30 Items At H Mart To Make Authentic Korean Meals

H Mart, the Korean-owned Asian grocery chain, changed the accessibility to Korean (and other Asian) goods in the U.S. But for many, their aisles remain a mystery to most. Korean food — known for its barbecued meats, sweet/salty interplay, and small plates — has burgeoned in many American cities and can be attempted by the home cook. 

But what to stock in your newly-minted Korean pantry and fridge? We're here to help you untangle the essentials of the Korean kitchen and point you in the direction of our favorite Korean ingredients so you won't be left "Crying in H Mart," like our favorite musician turned memoirist, Michelle Zauner (also known as Japanese Breakfast). 

Launched in 1982, H Mart has now grown to nearly 100 stores within the United States alone according to H Mart's latest count and can be found in most American cities or suburbs. But too often we've noticed our aisle neighbor's basket overflowing with (admittedly delicious) Korean snacks, candy, frozen dumplings, and instant noodles but sadly lacking any actual ingredients to make their own versions of Korean food from the comfort of home. Here, we're rounding up 30 Korean ingredients we always pick up at our local H Mart for your next trip to the Asian superstore. (Pro-tip: Bring a jacket since their stores are often chillier than American grocery stores.)

Right behind the vat of gochujang in most Korean refrigerators sits the amber-hued (but identically shaped) container of doenjang paste (or, Korea's answer to miso). Just like Japanese miso, Korea's doenjang is also made from fermented soybean paste and adds a super salty umami punch to savory dishes. Typically a little chunkier than Japanese miso, doenjang also omits any grains or koji starter and is made solely of salt and soybeans. While doenjang (like miso) is endlessly versatile, we love it as the backbone to our favorite accompaniment for galbi, ssamjang, or whisked into a simple, comforting soup with cabbage and tofu.

Making kimchi from scratch is understandably intimidating and, when H Mart's shelves are consistently flush with big, red jars of kimchis in multiple variations, grabbing one to round out your Korean feast feels like the obvious choice. Perfect from breakfast to dinner, kimchi's presence on a Korean table is nearly as necessary as plates and chopsticks. We love their classic baechu kimchi, but if we're lucky enough to roll through an H Mart on a Sunday when the chain offers more pre-made items, we indulge in our favorite: ojingeo bokkum, or kimchi made from dried squid and gochujang.

To complement Korean cuisine's spicy, sweet, and savory flavors, pickled goodies like turmeric-dyed daikon (danmujI) and daikon papers (ssam-mu) — like this package from My Korean Kitchen — are often used as garnishes. Similar to the bread and butter pickles of western cuisine, these bursts of acid with their snappy texture are meant to cleanse the pallet and reset the tongue for more bites of flavorful foods. Whether wrapping them up in kimbap, serving them alongside crunchy Korean chicken wings, or shaking them into a bright salad, the danmuji pickle is a cue you're at a Korean table. H Mart usually carries both of these along with Japanese pickles like ginger, minced minger, and umeboshi.

Another staple of both Korean dinner tables and Korean pochas (Korean snack bars) is jeon, or savory pancakes that are a quick and easy way to stretch leftover banchans but can also be incorporated into a meal to create a new, vibrant dish. Sort of like a side of fries or onion rings, this savory pancake both fills the belly and satisfies cravings for fried foods. If you have extra time, you can soak mung beans to make bindaeduk (via Maangchi) entirely from scratch. But we usually reach for a bag of mung bean flour or a gluten-y Korean pancake flour to make our savory pancakes and use the time saved to focus on perfecting our dip.

If you do decide to take the plunge and jar your own kimchi, salt is as key a player as the cabbage itself. While you can absolutely use your table salt or kosher for the task, H Mart always features several shelves of brining salt made especially for kimchi. Most likely less expensive than whatever salt is occupying your shaker at the moment, Korean salts, just like their western counterparts, come in a handful of categories that differ in manufacturing, color, and texture. Like with rice, we advise you to do your homework but don't be afraid to branch out and experiment with new types of salts.

You don't have to go to your local Korean barbecue joint to enjoy a giant spread of meats and lettuce wraps (though you should be doing that, too) — you can throw a Korean-themed barbecue from the comfort of your backyard with the help of H Mart's selection of high-quality and pre-cut meats intended to be grilled at home. We love the chewy texture of galbi (Korean short ribs), the fatty mouthfeel of bossam's pork belly, and dak galbi (chicken thighs). But whatever you prefer, H Mart's meat section takes the guesswork out of slicing and deboning for you so you can focus on marinades. They're also a great source for cheap stewing meats like brisket for slow-cooked stews, bones for broths, and sliced beef that's perfect for bulgogi.

Though Korean cuisine is vegetarian-friendly and caters to those with gluten and dairy intolerances, an allergy to sesame would sink someone's experiences with Korean food since it flavors and garnishes an astounding amount of dishes with the oil. Like olive oil, sesame oil comes in a spectrum of qualities, as per Cook's Illustrated, but we prefer a cold-pressed, toasted oil for a flavor that coats the tongue in pleasurable fat and earthy undertones. Similarly, H Mart sells several types of sesame seeds that we use to garnish and add texture to nearly every banchan we make — including a couple of desserts, like sesame crunch bars (via Korean Bapsang). 

A lesser-known spot for sashimi-grade cuts of tuna, hamachi, and salmon, H Mart always carries the above trifecta of crudo-worthy fish. Somewhat analogous to Hawaiian pokè bowls, Korean hoedupbap (via Cooks Without Borders) is a refreshing, hot weather alternative to cooked meats and our go-to home for H Mart's raw fish selection. Our favorite Korean chain grocery store can also be depended on to stock salted mackerel for broiling and fish roe for garnishing your bibimbaps and other dishes needing a salty pop. Each H Mart almost always includes impressive tanks of fresh shrimp, clams, crabs, lobster, abalone, and oysters.

It's true — good things really do come in small packages. And Korea's version of tiny fowl eggs is like popping a gumball-sized soy-soaked egg in your mouth and enjoying the entire experience in one condensed bite. Packaged in small cartons, H Mart consistently carries quail eggs (along with bulbouls duck eggs) for whenever you want an extravagant bibimbap topping. They also carry traditional chicken eggs for dishes ranging from breakfast's omurice to an afternoon/evening meal of kimchi fried rice. Whatever you're making, H Mart carries a larger variety of fowl eggs, making it a one-stop shop for your Korean feast.

Although nothing will ever replace the fancy, pour-over coffee experience in our hearts, we've loosened our grip on coffee snobbery and have officially allowed the ease of commercial, instant coffees into our homes. Thanks to an early pandemic TikTok trend (as Forbes explains here), Korean instant coffees are now nestled in our pantry right next to sugar, the other key ingredient in the caffeinated whip of 2020. Made from dried coffee crystals, Korean instant coffee takes any and all effort out of the coffee-brewing process and happily blends the liquid with all kinds of milk to create decadent coffee drinks — hot or cold.

The heartbeat of a Korean kitchen is the rice cooker, which rarely sits empty in a full household. Unlike baseline western rice cookers, Korean homes are often equipped with rice cookers that are able to make juk (a Korean rice porridge similar to Chinese congee), double as pressure cookers, and can make you rice right in time for your breakfast routine. Not only are these well-loved little machines more versatile than their Western counterparts, but their designs also fit into a modern kitchen thanks to chic aesthetics and cute colors. Though there are many great rice cookers on the market, we're partial to the classic Cuckoo for its dependable and long-lasting construction.

Anyone with a gluten intolerance will tell you the joys of discovering that oftentimes, Korean-style fried chicken is entirely gluten-free because it's been dredged in rice or even potato flour (like these from Mission Food) instead of all-purpose. The flour can also be put to use in making savory pancakes or tempura. The confusingly named "glutinous rice flour," or sweet rice flour, is also a gluten-free flour that has a chewier, more bouncy texture when mixed into batters and is the key to creating several mildly sweet Korean desserts like Korean rice cakes. We know the pantry aisle of H Mart can be the most intimidating because everything is encased in bags and difficult to differentiate but digging into this aisle will unlock a new dimension of your Korean cooking skills.

With the rise of cereal and cereal milk-flavored desserts and drinks, it's a wonder that Korea's seven-grain powder hasn't broken into the consciousness of Western consumers. Containing a mix of oats, barley, and soybean, the powder appears dusty brown and unassuming. H Mart sells bags of the powder that has "been eaten by Koreans for over a thousand years," according to Kimchi Mari. It was eaten by soldiers in bulk due to its filling nature, and can now be found in Korean lattes, shakes, and other cold beverages. We also suggest dusting desserts like simple cakes and sundaes with the powder to add texture and an earthy dimension.

Flavoring multi-dimensional Korean stews and side dishes often means being equipped with bold ingredients like soy sauce, fish sauce, syrups, and cooking wine. Drizzling these items in moderation will help create a flavorful structure to your cooking, and H Mart dependably stocks an aisle filled with these bottled goodies. Like the rice or vinegar aisle, it seems intimidating to choose from such an overwhelming selection of unfamiliar goods at first, but doing a little bit of homework beforehand, trusting your gut, and not getting in your own way help expand your own Korean pantry with some flavor-enhancing essentials.

The H Mart section we get sucked into most often is the aisles of kitchen gear, plates, gadgets, and overall cute items to enjoy your meals on/with. If you don't own a decent set of chopsticks, we encourage you to pick up a pack immediately. H Mart's kitchenware aisle also always stocks alluring items we're convinced we can't live without. We're most grateful for our sesame grinder and use our Berniner mandoline daily, but small items like banchan plates, sauce bowls, and vegetable peelers can also be found at an H Mart. They also sell large, tub-like vessels used to make kimchi in, as well as clay pots to store it in as it ages. H Mart's kitchenware section is an essential and indelible part of the H Mart experience.