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20 Iconic Asian Snacks You Need To Buy Next Time You Visit An Asian Mart

Quarantine = an excuse to stock up on Hello Panda, duh.

Sarah Lee
by Sarah Lee

BuzzFeed Staff

1. Pocky

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This snack is so popular that in Japan, they even have a National Pocky Day dedicated to it — Nov. 11. Fun fact: On that day, single people are supposed to gift each other this snack because the sticks resemble the number one. The chocolate and strawberry-flavored sticks are the OG, but now they also have matcha, chocolate banana, and cookies and cream now.

Get it from Amazon for $6.99/1-pack or $23.39/10-pack.

2. White Rabbit

Amazon

White Rabbit is one of those old school candies that your Chinese grandmother would hand you as a kid whenever you went over to her house. It has the texture of a hard Laffy Taffy (don't bite into it directly!), but instead of it tasting fruity, it tastes more like sweetened milk. The most controversial part of this candy is the thin rice paper that wraps the candy. As a kid, you probably weren't totally sure if it was actually edible or if your mom was pranking you (but apparently it is!).

Get it from Amazon for $6.99.

3. Mochi

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There are many variations of the Japanese mochi, but the most widely known one in America is the ice cream mochi. Mochi is a chewy, soft, and always ~delicious~ glutinous rice snack with a sweet filling inside. For ice cream, I highly recommended the red bean flavor if you're feeling traditional. Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream mochi exist, as well. If ice cream is not your thing, you can almost always find a regular mochi with red bean, black sesame, or green tea fillings! The options are endless.

4. Hello Panda

Amazon

These bite-sized, panda-printed treats have a crunchy hollow shell with either a ~creamy~ strawberry or chocolate filling. It's impossible to not want to eat the whole box in one sitting!

Get it from Amazon for $9.70.

5. Yakult

To All The Boys I've Loved Before Netflix

Sometimes, Korean restaurants will provide this treat at the very end since Yakult is a probiotic drink that is supposed to help with digestion and building immunity. Usually, it's a perfect way to end a big KBBQ meal. You'll also recognize this drink from the Netflix movie To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, where the Covey sisters converted Peter Kavinsky into a fan! I personally like to buy these in the summer so I can freeze them for a sweet and icy treat — so it's more of a smoothie than a liquid drink.

6. Haw Flakes

Amazon

This is another nostalgia-inducing candy that your Chinese grandmother would have at her place. If you’ve never had haw flakes, it’s hard to describe the slightly sour tang and mild sweet flavor of these dry fruit discs.

Get it from Amazon for $10.99/4-pack.

7. Bungeoppang / Taiyaki

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Known as "bungeoppang" in Korea and "taiyaki" in Japan, these snacks have a sweet red bean filling inside. This snack has now became so popular that it is now served as desserts around the world in bakeries and cafes, sometimes with soft serve inside. Korea even created a take-home ice cream version of these popular street snacks that can be found in Asian marts. Every summer, I like to pick up the ones with matcha-flavored ice cream inside.

8. Yan Yan

Amazon

These were the Asian Dunkaroos. I always had fun reading the cracker sticks because they'd have silly animal quotes printed on the side. The "dipping" cream reminded me of a cake frosting — I used to love dunking my stick into it and trying to get as much cream as possible. Somehow, I would always somehow run out of cream before I could finish the sticks, though.

Get it from Amazon for $8.95/3 flavor variety pack

9. Choco Pie

Amazon

This is a Korean version of the American moon pie. Growing up, this was the snack that I could always find inside my lunchbox. My mom would always yell at me for making a mess when eating Choco Pie because it was so crumbly! Still, it was worth it — eating these chocolatey treats with the rich marshmallow filling would make my day as a kid. Nowadays, they've expanded with new flavors like matcha and banana.

Get if from Amazon for $13.30.

10. Shrimp Chips

Amazon / Via calbeena.com

Once you open a bag of these babies, you already know you've committed to eating the whole bag. These shrimp chips have the same texture as Cheetos, just minus the orange dust you'd get all over your hands.

Get it from Amazon for $38.23/12-pack or if you're feeling adventurous, try the wasabi flavor for $14.99/3-pack.

11. Honey Butter Chip

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This was the chip that everyone was obsessed with back in 2014–15. It was the talk of the town and a favorite amongst K-pop celebs, to the point where it was sold out all over Korea. People even tried to make these chips at home. The slight hint of honey makes this an interesting chip — it's not just salty, but it's also sweet.

Get it from Amazon for $10.90/3-pack.

12. Turtle Chips

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That said, the new trendy chip in town are these Turtle Chips, which have a similar feel to Bugles, except they're shaped like a turtle with four *extremely puffy* layers of crunch. The best part is eating all the crumbs at the end to really get that sweet corn flavor.

Get it from Amazon for $9.99/3-pack.

13. Hi-Chew

Amazon

This is the iconic Asian gummy candy. The candy is shaped like a white brick and has a colored filling on the inside. The minute you bite the center, a fruity flavor melts in your mouth.

Get it from Amazon for $14.99.

14. Ppushu Ppushu Noodle Snack

Amazon

As a huge ramen fiend, I used to snack on this as a kid. It's probably not much healthier than eating the actual ramen, but these snacks were fun to make and eat — especially because they came in so many different flavors. My favorite was the BBQ flavor, which gave off a sweet meaty taste similar to the popular Korean dish, bulgogi.

Here's how to eat this snack properly:

1. Before opening the bag, break the ramen noodles up into small pieces.

2. Open the bag, open the spice packaging, and pour the spices inside the bag.

3. Tie the bag with a rubber band or hold it with your hands and shake it around like a tambourine.

4. Eat up!

Get it from Amazon for $8.28/4-pack.

15. Rice Crackers

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There are a variety of rice crackers on the market and a few American brands that have made their own variations, but the Asian ones have more flavor — you want the ones where the sweet soy sauce coating is toasted onto the rice crackers. If you’re feeling particularly wild, you can fly to Japan (after the quarantine) and eat freshly made rice crackers at a street food market. But as Ina Garten famously said, “Store bought is fine.”

16. Pineapple buns

17. Shikhye

18. Shredded Dried Squid

Amazon

It may sound weird at first blush, but it's a lot like beef jerky. It's fun to rip the strands into smaller pieces, and it's extremely chewy, so prepare to work your mouth a bit. It's a favorite amongst a lot of Asian countries, and you can find people snacking on it with a cold refreshing beer.

Get it from Amazon for $14.24.

19. Chocorooms

20. And finally, the Melona Ice Cream Bar

Happy snacking!

Fresh Off The Boat / ABC / Via gph.is

^^Me, as I get caught grabbing my fifth snack for the day.

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