What’s in My H Mart Cart? The 10 Things I Can’t Leave the Store Without

One cookbook author & food writer's essential staples and shortcuts from the Korean grocery chain.

One of my most comforting errands is combing the aisles of H Mart for new ingredients and inspiration for everyday home cooking. But for a first-timer, the Korean grocery store chain—originally called Han Ah Reum, which roughly translates to “one arm full of groceries”—can be intimidating.

The selection is vast, and H Mart not only sells Korean ingredients, but also those of other Asian cuisines including, but not limited to: Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Thai, and more. But once you get a lay of the land and explore the breadth of ingredients the international market carries, you’ll discover flavorful sauces, shortcut pre-marinated meats and banchan (a.k.a. side dishes), excellent produce, oodles of noodles, and so much more that you won't believe you lived without for so long.

H Mart has only been a regular part of my life for the past three years, since moving to Los Angeles, where there are three locations within a 2-mile radius in Koreatown. Before that, I had to make a trek on multiple subways to a small, crowded store in NYC’s Koreatown, and was limited by my own han ah reum—what I could carry in one arm. Over the course of many weekly or near-weekly trips, I have narrowed down the H Mart essentials that are a must-buy on every trip. Here's what you should be buying at H Mart.

What I Always Buy at H Mart

The below list excludes some things I buy in bulk at H Mart on more of a monthly or quarterly basis, like soy sauce, flavorful pastes (including doenjang—a fermented soybean paste similar to Japanese miso—and gochujang, a spicy version), and rice, but don’t skip out on those! You’ll likely get the best price (especially with its weekly sales), and it's a curated market, meaning it doesn't carry any bad-tasting brands of anything.

Ready to dive in? Here’s my armful of 10 favorites, in no particular order. Some are singular ingredients and others are categories to explore, but all of them are in my fridge or pantry right now.

Fresh Rice Cakes

I hate to start this list off with a splurge, but I promise it’s a worthy one. Chewy Korean rice cakes can be bought for various prices in the refrigerated section (usually near the noodles) or frozen (including cheese-stuffed ones!), but if I have a few extra bucks, I spring for the fresh ones. Fresh means it was made locally, either in store or by a local maker. They are soft, chewy, and tender right out of the packaging rather than the dried styles that need to be thawed and/or soaked in cold water before cooking.

They come in different shapes and sizes, and leftovers can be frozen if you can’t use them all within the 24-hour use-by window suggested for freshness. One of the most popular uses for Korean rice cakes is Tteokbokki, a popular Korean street food of rice cakes in a spicy-and-slightly-sweet gochujang sauce. My favorite way to make them is crisping up in brown butter and sautéeing with kimchi and pre-marinated bulgogi—you can even watch me demo that recipe here!

Kimchi and Banchan (Mostly Veggie Side Dishes)

There are so many kinds of kimchi—a salted, fermented, spicy side dish—but my favorites are the classic Napa cabbage and radish. I like to buy the whole cabbage version from the brand Jongga so I can snip the pieces as big or small as I want, but if you do that, make sure to wear gloves and use kitchen shears rather than a knife and cutting board, unless you want everything to be stained bright red.

I’ve never met a kimchi from H Mart that I didn’t like, so experiment to find out which brand has the right level of spice, garlic, and funk for you. The longer kimchi sits in your fridge, the more potent it gets, so be sure to use it soon after opening to eat it fresh with rice or as a side dish. Aged kimchi is great sautéed to create a caramelized base for stews, soups, or stir-fries.

If kimchi isn’t your thing, there are also dozens of other marinated vegetables made in-house at H Mart every day. I usually go for the combo box of spinach and bean sprouts, which is a cheaper, faster shortcut for meal prep rice bowls like bibimbap. There are also ready-to-heat-and-eat foods like jeon (Korean savory pancakes), japchae (stir-fried sweet potato starch noodles with veggies), dumplings, and even grilled sweet potatoes in the banchan section at H Mart.

Pre-Marinated Meat

If you’ve had Korean BBQ at a restaurant, you can probably find the same meat, already marinated and ready to cook at H Mart. My latest fixation is pork shoulder bulgogi, a chewy-tender delight of thinly sliced pork in a slightly sweet and savory sauce. There are also spicier versions of pork, beef, and chicken, and even already breaded katsu cutlets to fry at home. Whether you’re making dinner, meal prepping, or just trying to add protein to some leftovers, the pre-marinated meats at H Mart are one of the best weeknight shortcuts.

Shredded Scallions

Another shortcut that I tend to splurge on is a giant tub of shredded scallions. They look like ribbons and make for the most beautiful garnish. Scallions are always incredibly cheap at H Mart (either three or five bunches for $1 typically) but the labor of washing, drying, and shredding or slicing scallions super thin is sometimes just too much for me to handle. Each tub comes with a lot, so I recommend portioning them into freezer bags, getting as much air out as possible, and using them as needed if you don’t go through a tub in a week like I do.

Greens or Veggies on Sale

I choose my vegetables based on what is on sale at H Mart. The store sells all sorts of greens portioned into affordable bags, including bok choy, pea shoots, spinach, and more. Take a chance and experiment with something new! Regardless of the veggies I buy, I usually blanch them, shock them in ice water, then quickly sauté them with lots of soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic for a quick side dish.

On the note of garlic, the pre-peeled garlic at H Mart is a life saver if you use a lot of garlic. It's packaged in pint-sized tubs, not the vacuum-sealed mini bags which often are in some sort of liquid and have a chemical taste. Put a paper towel in the container when you get home to absorb extra moisture, and you’ll have ready-to-use garlic for anything from confiting to grating throughout the week.

Frozen Mandu (Dumplings)

My freezer usually has at least four kinds of dumplings on rotation at all times: one to pan-fry, one to steam, one to air-fry, and another for soup (like wontons). If you haven’t tried flat dumplings filled with japchae, pork, and beef, you haven’t lived! Buy them ASAP—Bibigo is one of my go-to brands—and be sure to get them really crispy on both sides in a skillet or air fryer.

Seasoned Shredded Seaweed

Do you like Japanese furikake? Then you’ll love doljaban muchim, which is gim (dried seaweed) seasoned with sesame oil, sugar, salt, and sesame seeds. This seasoning is found in the seaweed aisle in a resealable bag, and I love to sprinkle it over warm rice and scrambled eggs for breakfast anytime. I usually buy the brand SURASAN.

Toasted Sesame Oil

I’m not brand loyal to toasted sesame oil, but I do buy it in bulk to save money. Personally, I decant it into a cute little pourer shaped like a dog with a top hat, but you can also use a squeeze bottle. H mart even sells little plastic ones for this exact purpose. Drizzle toasted sesame oil atop any Korean- or Asian-inspired dish you make, or mix with salt for a simple dipping sauce for KBBQ meats.

Ace Crackers

My best friend Irene introduced me to these flaky, buttery crackers that are lighter than air. That descriptor is overused, but these really do melt in your mouth. In Korea, Haitai Ace Crackers are served with coffee, but I treat them as my so-hungry-I can’t-see-straight snack. They’re pre-portioned into individual, grab-and-go packets, and while they don’t need anything on them to be satisfying, peanut butter, cheese, or even both work great.

A Salty Snack or Impulse Buy

The snack aisle in H Mart provides the perfect opportunity to have fun and try something new—you won't be disappointed! My most recent impulse buy was Ilocos Chichacorn, a crispy corn nut version of chicharrón. I bought the garlic flavor (with REAL garlic chips inside!) and a sweet corn version (which was a little too sweet and powdery for me), and will be buying them again once these run out.