Where to Buy Asian Ingredients Beyond an Asian Market
- womacktate
- Feb 7, 2024
- 3 min read
I lived in Japan for a year and a half and I quickly fell in love with the food. When I returned home to a small town in Utah, I was anxious to share some of the amazing meals I had in Japan. I wanted my family to know what I experienced and recreating the meals was a top priority.
Where to Buy Asian Ingredients
It is no secret that Asian food uses a variety of different ingredients than people in the U.S. are used to (add a little salt and pepper, right?). When I realized I had 2 out of the 10 ingredients needed to make one Japanese dish, I quickly became discouraged. Especially because I didn't have a great Asian market in my hometown.
I know that cooking Asian food for the first time can be an extremely daunting task. I can't begin to explain the anxieties I felt when first trying to recreate some of the amazing meals I had in Japan. To help lessen those anxieties, I have created the following guide to help lead you to places where you can find Asian ingredients beyond the Asian market.
Over the past few years, Walmart has significantly stepped up its game when it comes to
Asian food and ingredients. In most Walmarts, there is part of an aisle that is dedicated to Asian food. There you can find, sesame oil, fish oil, rice vinegar, Japanese mayonnaise (my favorite), and much more. When looking at the ingredients of a recipe, check to see if Walmart has it. Walmart is affordable and can have multiple ingredients that you need.
Just like Walmart, Target has been growing its selection of Asian ingredients. From ingredients like miso paste to seaweed, Target can carry a wide variety of Asian ingredients. Be warned though, you might end up picking up a lot more than you are expecting to get. Target is a dangerous place.
Trader Joe's is a holy place to me. I love Trader Joe's and everything they have to offer.
Not only does Trader Joe's have Asian spices and seasonings. They also have the BEST frozen Asian food. So if you're looking for something really quick, Trader Joe's has some amazing frozen Asian food. Especially the orange chicken.
I'm mostly adding Costco because you can buy rice in bulk at Costco. Rice is a staple in
Asian cuisine so if you're going to dive in and make Asian food, it might be best (and cheaper) to head to Costco and buy it in bulk.
If things get desperate, and you can't find the ingredients at the stores mentioned
above, I would look on Amazon. Chances are the ingredients will be more expensive on Amazon because they are most likely imported, but in a pinch, Amazon does come in handy for some pretty obscure Asian ingredients.
The Bottom Line
You shouldn't let not having Asian ingredients stop you from trying new Asian recipes. It's pretty convenient where you can buy Asian ingredients. I hope that you can find these ingredients, and as always, if you have any other suggestions on places to go, please let me know! Good luck with your new adventure into cooking Asian cuisine. Please follow me on my socials to get great how-to videos and easy Asian recipes.
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