5 different ways!)
    Click here for the luncheon meat appetizer.
    A box of SPAM fries with sauce in the background.

    For more delicious Singaporean recipes, click here.

    Spicy Canned Tuna Dip

    Close-up of a hand holding a cracker with spicy canned tuna dip on it.

    Only requiring 4 ingredients (onion, sambal, coconut milk and canned tuna- I don't include stuff like oil, sugar and salt!), this slightly spicy, slightly sweet, creamy and savory tuna dip is delicious with crackers or even toast!

    Curried Spicy Tuna Dip (4- ingredients)
    An easy, spicy, creamy canned tuna recipe that only calls for 4 pantry staples and can be made in 15 minutes.
    Click here for an easy tuna curry recipe.
    Someone dipping a cracker into a bowl of spicy coconut tuna curried dip.

    Indian

    Samosas

    This traditional samosa recipe only takes 30 minutes to make! Samosas are actually really flavorful on their own but, if you need more flavor, pair it with 1 of the dipping sauces for Indian chaat below.

    samosa sauce recipe (indian chaat dipping sauce)
    samosas are an indian deep-fried snack that are delicious on their own but often served with chutneys. Here are 2 delicious samosa sauce recipes, which can also be used as indian chaat dipping sauces.
    Click here for the samosa dipping sauce recipe.
    Little samosas with tomato chutney and a bowl of green cilantro dipping sauce.

    Note: For more Indian recipes, click here.

    📋 Others

    Mongolian Meatballs

    These Asian meatballs are made from beef and coated in a thick brown sugar soy sauce glaze.

    Cheese Wontons

    This Panda Express copycat recipe uses cream cheese and green onions as a filling for the fried wontons. Best of all, it's a 4-ingredient recipe!

    Which delicious appetizer recipe will you use at your next gathering? If you've enjoyed these Asian recipes, would you like to sign up for my newsletter?

    I have other recipes you may like here! :)

    • Shrimp Mei Fun (Fried Rice Noodles)
    • Muah Chee (Peanut Mochi) (5 Methods)
    • Chinese Almond Cookies 2023 (Buttery)
    • Traditional Chinese Peanut Cookies (CNY)

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    Greedygirlgourmet eating 2 sandwiches in Scotland

    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18 but after living abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years and having to cook for myself, I now love cooking for friends and family. Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

    More about GGG ->

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