The 20 Best Things To Buy In An Asian Grocery Store
These days Asian markets can be found all around any major city, packed with ingredients to whip up your favorite dishes. Whether you're heading for your local Asian grocery store or making a special trip to one to stock up next time you're in the city, what should you buy while you're there?
In these stores, you'll find a whole range of everyday and specialist ingredients — everything you need to cook the perfect Asian meal, from Chinese and Japanese specialties to Thai and Taiwanese dishes. With so much on the shelves, shopping in an Asian grocery store for the first time can be a little confusing.
We'd always recommend making a list before you head to the store. This doesn't have to be exhaustive, but it's a good idea to arrive with at least an idea of the things you'd like to purchase. If you can't find what you need on the shelves, don't be afraid to ask.
So what should you buy, and what should you avoid when shopping in an Asian grocery store? From noodles and rice to sauces, herbs, spices, and meat, we'll take you through 20 things you should buy. Along the way, we'll suggest some standout brands and give you some inspiration for using the ingredients you've purchased.
1. Soy sauce
Unlike the tiny bottles of soy sauce, you'll find in your local grocery store, Asian grocery stores stock huge bottles — generally 750ml and 1-liter sizes. This makes sense as soy sauce is used so much in Asian cooking, and buying a large bottle is much more efficient than constantly rushing to the store to stock up on smaller ones.
You'll find both light and dark soy, as well as tamari, gluten-free soy sauce, ketjap manis, sweet Indonesian soy sauce, and more. Dark soy is great for marinating meat and adding a splash of color to stir-fries, but light soy sauce is the one you'll use the most often.
We'd recommend stocking up on both while you're here so you're covered for stir-fries, fried rice, sauces, and marinades. Every store will have its own selection of brands, but a couple of the most popular include Pearl River Bridge, Lee Kum Kee, and Kikkoman.
2. Oyster sauce
Oyster sauce is a sticky, savory sauce made with an oyster extract that adds authentic Chinese flavor to your cooking. Great in stir-fries and fried rice, it's another item to stock up on next time you're at your local Asian grocery store.
You'll find large bottles of oyster sauce available at much more affordable prices here than in general stores, and you only need a little to add depth of flavor to all your favorite Chinese dishes. Oyster sauce also makes a great marinade or glaze for chicken, pork belly, or other meat, and its rich flavor packs a real punch.
There are several popular brands of oyster sauce out there, but our favorite is Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce. Grab the 900g bottle to save even more money, and you'll always have plenty of oyster sauce to hand whatever you're cooking up, from stir-fried beef with oyster sauce to vegetable fried rice.
3. Fish sauce
An essential ingredient in Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, fish sauce, or nam pla, is one of those things that divides people. Made with a fermented mixture of fish such as anchovies, mackerel, or shrimp, it packs a deeply salty, savory, and fishy flavor that you either love or loathe. Either way, you can't make an authentic Thai green curry chicken or Tom Yum Soup without it.
Big bottles of fish sauce from Squid Brand or Megachef are much more affordable in Asian grocery stores than in your local store. Because fish sauce is used sparingly due to its strong flavor, a large bottle will last you a long time and keep in your cupboard for years.
Not only is fish sauce an essential addition to Thai and Vietnamese soups, curries, and stir-fries, but it's also great in noodle salad dressings, to make spring roll dipping sauce, or Thai fish cakes. You can even add it to your fried rice for a punchier flavor or use a few drops in dishes such as bolognese to add umami flavor.
4. Thai sweet chilli sauce
If you haven't yet tried Thai sweet chili sauce, listen up, this stuff is extremely good and seriously moreish. so you'll soon find yourself using it on everything. Great as a glaze for meat or fish, to add pep to stir-fries and noodles, as a dipping sauce for pretty much anything you can think of, or in a peanut satay sauce, it's as versatile as it is tasty.
Sweet, sticky, and spicy Thai sweet chili sauce from brands like Mae Ploy comes in huge bottles in Asian grocery stores — just make sure to pick up the authentic brands actually produced in Thailand. These are spicier than the small bottles you'll likely find in your local store, but that just means you'll use less and enjoy more of a chili kick. You could even try mixing Thai sweet chili sauce with mayo as a great dipping sauce for panko breaded shrimp, halloumi fries, or air fryer mozzarella sticks.
5. Noodles
Step away from the basic egg noodles in your local store and into a whole world of noodles found on Asian grocery store shelves, Here you'll find everything from bright yellow alkaline ramen noodles to fresh, slippery udon, nutty soba, delicate bean thread and glass noodles, and more.
Asian grocery stores are not only a great place to stock up on dried noodles for your store cupboard, but they're also the perfect spot to find fresh udon, soba, and ramen noodles to whip up authentic dishes at home. You'll be surprised how affordable noodles are in Asian stores, and you're sure to find the right noodles for your dish, whether you need wide rice noodles for Pad Thai, vermicelli noodles for Vietnamese shrimp summer rolls, or egg noodles for Chinese vegetable chow mein.
Don't miss out on the aisles of instant ramen here, either. You'll find a huge range of brands and flavors, from tonkatsu to spicy shrimp and packaged noodles you prepare in a saucepan to pot noodles you simply add water to on the go.
6. Sesame oil
You'll find pure sesame oil and toasted sesame oil in most large grocery stores, but in case you didn't know, it's much cheaper to pick it up at an Asian grocery store. You'll usually find it sold in larger bottles, too. Pure sesame oil is the oil to buy for marinating and frying foods, as it has a relatively high smoke point of around 410 degrees Fahrenheit.
It's great for stir-fries and fried rice, and buying a big bottle is a great idea. Toasted sesame oil, on the other hand, has a much darker color and nuttier flavor and aroma. Usually sold in smaller bottles, toasted sesame oil is used sparingly as a finishing oil and isn't suitable for frying. Instead, use it to flavor salad dressings and sauces, drizzled over fried rice or stir-fries as a finishing touch, or to add sesame nuttiness to steamed vegetables or rice.
7. Herbs and spices
Some larger Asian grocery stores will stock fresh herbs you can't find anywhere else, like Thai Basil, as well as everyday herbs like Cilantro at more affordable prices. But it's the dried herbs and spices that really stand out at Asian stores. Indian spices such as garam masala, cumin, turmeric, Chinese five spice powder, Japanese shichimi togarashi, cardamom, star anise, and essential ingredients for Vietnamese Pho, can all be found on the shelves of Asian grocery stores.
Alongside these, you'll find everyday spices like cinnamon and paprika and herbs such as oregano, basil, and bay leaves. You can often buy in bulk at much cheaper prices than your regular grocery store, so stocking up is a good idea for future culinary adventures. Another additive in Asian grocery stores is roasted rice powder. This is a versatile ingredient you won't generally find outside Asian stores that can be used for thickening soup, breading chicken, and more.
8. Rice
Just as noodles are a must-buy in Asian grocery stores, so is another staple of Asian cuisine: rice. As well as the usual white long-grain and short-grain rice and basmati, you'll find a huge variety to choose from.
Bulk 25lb bags offer excellent value for money, particularly if you eat a lot of rice. Look out for specialty rice like Thai jasmine, great for Thai red and green curries, and Thai black rice with its creamy texture and eye-catching color, perfect for authentic Thai desserts, and Thai sweet rice, also known as sticky or glutinous rice.
Also, keep your eyes peeled for Japanese Koshihikari rice, often used for sushi. Or use Japonica rice, short-grain rice used for dishes like risotto, paella, and sushi, as a more affordable alternative to Koshihikari. Additionally, brown rice is great for adding a nutty flavor to salads. Remember, if you're planning to stock up on rice, we'd recommend driving to the store, as those big bags can be heavy.
9. Specialty meat and seafood
If you're lucky enough to live near a larger Asian grocery store, then they may have a wide selection of fresh meat and fish. This is the place to shop for pork belly — it's versatile enough to be used in many different dishes and often priced more affordably here. You'll also find a range of more specialty meats such as oxtail, great in soup or braised with soy sauce, ginger, star anise, and sugar, plus chicken feet, frog legs, and duck wings.
Don't forget to check out the seafood selection. While seafood such as octopus, squid, crab, and lobster is often pretty expensive in local stores, you'll usually find both fresh and frozen seafood at affordable prices in Asian grocery stores due to its popularity in Asian cuisine. Look out for fresh and frozen fish, too; great for curries, summer rolls, soups, and more.
10. Panko breadcrumbs
Light, airy, crunchy panko breadcrumbs are ubiquitous in Asian cuisine, particularly in Japan. The special technique used to make panko results in a jagged edge and tiny pockets of air that prevent the breadcrumbs from absorbing too much oil. This way, they stay light and crispy when deep-fried.
A staple ingredient for Japanese tempura, Katsu curry, or tonkatsu, which is fried, breaded pork, is panko. These breadcrumbs are far superior to regular breadcrumbs, but they can be expensive to buy in grocery stores. You'll usually find big bags of panko breadcrumbs for a much more affordable price in Asian grocery stores. They're not only great for Asian dishes — you can use them in any dish requiring breadcrumbs, from Wiener Schnitzel to breaded shrimp or stuffed chicken parmesan.
If your recipe requires it, you can pulse panko in a food processor to create finer crumbs. You could even use panko breadcrumbs as a crispy topping for mac and cheese, casseroles, and other oven-baked delights, or sprinkle them over roasted cauliflower or other vegetables for added flavor and crunch. Finally, you can add panko to burger or meatball mix as a binding agent for a lighter, fluffier result.
11. Frozen food
You'll often see us heading straight for the freezer section at our local Asian grocery store, and with good reason. It's here you'll find a plethora of frozen delights, from Japanese gyoza to Chinese pot stickers, Char Siu Bao, steamed barbecue pork buns, to crunchy edamame.
This is the place to find almost any kind of dim sum your heart desires, like Chinese Siu Mai, which is pork and prawn dumplings, prawn wontons, and har gow, often known as ha kauw, a shrimp dumpling with water chestnut and bamboo. You'll also find sweet treats like red bean buns, custard buns, and fun, sweet buns with animal faces that kids will love.
All you need to enjoy frozen dim sum at home is a pan and a bamboo steamer. Don't have one? You can grab one alongside your frozen treats at any Asian grocery store. You could even pick up frozen dumpling wrappers, spring roll wrappers, or bao buns to make your own from scratch at home. While you're here, look out for frozen meat and fish too, as this is often far more affordable than fresh meat and fish.
12. Sweet snacks
While you're shopping for ingredients to whip up the perfect Chinese or Japanese meal at home, don't miss out on the huge range of sweet treats you'll find in the store. Japanese mochi, sweet glutinous rice flour cakes, are available in almost every flavor you can think of, from bubble tea to strawberry and matcha.
This is also the place to pick up Pocky, the popular Japanese coated biscuit sticks with a wider range of flavors than you'll find anywhere else, and Hello Panda biscuits. In stores with fresh treats, look out for Hong Kong banana mochi rolls, with their light, delicate banana flavor, and red bean cakes and buns.
Also, look out for dorayaki, a traditional Japanese sweet which looks like a layered pancake sandwiched with red bean paste; monaka, crunchy mochi wafers with sweet bean paste; taiyaki, the traditional Japanese fish-shaped cakes, and Asian candies like Hi-Chew, White Rabbit, and Haw Flakes.
13. Asian vegetables
For something a little healthier, you can also find fresh and frozen vegetables. It might not occur to you to pick up veggies on your Asian grocery store trip, but you'll usually find some more unusual choices here than in your local store, particularly if you don't live in a major city.
Stock up on bok choy for soups, ramen, stir-fries, snow peas, Thai eggplant for curries, lotus root, and huge bundles of fresh Thai basil. You'll also find spring onions are generally larger and more affordable here, too, which is a staple ingredient in almost every Asian dish you can think of.
Keep a look out for Asian chives, choy sum, and kaffir lime leaves, too, as well as coriander, as these can be hard to find elsewhere. Head for the frozen section to fill your freezer with frozen Chinese greens and frozen soybeans. If you're unsure what exactly you're looking at or how best to use it in your cooking, don't be afraid to ask.
14. Mushrooms
Forget closed cup and oyster mushrooms — there's so much more on offer at Asian grocery stores. We'd recommend shopping for specialty fresh mushrooms that can be hard to find elsewhere, like enoki mushrooms, which are great for stews, hot pots, stir-fries, or added to miso ramen.
Shimeji mushrooms are another excellent buy, adding umami and fiber to any dish of your choice, including stir-fries. White oyster mushrooms can be added to stir-fries or used in Vietnamese bánh xèo, similar to crepes, while straw mushrooms are delicious braised or used to top tom yum soup.
As well as fresh mushrooms, this is the place to shop for dried mushrooms that can often be hard to find in your local grocery store — not to mention often expensive. Dried shiitake mushrooms are an essential ingredient in Japanese cooking, adding meaty, rich, umami flavor to risottos, soups, and one-pot dishes, while wood ear mushrooms are the perfect addition to egg rolls.
15. Flours
Asian grocery stores always stock a wide range of more unusual flours with diverse uses. Potato starch, known as katakuriko, is often used to coat foods for frying and is a must for Asian crispy chili beef and Korean fried chicken. It can also be used similarly to corn starch to thicken soups and sauces.
Tapioca flour is also readily available, used to make Asian dumplings and cakes or as a thickener — it also makes a great, light batter. Sweet rice flour, also known as glutinous rice flour, is the flour you'll need to make your own mochi at home, plus many other Asian cakes and desserts. Its sticky, chewy texture is also used to make dumplings and other dim sum, as a coating for fried chicken, and in batter for waffles and crepes.
Rice flour, not to be confused with glutinous rice flour, can be used to make steamed sweet or savory rice cakes, noodles, and pastries. It can't be used interchangeably with glutinous rice flour as the two are very different. Other flours to look out for include buckwheat for making soba noodles and buckwheat pancakes, and bean flours like kinako, or roasted soybean flour, gram flour, which is made from chickpeas and used in falafel, pakoras, and other Indian dishes. And mung bean flour is often used as a filling for dumplings or to make glass noodles.
16. Miso
While miso is readily available at most larger local stores, there's an immense variety on offer at Asian grocery stores, usually sold in huge tubs at an affordable price. Here you'll find everything from shiro miso, which is white miso, great for making miso soup, as a marinade, or added to salad dressings, to red miso with its pungent flavor, ideal for stews and hotpots. You'll also come across shinshu miso, or yellow miso, that's a bit saltier than white miso but not as pungent as red, making it an incredibly versatile miso for soups and marinades.
Look out for popular brands like Hikari, Namikura, or Miko and opt for brands with a simple list of ingredients. Cheaper brands of miso may contain additives like alcohol or sweeteners, and the shorter fermentation process usually results in a less rich, complex flavor. The very best miso usually contains just soybeans, water, and a type of grain, with salt, seaweed, or koji added. Look for miso that has some grain to it, as the highest quality products aren't completely smooth.
17. Curry paste
Whether you're whipping up an Indian korma, Japanese katsu curry, or a Thai massaman curry, you'll find a huge selection of curry pastes to choose from in Asian stores, from small packets of curry paste to huge tubs that can be stored in your fridge for months. Thai curry pastes from brands like Mae Ploy pack a punch, so you only need to use a small amount for oodles of flavor.
Look out for Thai red, green, and massaman pastes, as well as paste, to make Thai soup like tom yum. You'll often find blocks of katsu curry to make your own Japanese curry at home — just add hot water, similar to using a stock cube. Jars or pouches of Indian curry paste can be blended with stock or coconut milk to make authentic Indian curries in minutes. Speaking of coconut milk, it's an excellent bulk buy at Asian grocery stores as it's usually priced more affordably than in your local store.
18. Cooking wine
Bottles of Shaoxing wine, used in Chinese cooking, mirin, a Japanese sweet rice wine used for cooking, and cooking sake are among the bargains you can't afford to miss in Asian grocery stores. These are generally sold in large bottles for adding to all your favorite dishes.
Shaoxing wine is an essential ingredient that will give your homemade Chinese food that authentic restaurant flavor. Adding depth of flavor to almost any dish, it's great as a marinade for meat or shrimp, to add flavor to dumpling fillings, in sauces and braised dishes, and to deglaze the wok and add wok hei when stir-frying or making fried rice.
Mirin, the sweet Japanese rice wine used in so many Japanese dishes, is not to be confused with rice vinegar. It's the perfect sweet addition to dishes rich in savory soy sauce or miso, great with ramen, salmon, teriyaki chicken or other teriyaki dishes. In a pinch, you can substitute cooking sake and sugar for mirin if you've run out.
19. Tea
Though you can pick up tea at any store, the sheer variety on offer at Asian grocery stores can be overwhelming. This is a great opportunity to try out some new teas, many with medicinal qualities. If you're unsure what to get, Jasmine tea is a popular choice, particularly the one sold in the yellow container. You'll find tea bags, loose-leaf tea, and even the more expensive Jasmine Pearl tea. Tea is often priced more affordably in Asian stores, too.
Oolong, green, and white teas are other popular choices, and in larger stores, you'll also find matcha, the powdered green tea that's great in matcha smoothies, matcha lattes, and to make matcha ice cream and desserts. Keep a look out for specialty teas like sticky rice teas, sencha, blooming teas, Yunnan pu-erh, and more. You can find both loose-leaf tea and teabags; the best Asian tea is generally sold in leaf form. This is worth bearing in mind if you're a tea aficionado.
20. Kitchen utensils, pans, and steamers
The final thing to pick up on your next Asian grocery store trip? Kitchen utensils and pans. It's easy to find an authentic Asian wok for an affordable price, though the stainless steel varieties you'll usually find here aren't non-stick, so you will need to take care of your wok by seasoning and oiling it regularly. Once you've used your wok a few times, you'll find it comes in handy for almost any dish you want to make, and you can use it with your bamboo steamer, too.
Bamboo steamers are another great buy and come in a variety of sizes, from single-serve steamers perfect for solo diners enjoying dim sum to huge steamers great for family get-togethers. They're more affordable here than online or in other stores, too. Don't miss the utensils aisle when shopping in an Asian grocery store. Here you'll find skimmers and ladles for cooking and serving. You'll also find chopsticks, bowls, and spoons, as well as chopstick holders.