From mochi to matcha, Asian influences are expanding on dessert menusFrom mochi to matcha, Asian influences are expanding on dessert menus

Japanese, Chinese and Thai are some of the most popular cuisines in the United States, yet Asian desserts are oft-overlooked. However, beyond the craze for boba tea and Thai rolled ice cream, a number of new Asian confections on menus are poised to have broad, cross-over appeal.

The Asian dessert with the most momentum? Japanese mochi, a sticky rice bun filled with ice cream. According to the latest research from Datassential, mochi has grown 35.3% on American menus in the past four years.

Among the restaurants menuing mochi is Sushi-san in Chicago, which offers a rotating selection of the frozen treats painted with whimsical emoji faces, and called emochi.

“In our first week of being open, one of the most common requests we received was fo...