For Korean food in New York City, 32nd Street is where it’s at.  Sure, it’s one measly block, but it’s a block packed with Korean yumminess.  Tucked away in a nondescript building among all the Korean BBQs you’ll find Han Ah Reum.  This glorious gem of a supermarket features Korean classics like tangy kimchi–a fermented cabbage side dish, plus pan-Asian sauces, dried sardines and anchovies and all the supplies you’ll need to host a roll-your-own sushi party.

I recommend avoiding rush hour and lunch time.  Every shelf, refrigerator case and corner is filled to capacity, maximizing what little space the market occupies.  The store’s narrow aisles are already crowded with food and when you add hoards of hungry shoppers to the mix, you end up wasting valuable shopping energy dodging other shoppers and their baskets.  But if you can brave the crowds and tight space (seriously, claustrophobes beware), the trek to Midtown will be well worth your time.

Now I know I lost a few of you with that whole “fermented cabbage” thing, but if you haven’t tried kimchi yet, you must!!  I’m not saying I’ll convert you all, but if you enjoy pungent, acidic flavors (like kombucha) this stuff is addictive.  Throw some in a stirfry to funkify an ordinary sauce or serve it in a bowl and eat it straight.  And if you already know what I’m talking about, you’ll love how many kinds of kimchi they sell in this market.  There’s baby radish kimchi, young cabbage kimchi, stuffed cucumber kimchi, green onion kimchi, premium cabbage kimchi with oyster…the list goes on.

If you’re more into DIY ventures, check out the starch aisle.  There you’ll find a gob of flours, rice, beans and grains to whip up, well, practically anything.  Not sure what they’re all for, but I spied soybean malt powder, pearl barley powder, rice flour, acorn starch, green perilla powder, and sweet potato starch.  And for amateurs like me, they even had a mung bean pancake mix so I could “enjoy home baking.”

My biggest piece of advice, however, is to scrap all my ideas and just be adventurous.  Try the roasted strips of nori marinated in teryaki spiciness, or don’t.  But whatever you do, come hungry and bring a big bag.