Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month With These Delicious Asian Snacks
We’ve updated this article with our latest picks.
In most Asian Pacific Islander Desi American communities, folks can’t imagine a reunion without repast, a gabfest without goodies, or even a fight without a feast to follow. So it’s only natural that a celebration of all these cultures would include some snacks. We rounded up and tasted a selection of treats from all over Asia and the Pacific Islands, and here are our favorites. Let’s dig in!
A spicy-sweet snack mix
This spicy-sweet-and-sour blend of cornflakes, potato sticks, nuts, and raisins had all our testers dipping back in again and again. While one person on our testing panel wasn’t crazy about the dried fruit, others loved the variety of textures and flavors, with one noting, “Some bites are very spicy, others are sweeter and malty. Also, that distinctive funky-savory asafetida flavor comes through, which I love.”
Airy crunch, standout flavors
Light, puffy, and crunchy, these popcorn-y puffed seeds hold their own in the simple Himalayan Salt & Pepper flavor, but they also shine in the more complex Pudina Party, which pairs mint chutney vibes with the tang of pickle chips. That said, our testers all had different favorites (from Cream & Onion to Piri Piri Paradise to Butter Tomato), which means the variety pack is the way to go. These lotus-seed snacks also happen to be gluten-free.
Spicy, puffy crackers
Imagine if saltines and Cheez-Its had a baby, and it got enlarged by Rick Moranis’s machine. Or, think of eating uncooked ramen straight out of the pack, crushed up and sprinkled with the seasoning packet (maybe you actually did that as a kid!), but it’s in cracker form. Or, maybe these are a little like Chicken in a Biskit? Okay, so we couldn’t quite agree on how exactly to describe these bubbly, flame-tinted crackers, but we did all agree that they were surprisingly flavorful and fun to crunch.
Sichuan spiced peanuts
After trying these peanuts, we can’t imagine happy hour without them. They’re crunchy, they’re salty, they’re spicy, with a tingle of that numbing Sichuan peppercorn. Set these out as a pre-dinner snack or late at night with your libation of choice—the Chinese lager Tsingtao makes a classic combo—and watch them disappear.
Fish skins with spice and crunch
Grab your wanderlust, ’cause this bag of snacks is about to take you on a trip. The Sichuan mala flavoring gets your tongue tingling with that characteristic numbing peppercorn. And the crispy fish skins (which gave pork rind flashbacks to one taster who grew up in the South) are accompanied by fried tofu skins and crispy dried mushrooms, in a true cornucopia of crunch. This is extreme snacking at its best, and those of us with tolerance for spice couldn’t get enough.
A lovely pair of spreads: one sweet, one sour
The coconut spread from Pika Pika was the top favorite of all the Southeast Asian–inspired jams we tried. It had a silky, easily spreadable texture and a mild but unmistakable coconut flavor, with buttery notes of brown sugar. We made kaya toast—toasted milk bread sandwiching cold salted butter and a coconut custard jam—and the result was a lovely take on the beloved Singaporean breakfast, though more subtle than the pandan punch of the Moon Man jam that we also tried. And unlike most kaya jams, this spread doesn’t use eggs, so it’s vegan-friendly.
We loved how tart Pika Pika’s calamansi marmalade was, though some of us found the flavor a little too bracing, and the texture a little thin, on its own. But it was a beautiful foil to the coconut spread when we paired them together, and if you include both on a charcuterie board, their contrasting and complementary flavors could make a lot of other foods sing.
A jam for pandan fans
Unlike the Pika Pika coconut spread, Moon Man’s thicker, custardy pandan kaya jam is redolent with the grassy-herby scent of pandan leaves. It makes a great kaya toast, too, but its texture and sweetness are more dessert-y. One of our testers gushed, “I’m really quite into this! Sweet, slightly grassy, a nice fluffy texture, somehow slightly cooling.” You may find yourself sneaking a spoonful after dinner.
Fly By Jing spices, but mini
We love Fly By Jing, a female-owned company that makes delicious condiments for every heat-seeking taste bud. This trio of mini jars is available with the company’s three flagship condiments—Sichuan Chili Crisp, Zhong Sauce, and Mala Spice Mix—or you can opt for three of the signature chili crisp. The jars are small enough to throw in your bag, if you want their alternately numbing, spicy, sweet, and deeply umami flavors to add some fire to any on-the-go dining situation.
Sophisticated sodas
Yuzu is really having its moment (and it’s about time!). But especially in bottled drinks, it doesn’t always taste fresh or real—leaving you with a musty aftertaste. That’s why we were all impressed when we took our first sips of Moshi’s Sparkling Yuzu, Red Shiso & Apple. The citrusy oils of the yuzu, the savory grassiness of the shiso, and the sweetness of the apple all came together in a refreshing, sophisticated soda. Its ruby-fuschia color is gorgeous to boot.
We also loved Moshi’s Sparkling Oolong Tea Passion Fruit flavor, with the bitter tea playing against the sweet-tart fruit. The Oolong with Lychee soda was delicious, too, just not as deeply complex. Many of Moshi’s simpler flavors that we tried (Yuzu and White Peach, Matcha, Matcha and Strawberry) were fun but a little more candy-like, and we wished that we could dial back their sweetness just a bit.
On-the-go sake
Wirecutter senior staff writer Lesley Stockton has been extolling single-serve sake for months now, so we took her up on sampling a couple for this guide. We found the Miyozakura Panda Junmai Sake Cup to be an easy crowd favorite. This mild, smooth rice wine—with a hint of floral fruit and a clean finish—would go great with lunch and some cloud watching on a patch of grass or at the beach. But if you like a more assertive sake, as Lesley does, go for the Aoki Shuzo Yuki Otoko “Yeti” Cup Junmai Sake.
Cooling lychee jellies
Stash these in the fridge, and Future You will thank you while slurping up a cooling, lychee-flavored treat on a stifling day. Better yet, stick them in the freezer and tote them with you—on a picnic, on the bus, anywhere you could use a refreshing bite. This brand’s jellies are especially squishy and juicy, and they’re not too sweet.
Elegant white chocolate cookies
These white chocolate cookies from Japan are somehow both delicate and shatteringly crisp, with just enough mild sweetness to pair beautifully with a freshly steeped oolong or genmaicha. You can also purchase these in combination with a milk chocolate flavor, which some of our tasters preferred. (Imagine if Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies studied abroad at a French finishing school in Hokkaido.) Show up with these for a dinner party, and you’ll be the toast of the table.
A creamy, chewy treat
This creamy, milk-flavored chewy candy wrapped in edible rice paper is a staple of many Asian immigrant childhoods. White Rabbit candies are soft and chewy when fresh, but many of us know that the stale, stick-to-your-teeth versions that come out of Grandma’s purse can be just as satisfying.
Squishy, fruity candies
Hi-Chew candies are fruity Japanese sweets that taste especially juicy and have a slightly bouncy texture. Think Starburst, but whereas the American candy aims for maxed-out artificial flavor, Hi-Chews go for verisimilitude with fresher, more vibrant fruit flavors.
Hyper-layered chips
Bugles meet croissants in these layered chips that are both light as air and crispy as all get-out. Snack brand Orion put a lot of R & D into this texture (seriously, it has a patent), and each turtle-shell-shaped piece is truly an architectural marvel. There’s something to love about all of the flavors, but many of us agreed that the Seaweed Flavor, whose briny notes still let the corn chip’s natural sweetness come through, had the most nuance and would be the easiest to eat in any mood.
That said, the Choco Churros Flavor appealed to those of us with a sweet tooth, with actual chocolate thinly coating the ridges of the shells. The Sweet Corn Flavor, while polarizing for being so intensely corn chowder–esque, is the signature flavor, and it’s unique enough to be worth experiencing at least once, if only for the marvel of taste engineering that it is.
Velvety salted egg potato chips
If you have yet to try the phenomenon of salted egg snacks coming out of Singapore, this is a good place to start. The humble potato chip is coated with a heavy—and I mean heavy—dusting of powdered salted cured egg yolk and flavored with curry leaf and a slight hint of chili pepper. They’re velvety, salty, and unctuous, with a soft crunch. Even as we were deciding how we felt about these, we found ourselves reaching for another and another.
Classic Bokksu snack box
Buying Options
code WIRECUTTER15 for $15 off
We call the jam-packed Bokksu Snack Box: Seasons of Japan “a treasure chest of treats” in our gift-basket guide. Some highlights include soybean-powder-dusted rice crackers, citrusy battered seaweed snacks, and “surreal” white-chocolate-injected freeze-dried strawberries. The sheer range of flavors and textures is likely to expand your notion of what a snack can be. Although we think this box is a perfect gift, it’s also a great way to treat yourself.
Spicy, beefy ramen
One of our favorite instant noodles is NongShim Shin Black Noodle Soup. Wirecutter’s Anna Perling noted: “It has a winning combination of a complex, spicy broth, substantial dehydrated vegetables, and toothsome noodles.” But honestly, you can’t go wrong with any NongShim noodle—we also love the combo of its Chapagetti and Neoguri flavors, as made famous by Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar-winning movie Parasite.
A seafood lover’s ramen
For seafood lovers, we also adore Prima Taste Singapore Laksa La Mian, which uses air-dried instead of fried noodles, for a bowl that’s closer to what you’d get at a Singapore hawker stand. The noodles take seven full minutes to boil, so they’re a little less “instant,” but dressed up with some hearty toppings, the rich, spicy coconut-milk and shrimp-paste curry broth will take you far, far away from a dorm room or a sad desk lunch.
This article was edited by Alexander Aciman and Marguerite Preston.
Further reading
5 Cheap(ish) Things to Send in a Care Package
by Gabriella DePinho
When a friend or loved one is going through a hard time, a care package of thoughtful things can make their day.
The Best Instant Noodles, According to Chefs, Cookbook Authors, and Ramen Fanatics
by Anna Perling
We asked seven chefs, ramen reviewers, cookbook authors, and noodle makers to tell us their favorite instant noodles, and then conducted our own taste test.
How to Eat and Snack Smartly When You’re Working From Home All Day
by Nick Guy
We’ve been working from home for years. Here’s what we’ve learned about shopping for food, scheduling daily meal times, and prepping food for the week.
Game Day Snackdown: Trader Joe’s vs. Whole Foods 365
by Lesley Stockton
We conducted a company-wide taste test of snacks from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s to find out who has the best chips, dips, cookies, and more.
