It’s that time of the year where we celebrate with friends and families. As a host you want everyone to enjoy every single moment you have put together. Meals and drinks are the top priority but snacks are equally important. The good news is it doesn’t have to take long to prepare. Here, we help you select the most popular Asian snacks - the kind that people will find hard to refuse.
Snacks always taste better when they are in a bowl at a party
Pocky
We can’t start the list without Pocky. Pocky is a magical biscuit stick covered with a variety of flavours, Chocolate, Strawberry, Cookies and Cream, Matcha Green Tea and more. They are incredibly delicious and once you start it’s extremely difficult to not finish the whole box. We would say that Pocky is one of the most popular snacks that everyone knows and loves.
Haw Flakes
Haw Flakes is a popular snacks that goes surprising well with drinks. It is well-known as an Asian childhood snack that is made of hawthorn berries, which taste very similar to cranberries. If you have any Asians in your group, this snack is bound to rekindle memories of growing up.
Roasted Green Peas
Roasted green peas are the snack you can eat all day, any day. Some of the flavours we would recommend are Wasabi and Garlic. Wasabi is the most popular flavour. As its name suggests, wasabi roasted green peas have real wasabi in it. Some people like to share some fun (and pain) by challenging each other to how many wasabi green peas they can eat.
I won’t be impressed with technology until I can download snacks
Dried Squid
Yes, Dried Shredded Squid. They’re soft and chewy and have a lot of umami flavour. It’s a classic Asian drinking snack and all your friends will find it difficult to stop eating it. They might even ask for more, so be prepared. Choose from many varieties such as Bento, Taro or Mr Squid. Note, if you don’t like fishy foods, you probably won’t like these either.
Prawn Crackers
These are deep-fried chips with shrimp flavouring. The fun part about these chips is that when you lay a piece on your tongue, you’ll feel a tingling sensation and hear faint popping sounds. These crunchy, light shrimp chips make great appetizers to share. There are 2 popular flavours that you should go for: Original Shrimp and Hot and Spicy.
Hello Panda
If you were a 90s kid, you know all about Hello Panda. They are made by Meiji, who are also the manufacturers of Yan Yan. That’s why the biscuit and cream taste is very similar. The cookie has a perfectly printed image like the ones shown on the package, and they are very tasty. Choose from a variety of flavours such as Chocolate, Strawberry, Vanilla and Matcha Green Tea. Have you tried all of them?
Keep your friends close and your snacks closer
Rice Crackers
These crunchy and light Rice Crackers come individually packaged with 2 rice crackers in each pack. They are often lightly coated with some kind seasoning. The two most popular brands are Bin Bin and Senbei.
Choco Pie
This is a Korean version of the American moon pie and often packed in kids’ lunchboxes. Eating these chocolatey cakes with the rich marshmallow filling are a real treat for kids. Nowadays, they not only have Chocolate flavour but also Matcha Green Tea.
Salted Egg
Salted Egg is one of the favourite flavours of South-East Asians and it has become very popular lately. Here is a selection of our favourite salted egg chip brands: Lay’s, Golden Duck, Irvins, Snazk. Some of them come in the form of potato chips and some are made from fish skin which gives a very nice crunchy texture. Have you tried any of them before?
If we are not meant to have midnight snacks, why is there a light in the fridge?
Onion Rings
Onion rings are a popular Indonesian snack that you can find in any Asian grocery store. They come in a big bag which is good to share with friends. We recommend two popular brands. First one is Nongshim, it comes with 2 flavours, Original and Hot&Spicy. Another is Oriental Super Ring which comes in a delicious Cheese flavour.
Fish Snack
Taro is the most popular brand when we talk about fish snacks. With its chewy texture and variety of flavours, there’s sure to be something for everyone. Here are some of the flavours you should try; Original, Hot Chilly, Mala Sichuan, Spicy Squid, Larb Flavour.
Dried Mango
Have you ever tried dried fruit? You will be surprised by its flavour and texture. Dried Mango is one of our favourite snacks especially since it’s made of fruit. The Dried Mango Rolls from Thailand are scrumptious and highly addictive.
Sometimes we think, what is a Friend? And then we say, a Friend is someone to share the last cookie with.
Butter Cookies
Everyone loves a good butter cookie, not just at Christmas but at any time of the year. There’s something about seeing the different cookie shapes in a box that evokes feelings of nostalgia and family. The most popular brand is Danisa, a traditional danish butter cookie that is often included in Christmas and New Year hampers.
Mochi
When it comes to Japanese snacks, mochi is one of the top 3 choices. The filling inside will always surprise you and you will find it difficult to stop munching on them. Royal Family is the brand we recommend because of their variety of flavours, and they all taste good, no matter which one you choose.
Crispy Seaweed
We can’t finish our top 15 without including this crispy seaweed snack. Why? Because everyone loves it! The most popular brand is Tao Kae Noi from Thailand It comes in a wide variety of flavours and every pack is super crispy.
I don’t mean to gain weight, it happened by snaccident
And that’s our Asian Snack pick for the year! We hope this will help save you thinking what snacks to prepare for your party.
This will be our last blog of 2020. Please remember to stay safe and sound. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2021!
If you would like some cooking tips and suggestions over the holidays, join our foodie community, Asian Nom Nom. We are always open to new members who love food as much as we do.
