Asian markets - a treasure trove of affordable produce, fresh seafood, and exotic snacks. This no-frills shopping experience is amazing for the budget shopper, food connoisseurs, and culinary adventurers alike. But… it does come with a steep learning curve. Not all markets are built equally and selection really differs from the local Asians in your area. This comprehensive guide to the Asian supermarket will be based off of 99 Ranch, the most common Asian market you can find all over the States.

Store Layout

Being a franchise, 99 Ranch stores are generally laid out in a similar fashion - Produce on the right, meat and seafood counters in the back, and everything else in the middle. Most 99 Ranch stores also come with a bakery and hot foods area inside as well. Many Asian markets follow suite in their store layouts and will generally offer most produce, seafood, meats, frozen foods, and dried goods in a similar fashion. However, do not expect smaller markets to always have a bakery or hot foods section as they typically don’t have the space or help to maintain.

Produce

Without a doubt, Asian markets have a much more expansive selection of produce, meats, and seafood. In the produce section, you can find your typical western fruits and vegetables and also Asian-specific produce. The best part - they are almost always cheaper than if you were to buy it at most western markets. Asian markets typically source locally and can have organic and non-organic selections. You really can’t go wrong with buying produce from an Asian market, but we do recommend you have an eye for good quality produce as most stores have a “pick your own” model and you buy whatever you decide to take. Don’t be afraid of picking up new kinds of leafy greens as there is usually a diverse selection! You can honestly blanch most of them try before adding them into your dishes.

Meats

The Asian butcher counter can be an intimidating experience. Most of the time, they are there to give you what you want with the assumption that you already know what to do with it. The trick is to at least appear confident when asking what you want. You will definitely notice the cuts of meat are very different from western cuts as pork and chicken are more favored in Asian dishes compared to beef and lamb, so prior research and knowledge of meat cuts is important as their english translations (if there are any) can be wrong. We recommend buying pork, chicken, bones, and other internal parts of an animal at Asian markets since they are rarely offered at western markets. Save the nice beef and lamb cuts for your local western market.

If all else fails or you don’t feel confident asking for certain cuts of meat, you can always try your luck at the pre-cut section usually at the fridges adjacent to the counter.

Seafood

Arguably the biggest difference between western and Asian markets is the seafood. With tanks of flowing water keeping oceanic creatures alive and a rainbow assortment of exotic fish kept fresh on a bed of ice, you will once again need to muster up confidence. Picking seafood from the ice bed is easy - just bag what you want and hand it to one of the fish mongers to weigh and price. When you want anything live, you will have to make eye contact with one of the mongers, give him a head nod, and he’ll proceed to ask what you want. Make sure you are clear on how big you want that creature. Once they bonk the fish, there’s no turning back. Usually you can find the different cleaning methods on a sign, if not, the usual treatment is descale and gut the fish. Asian markets typically sell you the fish whole, so if you want the head gone and in fillets, make sure you mention that before they go clean the fish.

Freezers, Sauces, Snacks, Dried Goods

The middle aisles are home to your dumplings, noodles, sauces, and more. There isn’t anything difficult about these aisles, so they are fun to walk around and browse. Our one rule is not to buy anything you can find at a western market. Typically prices for western goods are marked up and since nobody buys them, they sit on the shelves for a very long time.

TL;DR guys, just listen in on this super informative episode and we’ll see you at the markets!