Trader Joe’s has an extensive selection of Asian cuisine, including Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese appetizers, entrees, soups, marinades/sauces and ingredients.
The produce section carries vegetables commonly used in asian cooking and also offers a raw vegetable stir fry mix comprised of onion, peppers, broccoli and mushrooms. Stir fry the mix or your own selection of vegetables in oil, broth or one or Trader Joe’s asian-style sauces. Add Baked Tofu (vegan) or nuts (cashews, walnuts or peanuts) and serve over steamed or fried rice.
Mix Trader Joe’s shredded cabbage, shredded carrots and shelled edamame with TJ’s sesame soy vinaigrette for a fresh and easy salad. Add baked tofu chunks or serve over udon or rice noodles for a more hearty version.
The frozen foods section offers Japanese-style fried rice (vegan) and vegetable fried rice, vegetable dumplings, vegetable egg rolls, vegetable bird’s nests (vegan) and stir fry vegetable mix.
Trader Joe’s shelf-stable boxes of vegetable broth and miso ginger broth make great bases for soups. Just add your choice of vegetables, noodles and tofu. The grocery aisle is also where you’ll find several single-serve noodle bowls and Asian-style sauces and marinades. Read the labels carefully though to make sure they’re vegetarian. Unfortunately, the peanut sauce contains anchovies.
There aren’t any vegetarian sushi options, but there is tasty grab-and-go vegetable Tofu Spring Roll (vegan) with peanut sauce in the refrigerated section next to the fresh salads and sandwiches. You’ll also find fresh soba and rice noodles here.