Presenter: Timothy Gee, CEC Chefs Challenge Aatul Jain Todd Daigneault

Sriracha  Gochujang Gochujang is a thick, crimson paste made from chile peppers, glutinous rice (also known as sticky rice), fermented soybeans, and salt.

Galangal or 'Khaa' in Thai, appears similar to ginger. However Galangal has a tighter skin, is lighter in color and can have pinkish portions too. All of us know the taste and flavor of ginger, Galangal tastes more like pepper than ginger. Coming to the similarities between galangal and ginger, both grow underground and the method used to cook them is similar too. Fresh galangal is now available in the west and it's easy availability. There are two types of galangal, one of them has a stronger flavor as compared to the other. Galangal

Breakfast As operators turn their attention to breakfast and scratch-made items in particular, they may find a world of inspiration—and interest—in ethnic-inspired morning dishes. Examples include Asian-flavored syrups, coconut-milk pancakes and chorizo scrambled eggs. Bonus points for items that don’t use eggs, which chefs expect to continue to be a sourcing challenge.

Scratch #5 Natural minimally processed food Whether for reasons of differentiation, healthfulness and freshness or cost effectiveness, operators are feeling the appeal of cooking more items from scratch. Two accessible entries into the practice are scratch-made pickles and condiments—trends that have proven successful on restaurant menus recently.

#11 Ethnic Foods This ethnic trend was the biggest mover and shaker on this year’s list, rising 20 percent. African dishes offer new territory to explore for diverse operations that already have mastered the nuances of Asian and Mexican cuisines.

# 2 Chef Driven Casual Concepts #20 Street Food Variations on street food make multiple appearances on the NRA’s hot list, including street food/food trucks (No. 20) and ethnic/street-food inspired appetizers (No. 4). For high- volume operations, street-food style main dishes (No. 34), especially with an ethnic spin— tacos, satays and kabobs—may have the broadest applications.