Raya and the Last Dragon Themed Dinner
This week, we sampled Southeast Asian cuisine during our Raya and the Last Dragon themed dinner!
Raya and the Last Dragon takes place in the fictional land of Kumandra. Once prosperous and protected by dragons, Kumandra falls into disarray when set upon by a plague known as the Druun. The land is broken into five warring factions where the people mistrust and betray one another. In order to defeat the Druun, Raya journeys to find the fabled last dragon and reunite Kumandra once again.
Although Kumandra is a fictional land, the culture depicted is influenced by several Southeast Asian countries. This is particularly true with the food!
The menu for our Raya and the Last Dragon dinner was inspired by various Southeast Asian dishes featured in the film. I was excited to try new recipes from a cuisine we don’t cook often. As I like to tell the kids – one of the best ways to learn about another culture is by appreciating its food!
I also created printable food labels for our Raya and the Last Dragon dinner. You can download these by clicking the link below!
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Chief Benja’s Kumandra Soup
The first item on our menu was Chief Benja’s Kumandra Soup. Raya learns how to make this dish from her father with ingredients from each of the five factions that combine harmoniously. This soup is symbolic of Chief Benja’s hope that the factions can reunite over a meal and live in harmony once more.
Chief Benja’s soup was inspired by tom yum – a Thai hot and sour soup. To make our soup, I used a recipe from Disney Cooking With Magic: A Century of Recipes. You can find this cookbook on Amazon by clicking below!
The recipe was very easy to follow, and the soup came out great! It was a wonderful balance of bitter, sweet, sour, and spicy. I knew it would be too spicy for my two youngest kiddos (I didn’t go shy with the chilies), but the rest of us really enjoyed it!
Raya’s Jackfruit Jerky
One of the running jokes in Raya and the Last Dragon is Raya’s jackfruit jerky.
After tracking down Sisu, she offers her homemade jerky to the hungry dragon who reacts with suppressed disgust. It becomes clear this “delightful culinary treat” was not food meant to be enjoyed, but rather sustenance necessitated out of Raya’s mistrust of people and fear of being poisoned.
Raya’s jackfruit jerky is a recurring focus of the film, both in a comedic sense as well as a symbolic representation of the distrustful state of Kumandra. So, I knew I had to incorporate it in our Raya and the Last Dragon dinner (mainly for laughs).
I found dried jackfruit on Amazon and prepared to witness everyone’s unpleasant reactions, but it was surprisingly good! My two youngest kiddos liked it so much, they polished off the whole bag while we watched the movie. Maybe Raya was on to something…
Boun’s Congee
During Raya and Sisu’s travels, they meet Boun, a young boy who sells shrimp congee aboard his boat. Congee is a popular rice porridge found throughout Asia. So, as a nod to Boun, I knew we needed to incorporate congee on our Raya and the Last Dragon dinner menu!
I used a recipe from Pickled Plum to make our congee. Then, I topped off our bowls with boiled eggs, edamame, green onion, chili oil, and toasted sesame seeds. We were going for “Boun-goes-the-dynamite” heat level!
For my younger two, however, I took a cue from Mushu (wrong Disney movie, I know!) and made “happy porridge” with smiling faces. I didn’t include congee in our Mulan Themed Dinner, so I snatched up the chance to recreate Mushu’s signature dish for the kids.
I would have never guessed how much my kids would love this congee! All three of them gobbled it up and were upset days later when the leftovers had run out. I guess I will have to make congee more often!
Sisu’s Dragon Fruit Cups
Because dragons are a focal point of the film, I thought it would be fun to make dragon fruit cups for the kids.
I combined dragon fruit, kiwi, blueberries, and mango and served them in the dragon fruit peel for a pretty presentation. Dragon fruit is a rare treat in our house, so the kids were thrilled to have it!
Namaari’s Chicken Skewers
Another Southeast Asian dish we see in the film is chicken skewers. They make an appearance on the dinner table of Boun’s boat while the companions bond over a meal.
My husband and I grilled our chicken skewers using a recipe from Salted Mint.
These came out amazing, as in – so amazing I didn’t want to share with my kids except I had to! This is definitely a recipe I will make again and again.
Tong’s Mango Sorbet
Mangoes enter the narrative when Raya and Sisu first meet Tong. When Sisu remarks she loves mango, Tong replies, “Of COURSE you love Mango! Only a tongue-less cretin wouldn’t.”
Well, fun fact, my eight-year-old is one of those tongue-less cretins. She had to pick the mango out of her fruit cup. But that didn’t stop her from loving the mango sorbet I served during our Raya and the Last Dragon dinner!
Rice Krispie Dragon Treats
The final sweet treat I served during our Raya and the Last Dragon dinner was Rice Krispie Dragon Treats. I got the idea to make these adorable dragons from Party Pinching using Rice Krispies, Fruit Roll Ups, and various candies. I simply swapped out the red colors for blue to more closely resemble Sisu!
They were the perfect treat to conclude our meal!
I hope you enjoyed our Raya and the Last Dragon themed dinner! We had a blast exploring Southeast Asian cuisine, as well as food’s role as a symbol of unity in the film. It makes enjoying these dinners with loved ones seem even more special.
What Disney themed dinner should we do next? Let us know in the comments!
Looking for other Disney Themed Dinners? Check out our Aladdin and Emperor’s New Groove themed dinners!
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