The 15 Best Value Items (And A Few Specialty) To Buy At An Asian Grocery Store, According To A Cook

Shopping at an Asian grocery store will allow you to find all kinds of products you wouldn't usually find in your mainstream grocery chain, or at least at a more affordable price. Many of these will make your home cooking better, easier, or more varied. Asian grocery stores are a haven for the diverse Asian diaspora communities across the world outside of Asia. In the U.S., stores like H-Mart have become more widespread and accessible in different parts of the country. Plus, Asian grocery stores often have ingredients from other parts of the world, too, like from the Caribbean, different parts of Africa, and even Middle Eastern products. I often find foods from my cultural heritage there when I can't find them anywhere else.

These stores also often have more variety of alternative ingredients for cooking plant-based, dairy-free, gluten-free, or nut-free foods. I'm a working cook, recipe developer, and food writer, and I rely on Asian grocery stores to find specific ingredients for my weekly cooking and consumption. 

Many of the ingredients you'll find are useful across numerous cuisines. Foods are often grouped according to type rather than country. There are so many great products to choose from, but here are some of the best items to buy at an Asian grocery store.

There are several rice varieties in the world, but the most well-known of them are white rice and brown rice. Brown rice is often hailed as a more nutritious rice. However, there's another type of rice that's even more nutrient-dense: Black rice is a strikingly colored grain that's packed with health benefits, and it's a great value item for purchase at Asian grocery markets. According to Healthline, it's the rice with the highest level of antioxidants, and it's got more protein than brown rice. It's also a good source of iron and has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. This rice has been known for its health properties and has royal origins as a forbidden rice during ancient times in China, where it was reserved for emperors and forbidden for the rest of the population.

Beyond what it offers in terms of nutrition, it's also surprisingly delicious. It's pleasingly chewy and has an earthier, nuttier flavor than other rice varieties. While quite expensive compared to other types of rice, you can usually find a variety of black rice in Asian grocery stores, with varying prices that aren't so high. It's an exciting food to add to your cooking repertoire and impress guests with its bold appearance and ancient lore.

Alongside the beloved gochujang, there's another tasty Korean condiment you should know about. For any home cook who loves umami and flavor, the secret weapon is ssamjang sauce. This ready-to-eat paste is made of fermented soybeans, red chile paste, garlic, and sugar, among other things. It doesn't need to be cooked (although you can cook with it), making it the easiest thing you can add to grilled meats, stews, or simply as a dip for fresh vegetables.

In Korean cuisine, ssamjang is often eaten around the barbecue or as a dipping sauce for lettuce cups. It's a flavor bomb and incredibly delicious, adding complexity to simple foods. It's a wonder how it's not on every shelf or every restaurant menu around the world. The good news is you can find it in most Asian grocery stores. It will likely be next to the gochujang in a similar packaging. Gochujang comes in a red box; ssamjang is the green one.

For tofu lovers who haven't heard, there's another fermented soybean ingredient that's a staple in Indonesian cuisine. Tempeh is an incredible plant-based food that can be pan-fried, grilled, mashed up, or steamed. It's not by any means a newcomer since it's been eaten in Indonesia for hundreds of years, but compared with its cousin tofu, it's not as widespread as it should be globally. It's gained popularity among the vegan and plant-based community because it's a great protein source and can be prepared in dishes instead of meat, eaten as a snack, and even has a place in dessert. 

It has a slightly nutty, umami flavor that's reminiscent of mushrooms, and it's excellent at absorbing flavors. It can carry a marinade well. You can also find other types of tempeh that aren't made from soybean, and that use grains, seeds, beans, or nuts instead. These varieties include mung bean, broad bean, chickpea, lima bean, or even hazelnut tempeh. You'll find tempeh in the frozen section of the grocery store. Since it can spoil quickly, you'll rarely find it fresh. If you're a beginner, there are helpful guides for buying tempeh. 

Tofu has become relatively ubiquitous, and thankfully so. It's a powerhouse ingredient that can be cooked in so many ways. This soy milk curd can often be found in varying levels of firmness and softness. You may have different needs for different textures, depending on the dish that it's being cooked in and whether that plate is savory or sweet. Since different types of tofu may result in different textures, it's great to have a variety of types to choose from. This is another reason to visit an Asian grocery store; you'll find a wider variety of tofu than mainstream supermarkets.

If you're looking for a user-friendly tofu to use in your everyday cooking, you want to choose one that you don't have to do a lot of prep with, such as pressing out water or freezing it to get the right texture. Using super-firm tofu saves you time and effort because it has that desirable chewy consistency that you want. Plus, it can crisp up with ease when pan-fried. Its sturdiness means it won't break easily, making it easier to braise or stir-fry it without worrying that it will disintegrate. 

One of the best things about going to an Asian grocery store is the snacks and candy aisles. If you're familiar with them, they can invoke a lot of childhood nostalgia, and if you're not, it opens up a whole world of snacks you get to try. You already know Kit Kat as a popular chocolate wafer bar. Japan takes Kit Kat to another level with an array of flavors that don't exist elsewhere. There's a range of classic flavors and some seasonal ones that are rarer. Often, Asian grocery stores have a couple of classics and seasonal ones on offer.

Some of these exciting flavors include matcha, strawberry, yuzu, and caramel. And some of the lesser-known flavors include whole wheat, milk tea, melon, strawberry milk, salted lychee, chestnut, peach, and sakura sake. The flavors are intriguing, and, as a specialty product, they'll likely taste and feel better than American Kit Kat. Japanese Kit Kat is known for not being as sweet as American ones, with greater attention to the actual flavor, which is often infused with the real ingredient. It's a perfect choice for treating yourself to something sweet or gifting a friend.

Noodles come in many forms, and it's normal to find wheat, egg, and rice noodles all over the U.S. There's an underrated noodle that deserves just as much spotlight and shelf space. Soba noodles are Japanese buckwheat noodles that are often eaten cold. They're very popular in Japan and you can find many restaurants that specialize in them, making them by hand on-site. There's even a tradition of eating them at midnight on New Year's Eve.

Their chewy texture and earthy, nutty taste make them especially moreish to eat. Plus, soba noodles aren't expensive and can be a great value product to find in Asian markets. Usually, if they're not mixed with other flours (check on the packet), they are naturally gluten-free, making them a good choice for people who have gluten allergies but want to eat noodles. To cook them, just boil them in water for the prescribed time on the package until soft (not al dente). To prevent them from sticking together, you have to wash them thoroughly in cold water after cooking to get rid of all the starch. Then add them to your stir fry or soup, or serve them cold in a noodle salad or simply with a vinegary dressing.

It's been years since the world reckoned with its racist demonization of the food additive MSG. Nowadays, we know better and that it's not the bad-for-you additive that people claimed it was. Made from sodium and glutamic acid, MSG is an incredibly useful ingredient for adding more flavor and umami to all kinds of dishes. Still, it's still not easily accessible in grocery stores, even after losing its bad reputation.

Not to worry — it's a specialty item you can easily find in all Asian grocery stores. MSG adds instant depth to dishes and can greatly improve your cooking, enhancing umami flavors like meatiness or cheese. MSG is even useful in unexpected ways, like adding an umami depth to desserts. Just like adding salt to caramel can bring out its flavor, MSG adds complexity to sweet treats, too. However you plan to use it, it's a magnificent resource to work with.

As a culinary-trained professional, I have lots of experience using different ingredients and cooking different cuisines. I've also been lucky to work with and know many professional cooks who have introduced me to these foods. As I'm North African and do not come from an Asian background, I rely on years of learning from mentors and coworkers who have educated me on different Asian food cultures. The items selected for this list are based on personal preference, recommendations from friends, and the versatility of the ingredients for cooking across cuisines.

Another factor is availability. Many of these items are not easily found in other stores, especially specialty ones, like the artisanal soy sauce. The foods selected in this list can all be found at most Asian grocery stores, so you won't have any trouble sourcing them. Another factor is value and affordability. Most of the foods included will be more affordable when you buy them at an Asian grocery store. If they are stocked in mainstream stores, they'll likely have an inflated price tag due to them being considered a "specialty" food there versus being considered a common item. There are also some general ingredients that will be slightly cheaper in Asian grocery stores, like frozen berries or canned fruits. In truth, there are plenty of other great foods that weren't featured here due to limited space. Spend time in the sauce, rice, and noodle aisles and explore all the wonderful options.