Master Wang's Bakery Mochi: Brought back from Taipei, this brand of mochi treats comes in a variety box with individually-wrapped peanut, sesame, and red bean mochi. Since mochi is my favorite dessert, I can be an especially tough critic when it comes to this Japanese specialty, and it's not often I'm introduced to a new take. But after trying this brand, I've learned about a completely different texture of mochi that's slick rather than firm. While it's coated with a layer of starch like most packaged mochi is, biting... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended taiwanese redbean sesame peanut masterwangsbakery mochi 4.0
Kimbo Sesame Bun: I no longer live close to an Asian grocery store, so on my last day with a rental car, I made a trip to Albany's Ranch 99 and stocked up on frozen asian foods, like dumplings and buns. There were many brands I recognized from my days reviewing frozen buns from Hmart, but I decided to take a risk and purchase one I hadn't seen before named Kimbo. Lucky enough, these Taiwanese buns turned out to be quite good. Steamed in my rice cooker, the bread is soft and fluffy and barely sweetened. Th... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended ranch99 taiwanese bao kimbo sesame bun 3.5
Nissin sesame sable cookies: I grew up eating the very buttery coconut biscuits you get in a silver foil package from Asian grocery stores. These cookies have a slight resemblance, with a biscuit-like base and glazed, coconut flavored top, but it's not as sweet as the normal coconut cookies, and the black sesame balances out the sweetness. At five cookies to a serving, it's not the most filling snack, but the flavor is memorable, and it's reasonably priced. 3.5/5.0
nissin coconut sable sesame japanese asian hmart 3.5 cookies biscuit recommended
Hongluo honey twist cookies: From Beijing, these wheat cookies have a sticky glaze and a spare scattering of sesame seeds. They're packaged individually and come in a pleasantly ornate twisted shape. Unfortunately, I found the cookie to be dense yet oddly chewy on the exterior, probably due to the glaze. Overall, they were too sweet for my taste. 2.5/5.0
hongluo chinese cookies sesame honey 2.5 twist
Choripdong Digestive Cream Sand Biscuit: Individually wrapped Korean sandwich cookies with a mildly sweet, crumbly biscuit flavored with sesame seeds and a light cream filling. I like how it's not crunchy and thick like many digestives, and the snack overall feels mostly healthful although it's a dessert. 3.5/5.0
choripdong korean hmart 3.5 recommended cookies digestives sesame biscuits digestive cream sand biscuit