Variety, they say, is what makes life so spicy and delicious. 

I'm always on the lookout for unique ingredients to add to my meals. 

I was excited to visit the Evergreen Asian Market this week. I've been wanting to go for awhile. I found myself there at the right time with a camera.

The market is sandwiched between two tasty restaurants (King Noodle & Lanna Thai) on the east side of the 7800 block, HWY 99. 

Here's what I found.

PRODUCE

The produce section has your typical supermarket fare plus outliers like Japanese yams, dragonfruit, bok choy, Chinese mustard, and coconuts. 

Candidly, many of their prepackaged herbs (shrink-wrapped in cellophane) looked wilted. A good place for variety, but not necessarily freshness as, I'm guessing, almost all fruit and vegetables here are imported.

Nice prices on mint and basil. Ginger and turmeric also a steal.

MEAT/FISH

In the back of the store: tanks of live tilapia, lobster, and crab. Pick your fish—they'll kill and gut it for you on the spot.

There's a case of whole fish on ice (head and all), many varieties that are unfamiliar to the western palette i.e. red snapper and hake. 

Frozen balls of whole octopus.

Meat—you can find almost any part of a pig, including kidney and uteri. I didn't dig too deep into this section because of my vegetarian feels. But, hey, if you gotta kill Porky might as well use every last edible tidbit, right?

BEVERAGES

The market offers a fine selection of saké and plum wine, including a charming variety of mini-bottles. Saké for one plus a good Kurosawa film could be a nice night for the lone introvert.

Notable, too, are shelves filled with prismatic cans of soft drink: bubble tea, sweet tea, green tea, Thai iced tea, etc. Lychee soda, tamarind juice, and mango juice.

In terms of loose leaf tea expect to find staples like oolong and green teas in bulk and curiosities like Siberian rose tea. 

OTHER

There are whole roasted ducks in the deli (pictured above). The market sells frozen mochi. There are pallets of 50 lb. rice sacks. Quail eggs. Excellent prices on coconut milk and curries. Imported beers like Singha. Fish sauce, soy sauce, Sriracha sauce. Rice noodles, tofu, miso paste, dried shiitakes, seaweed snacks. 

Do you want to impress a date with an exotic meal? Do you value interesting foods and like to explore international cuisine? Need to find ingredients that match your ethnic tradition? 

Many surprises, and the delight of discovery, await you at the Evergreen Asian Market.

Go expecting to find that secret something that will make your dish delicious.

EVERGREEN ASIAN MARKET

7815 Evergreen Way
Everett, WA 98203
Open every day 8:30 AM–8 PM
(425) 265-7900

Richard Porter is a writer for Live in Everett. He makes a decent curry and his stir-fried rice ain't so bad either.