Yet again, a donation from Colin of the east coast – thanks, bro! This is another ‘no way – I’ve reviewed this one’ kinda variety, but it turns out indeed I haven’t. It looks like the Nongshim ‘BIG Bowl’ line, but it’s definitely not the export version if it is. Let’s have a look – very curious about this one.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, Busan fishcake, sweet onion and chilli flake. The noodles had a little bit of a springiness to them that wasn’t cutting the mustard for me. Lots of them though. The broth has a very tasty seafood and spicy hit which worked very well. The included bits of fish and vegetable were good. 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8801043015967.
I’ve had the export version in the past but this is the version that Koreans eat in South Korea. I picked this up in Taipei at a Carrefour store. I’d never been to one before and really didn’t know anything about them other than that I knew they existed in Taiwan. Here’s some info from Wikipedia –
Carrefour S.A. (French pronunciation: [kaʁfuʁ]) is a French multinational retailer headquartered in Boulogne Billancourt, France, in the Hauts-de-Seine Department near Paris.[2] It is one of the largest hypermarket chains in the world (with close to 1,600 hypermarkets at the end of 2015). Carrefour operates in more than 30 countries, in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa. Carrefour means “crossroads” and “public square” in French. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50stock market index.[3]
In 1989, Carrefour became the first international retailer to establish a presence in Asia when it entered Taiwan through a joint venture with Uni President Enterprises Corporation. It leveraged the experience it gathered in Taiwan to expand into other Asian markets.
Apparently there are 87 of them in Taiwan. We call them supermarkets here, but overseas they’re known as hypermarkets. Shrimp! Let’s take a gander.
Nongshim Spicy Shrimp Cup Noodle – South Korea
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains shrimp. To prepare, add in sachet contents. Add boiling water to fill line and cover for 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, shrimp, spring onion and chilli flake. The noodles hydrated well and were of good quality – soft and definitely upright citizens. The broth was very nice – good shrimp hit and spicy hit, and definitely Korean. The included bits hydrated very well. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8801043015776.
Here’s a cup I found at Carrefour in Taipei, Taiwan during my trip in November of 2016. I’ve never seen this one before and from what it looks like, it’s made for the Chinese/Taiwanese market. At least the packaging in Chinese gives that away. Also, I can see that it’s referencing www.nongshim.com – not a .cn or .tw, so these should be made in South Korea. It also has a little banner proclaiming ‘number one’ but unsure what that’s referring to. Anyways, let’s see what we have here and give these seaweed noodles a try!
Nongshim Seaweed Instant Noodle Cup – South Korea
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Unsure if it contains meat but check for yourself. To prepare, add in sachet contents and boiling water to fill line and let steep covered for 3 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
Looks to be onion and red pepper among other things.
A dry base sachet.
Has an interesting odor to it; kind of musty.
A tall narrow sachet.
Here is where the seaweed is hanging out, augmented with sesame seeds.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts and spring onion. The noodles were pretty good – definitely thinner than Nongshim’s ramyun. Not too bad. The broth had a little pinch of heat to it and otherwise everything was seaweed overload. I like seaweed, but generally not in this kind of extreme. In conclusion, if you love seaweed overload, this is for you. 0.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146263738.
A fellow reviewer from Happy Souper posted about these new Nonshim varieties and gave me the contact info for Nongshim Korea – I lost touch with my contact a while back. These were kindly sent by Danny – thank you very much! Let’s have a look!
Bokkeum Neoguri & Mr. Bibim Samples From Nongshim – South Korea
Lately Miles (click to enlarge) has been my executive assistant in the department of sample examination!
Samples and a bit of printed info on the new products.
Here’s the new Mr. Bibim – one is kimchi flavor, the other spicy Korean chicken flavor. These are stir noodles – they have no broth (click to enlarge).
I heard about this one in a news story (click to enlarge) – this is a spicy stir noodle version of the popular Neoguri Spicy Seafood Ramyun! Looking forward to this!
A wrapped box?
What have we here?
Hey cool (click to enlarge)! Coffee cups with the Shin Ramyun and Neoguri packaging on them. Thank you very much! Looking forward to giving these new varieties a try!
For awhile now, I’ve been trying to get my hands on some of this that actually is from South Korea. Thanks to Anders and his girlfriend Ji-Min, here we are! Here’s some info from Wikipedia –
Shin Ramyun/Ramyeon is a brand of instant noodle (including cup ramyeon) that is made by South Korean food company Nongshim since October, 1986. It now exports to over 100 countries, and is the highest selling instant noodle brand in South Korea.
Shin Ramyun is well popular for its spicy flavor. It is produced in two kinds: Shin Ramyun,[1] the original one, and Shin Ramyun Black,[2] which was introduced in 2011. A standard package consists of noodles, a sachet of flavoring powder (soup base), and a sachet of vegetable flakes. Shin Ramyun Black contains extra beef stock soup.
Shin Ramyun was introduced in October 1986 by Nongshim. The Nongshim R&D team came up with the idea of Sogogijanguk, a Cabbage and Beef Stew, which is one of the most popular traditional South Korean dishes.[3]
In 2015 it has risen to 28 billion units sold since its first introduction.[5] Shin Ramyun is listed on the National Brand Consumption Index (NBCI)[6] as the number 1 brand in South Korea (2012~2016) for its brand awareness and brand power.[7]
The name of Shin Ramyun is from a Chinese character Shin (辛), which means “spicy.” Shin Ramyun uses red and black packaging with the emphasized calligraphic word “辛”.[3] The meaning of the Chinese character is shown on the background of the package. Nongshim decided to emphasize the Chinese character Shin (辛) for their brand with a belief that a single Chinese character delivers the brand image better than written in Korean. Additionally, the character is the surname of both the founder of Nongshim and his elder brother, who started Lotte.
As you can see, its definitely what you can call a success story. It’s probably one of the most popular instants around. Let’s check out this South Korean version!
Nongshim Shin Ramyun – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Unsure whether it contains meat or not. To prepare, add noodles block and sachet contents to 550ml boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
The spicy soup base.
The vegetables sachet.
A nice mix of vegetables.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added beef, spring onion and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles come out really nice – a very standard ramyun – thicker and with a good chew. The broth has a spicy and beefy kind of taste, however I’m getting a lot of mushroom and a burnt kind of bitterness as well. It’s been a long time since I’ve had Shin Ramyun and honestly, I’m not too enthused. Now everyone hates me. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8801043014809.
Here’s one I found at the local HMart a couple months ago. I’ve had a budae jjigae instant once before – I know there’s at least one more variety out there… Very curious how this one is. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about budae jjigae –
Budae-jjigae[1] (부대찌개; literally “troop stew”) or sausage stew[1] is a type of jjigae (a thick Korean soup similar to a Western stew). Soon after the Korean War, food was scarce in Seoul, South Korea. Some people made use of surplus foods from U.S. military bases around the Uijeongbu area, Pyeongtaek area (also called Songtan)[2] or Munsan area, such as hot dogs, Spam, or ham, and incorporated them into a traditional spicy soup flavored with gochujang (red chili paste) and kimchi.
Uijeongbu Budaejjigae-Street Budae jjigae is still popular in South Korea. The dish often incorporates such modern ingredients as instant noodles and sliced American cheese. Other ingredients may include ground beef, sliced sausages, baked beans, minari, onions, green onions, tteok, tofu, chili peppers, macaroni, garlic, mushrooms, and other vegetables in season.[3]
Alright – let’s get started.
Nongshim Budae Jjigae Noodle Soup – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, add noodle block and sachets to 500ml boiling water. Cook for 4 1/2 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
A tan colored mixture.
The vegetables sachet.
Quite the mix here.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, yaki kamaboko, and salami. These noodles were excellent – nice and chewy with a pleasant gumminess and gauge. This is the kind of ramyun I adore! The bro has a lightly spicy hit and has a really rounded flavor; reminds me of pork and beans and hot dogs – with a nice dose of kimchi taste. The garnish includes decent pieces of kimchi as well and these pieces that are very much like slices of hot dog, however, remind me of fish cake too. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146037780.
After a few years, I thought I ought to update this list. I thought I even ought to change the name a little. Honestly, not a huge amount of instant noodles from the United States cross my desk these days and of those that do, not many are 5 stars. Nonetheless, there are some changes in the past few years that I thought were noteworthy and so here you go! These are the best instant noodles from the United States out of the 2,500+ varieties of instant noodles I’ve reviewed thus far.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition
The video presentation of The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten American Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition.
Been a while since I had this but it’s still a favorite. The teriyaki actually does have a nice teriyaki taste to it – along with a little spicy hit that really makes this one more unique. Original review
So Chajang is a black bean sauce – and it goes very well with noodles. There’s no broth here, but there is a hearty bowl that will have you coming back for more. Original review
If I’m under the weather, this one has been a go to for me for decades. I mean first, it’s chicken soup with noodles and second, it’s creamy. It’s just really comforting and works very well. Original review
#7: Annie Chun’s Ramen House Thai Coconut Ramen
The noodles have a nice fresh feel. What’s nice about these like many new varieties is that they do not require refrigeration. With a nice Thai coconut flavor, I get curry and lemongrass and coconut notes in there. Original review
#6: Nongshim Shin Black Spicy Pot-Au-Feu Flavor
Made in Rancho Cucamonga, California, this is the extra special version of their flagship Shin Ramyun product. Extra broth sachet and great vegetables. Original review
#5: Nongshim Kimchi Flavor Noodle Soup
First off, this is a Vegan product. What’s awesome is that it’s just got this bright and tangy broth going on that really impresses me. Lots of pickled cabbage in there and great noodles to boot. Original review
Yep – the first Instant Lunch on this list ever. Why? Well, the sheer amount of chipotle peppers in this one is astounding. It tastes really great too – a nice surprise! Original review
#3: Sapporo Ichiban Japanese Style Noodles Chow Mein
I’ve loved this one for years and it’s actually been on the annual top ten once or twice at the beginning. A broth free noodle with a very tasty seasoning. Garnish includes seaweed. Original review
#2: Sapporo Ichiban Tonkotsu Ramen Artificially Flavored Tonkotsu White Chicken Broth
A creamy broth with very hearty noodles. This is one of the first new things from this company in a long time – was worth the wait. Original review
#1: Maruchan Bowl Taste Of Asia Beef Flavor Sukiyaki Ramen
One of three Taste Of Asia products Martuchan came out with in the last couple years. It has a lot of noodles – definitely, bring your appetite. The broth is beefy and sweet as well and is very good. My favorite American instant noodle. Original review
Honorable Mention: Mama Pat’s Chicken Fajita Flavor Instant Ramen Noodles
This last year, I’ve gotten to try hundreds of new instant noodles. Well, this one has a difference that is unique among thousands. First, it’s a chicken instant noodle which isn’t strange – however, this one is made for the United States and has a vegetable sachet as well. For the economy category, this is pretty awesome and unseen here. Second, it’s the first instant noodle I’ve ever seen with a sachet that has drink mix in it in an American instant noodle – let aloned one anywhere in the world. Lemonade, fruit punch – and it’s not bad! Definitely, find this! Original review
So for a long time, I’ve wanted to review the South Korean version of Shin Ramyun Black, and I know lots of people have wanted me to. Here in the United States, we have Nongshim America (NSA) in Rancho Cucamonga. Anywhere you find Shin Ramyun Black in the United States, it originates in California. However, Nonshim Korea (NSK) is its origin. You can thank Anders and his girlfriend Ji-Min from South Korea for sending this along! Thanks again! Here’s a little something about the Shin from Wikipedia –
Shin Ramyun/Ramyeon is a brand of instant noodle (including cup ramyeon) that is produced by a South Korean food company Nongshim since October, 1986. It is now exported to over 100 countries, and is the highest selling instant noodle brand in South Korea.
Shin Ramyun is well known for its spicy flavor. It is produced in two kinds: Shin Ramyun,[1] the original one, and Shin Ramyun Black,[2] which was introduced in 2011. A standard package of Shin Ramyun consists of noodles, a sachet of flavoring powder (soup base), and a sachet of vegetable flakes. Shin Ramyun Black contains extra beef stock soup.
Shin Ramyun was introduced in October 1986 by Nongshim. The Nongshim R&D team came up with the idea of Sogogijanguk, a Cabbage and Beef Stew, which is one of the most popular traditional South Korean dishes.[3]
After Shin Ramyun was introduced, Nongshim’s market share hit 46.3% in 1987, and exceeded 50% for the first time in 1988 (53.8%).[4] With the market share of over 20% just by itself, Shin Ramyun is a leading brand of the instant noodles in Korea.
In 2015, Shin Ramyun has achieved 28 billion units sold since it was first introduced.[5] Shin Ramyun is listed on the National Brand Consumption Index (NBCI)[6] as the number 1 brand in South Korea (2012~2016) for its brand awareness and brand power.[7]
The name of Shin Ramyun is from a Chinese character Shin (辛), which means “spicy.” Shin Ramyun uses red and black packaging with the emphasized calligraphic word “辛”.[3] The meaning of the Chinese character is shown on the background of the package. Nongshim decided to emphasize the Chinese character Shin (辛) for their brand with a belief that a single Chinese character delivers the brand image better than written in Korean. Additionally, the character is the surname of both the founder of Nongshim and his elder brother, who started Lotte.
Ok bam there’s a little snippet of info. Indeed, Shin Ramyun is quite a phenomenon in the instant noodle world. Let’s check out it’s new companion, Shin Ramyun Black.
Nongshim Shin Ramyun Black – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). I think this contains beef. To prepare, add everything into a pot with 550ml boiling water and cook for 4 1/2 minutes. Finall,y stir and enjoy!
The round noodle block.
The powder base.
A lot of powder here.
The sul-long tang powder.
Light and powdery with a pleasant scent.
The vegetables sachet.
A groovy mixture.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, stewed beef and egg. The noodles hydrated very nicely – good thickness and chew – excellent ramyun. The broth is quite good. You have the spicy side and the smooth side – kind of creamy Shin Ramyun with garlic; more savory. The vegetables they include hydrate well. Very good! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code
So I have a new contact named Danny at Nongshim Korea – one of the guys from Happy Souper helped me get a hold of him via email – thanks! Danny was kind enough to send along these new Mr. Bibim varieties. They’re dry noodles with a liquid base and kimchi included. Here’s a little about kimchi from wikipedia –
The origin of kimchi dates back at least to the early period of the Three Kingdoms (37 BCE‒7 CE).[19] Fermented foods were widely available, as the Records of the Three Kingdoms, a Chinese historical text published in 289 AD, mentions that “The Goguryeo people [referring to the Korean people] are skilled in making fermented foods such as wine, soybean paste and salted and fermented fish” in the section named Dongyi in the Book of Wei.[20][21]Samguk Sagi, a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, also mentions the pickle jar used to ferment vegetables, which indicates that fermented vegetables were commonly eaten during this time.[20][22]
Pickled radish slices make a good summer side-dish, Radish preserved in salt is a winter side-dish from start to end. The roots in the earth grow plumper everyday, Harvesting after the frost, a slice cut by a knife tastes like a pear.
— Yi Gyubo, Dongguk isanggukjip (translated by Michael J. Pettid, in Korean cuisine: An Illustrated History)
However, early records of kimchi do not mention garlic or chili peppers.[25] Kimchi was not red until the late 16th century, when chili peppers were introduced to Korea by Portuguese traders based in Nagasaki, Japan.[25][26][27] The first mention of chili pepper is found in Jibong yuseol, an encyclopedia published in 1614.[20][28]Sallim gyeongje, a 17‒18th century book on farm management, wrote on kimchi with chili peppers.[20][29] However, it was not until the 19th century that the use of chili peppers in kimchi was widespread.[30] The recipes from early 19th century closely resemble today’s kimchi.[31][32]
A 1766 book, Jeungbo sallim gyeongje, reports kimchi varieties made with myriad of ingredients, including chonggak-kimchi (kimchi made with chonggak raddish), oi-sobagi (with cucumber), seokbak-ji (with jogi-jeot), and dongchimi.[20][33] However, napa cabbage was only introduced to Korea at the end of 19th century,[30] and whole-cabbage kimchi similar to its current form is described in Siuijeonseo, a cookbook published around that time.[34]
Mr. Bibim seems to be a kind of play on the popular bibimbap dish. If I’m correct, bibim means ‘mixed’ but I could be wrong. Let’s go ahead and learn a little about Mr. Bibim!
Nongshim Mr. Bibim Stir Fried Kimchi Flavour – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, add noodle block and vegetables sachet to 500ml boiling water and cook for 2.5 minutes. Drain noodles. Add in liquid base. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The liquid base sachet.
Has a kimchi scent.
The vegetables sachet.
Kimchi!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles came up just a hint al dente – probably due to the shorter cook time. This however worked quite well. The saucer coated all surfaces very well. It was indeed a kimchi flavored affair with a wallop of heat not for the faint of heart. The included kimchi was of good quality and quite nice. 4.25 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146038930.
Hot and spicy Korean fried chicken. Hmm – where have I heard that before? Well, I definitely like the real thing that I’ve had in the past – K-fried chicken is really the bomb – especially the spicy – and if you get a chance to try it you’ll be pretty happy about it I think.
They kind of twice-fry it and then add all this tasty stuff. We used to go to a place where you could get it either with or without bones and they’d give you a ton of it. We’d get the honey garlic one they made and it was extremely good. They also had cream cheese topokki with crab and garlic… Wish they hadn’t gone out of business – should have been there forever really but I guess not enough people found out about it.
Well, let’s give this one a try – sounds tasty!
Nongshim Mr. Bibim Korean Spicy Chicken Flavour – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add noodles to 600ml boiling water and cook for 2 1/2 minutes. Drain. Add in sauce and flake sachet contents. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The sauce sachet.
Lots of liquid.
The flake sachet.
Crunchy little bits.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added spring onion and Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts. The noodles came out nicely – only 2.5 minutes to cook – not bad. The flavor was a spicy and sweet kind of topokki sauce almost – really actually reminded me a little of the Korean fried chicken I’ve had before. The included crunchy bits on top were a very nice touch. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146039036.
I have long recognized this package – except this one has a twist! These have no broth. Here’s a little from Wikipedia about Neoguri –
Neoguri (Korean: 너구리 lit. Raccoon dog) is a brand of ramyeon produced by Nongshim in South Korea since 1982.[citation needed] It is exported to over 80 different countries,[1] and is the fourth highest selling brand of noodles in South Korea.[2] It is well known for its thick noodles and its spicy seafood flavour. The Korean version has a big piece of kombu, while the U.S. version doesn’t have a piece of seaweed in it.
I’m experiencing a little confusion about that mention of kombu. I’ve had many packs of Neogurio throughout the years and many I’ve found here in the United Styates have indeed had the kombu in there. So maybe this is a bit off. I remember my teachers in college would never let me use Wikipedia for citations. Well, hopefully it’s correct but I don’t think so… I really like seafood flavors and this should be really nice from what I’m seeing here. I guess we will find out! Let’s have a look!
Nongshim Neoguri Stir-Fry Noodles Spicy Seafood – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains fish and crustacea. To prepare, add noodles and flake sachet content to 600ml boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, saving 5 tablespoons (75ml) water. Return to stove and add in remaining sachets. Cook on high for 30 seconds. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
Smells spicy!
An oil sachet.
Deep orange.
The flake sachet.
Wow – Neoguri fishcake in the mix!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, carved squid, 31-44ct shrimp and spring onion. The noodles are excellent – plump and juicy while keeping a nice chewiness. The flavor is undeniably Neoguri and to be honest, I love this – I think it’s better than the broth version. Spicy and tasty! Lots of seafood taste going on and the little raccoon pics on the fishcake are a great touch along with all the meaty little bits that are omnipresent as well as the kombu. This is where it’s at! 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146039678.
Here’s another one I found up in Canada in July of 2017. So this one isn’t made in South Korea or the United States – it’s made in China. A lot of Nogshim varieties up in Canada hail from mainland China which I discovered a few years back. I’m pretty sure I’ve reviewed a potato pork version that I got up in Canada before that was a Nongshim China product, but I know it didn’t look like this one. Anyways, let’s see how this is – bring on the noodles!
Nongshim KamjaTangMyun Potato Pork Flavor – China
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, add package contents to 550ml boiling water and cook 4~5 minutes. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The powder base sachet.
A little mountain of powder.
The vegetable sachet.
Looks like spring onion and potato.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, pork, spring onion and chilli flake. The noodles are nice and thick ramyun with a soft chew. The broth has a nice rich pork kind of taste to it- not really spicy but very delicious. The included vegetables are on point. 4.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6920238087014.
I picked this one up on a recent trip to Canada. Ok, so you might be wondering about this one. It’s made in Shanghai, China. Nongshim has factories all over the place and I’ve found that the different factories have slight variances in flavors. In the USA, this product would probably be coming from their Nongshim America factory in California. Hop the border though and most of the products up there come from China. It’s funny because they also have ones from the United States there as well. Anyways, Kimchi time! Let’s check it out.
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains fish. To prepare, add sachet contents and boiling water to fill line. Cover for 4 minutes. Finally,m stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added processed cheese, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, Busan fish cake, and spring onion. The noodles came out with the slightest tinge of sponginess. The broth has a nice kimchi taste and reminds me that it’s definitely from China; its flavor profile leans in that direction I think. Bit of kimchi are prevalent and of decent quality. A well-rounded variety. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 6920238083023.
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had a version of Neoguri to review. Actually, wait – not that extremely long – they came out with the Neoguri dry stir noodle one recently. So this is one I got up in Canada a couple of months ago.
So Neoguri is a Korean style spicy noodle soup – reddish broth, seaweed, you know the drill. I definitely like the Korean seafood varieties because they are spicy and generally do have a good seafood hit to them. Alright – let’s delve. As this is one from Canada, usually they’re coming from China, but this one is made in Rancho Cucamonga at Nongshim America. Here we go!
Nongshim Neoguri Spicy Seafood Flavor Noodle Soup – United States
Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains fish and shellfish. To prepare, Add sachet content and boiling water to the line and cover for 4 minutes. Alternatively, you can add room temp water and sachet contents and microwave for 4 minutes. Either way, stir and enjoy!
Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, narutomaki, Busan fishcake, spring onion and Colby-Jack cheese. The noodles came out very, very well (I followed the microwave instructions). They had a great chew to them and were of a thick gauge. The broth had a very good spicy seafood taste to it I really liked – more than the other versions of Neoguri I’ve had to date. The amount of broth seemed very minimal using the microwave directions. Seaweed was ubiquitous and welcome. Reminded me of my childhood days on the beach nearby our house. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146035755.
Kicking off Top Ten List season, I bring you the South Korean Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time for 2018. I looked at how many varieties from South Korea I’ve reviewed to date and got 326 so far. South Korean varieties continue to evolve and innovate in different ways in order to satisfy the changing needs and tastes of the consumer – definitely keeps things interesting. As always, I ask any companies, whether in South Korea or elsewhere – that would like me to review their products to send me an email! I am happy to talk to you! Without further delay, let’s have a look at the Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles list for 2018 – the best South Korean varieties available out of the over 360 South Korean varieties from the over 2,500 varieties of instant noodles I’ve reviewed thus far.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodle Of All Time 2018 Edition
Video Presentation
A video presentation of the Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2018 Edition.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodle Of All Time 2018 Edition
#10: Nongshim Shin Ramyun Black
When Shin Ramyun Black came onto the scene a few years back it was a huge hit and still is. An upgraded version of their popular shin Ramyun, it includes a sachet of Sul-Long-Tang soup base which gives an extra heartiness to the broth. Thick ramyun noodles and a spicy bite round out the scene. It took me some time to get a pack made in South Korea, a requirement of this this. Original review
#9: Paldo Cheese Noodle
Paldo’s Cheese Noodle has been on the list for awhile now and with good reason. The way the cheese intermingles with the red spicy broth is amazingly good. The noodles are nice and thick ramyun and there’s a large quantity of them. Definitely one that everyone should try – and now there’s a spicier version on the market. Original review
Nongshim Champong is a spicy seafood noodle soup. It combines what you are used to with the beefiness of a standard Korean ramyun but replaces the beef with seafood flavor. This more ‘of the sea’ variety works very well with the chewy ramyun noodle. It’s kind of like a seafood stew to be honest. Excellent when paired with seafood. Original review
New to the market is Nongshim’s Neoguri Stir-Fry Noodles. Neoguri Spicy Seafood Soup is a long time favorite of many and now it’s been converted in this new version as a dry noodle, sans broth. To be honest, I like this much better – not only does it have the great flavor of Neoguri, it’s got a plethora of garnish included – featuring little pieces of fishcake with the raccoon mascot on them. Original review
#6: Paldo Rabokki Noodle
To understand Paldo’s Rabokki Noodle, you have to understand tteokbokki. It’s also spelled topokki – but however you spell it, tteokbokki are thick cylindrical rice tubes that have a nice chewiness to them. They’re often paired with a thick red sauce which is spicy as well as sweet and served with fishcake, egg and other garnish. These noodles are paired with the sauce in a very tasty representation and crossover of the dish. Original review
#5: Nongshin Chal Bibim Myun
Nongshim’s Chal Bibim Myun is a cold noodle which is great anytime, but especially during the summer months. A kind of sweet and spicy sauce coats the noodles and is also refreshing at the same time. Pairs very well with fresh cucumber and hard boiled egg. Original review
#4: Ottogi Jin Jjambbong Spicy Seafood Ramyun
Ottogi’s Jin series added a couple of new varieties recently, and this is my favorite of the two. During a recent trip to Taipei, I went to a restaurant called Love Instant Noodles where they doll up packs of instant noodles and serve them piping hot. This is the one I chose from their selection. Jjambbong is a kind of spicy stew and this one has a nice kind of grilled flavor to it, alongside the popular broader ramyun currently spreading around – great stuff! Original review
#3: Paldo Budae Jjigae
Here we have last year’s #1 on this list and it is also on the annual The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 annual list. So, what’s Budae Jjigae? Well, take donated rations from US soldiers from the Korean War and mix them with the local South Korean cuisine. This interesting fusion works so well including tastes from both cultures. Original review
#2: Ottogi Budae Jjigae Ramen
Ottogi also has a Budae Jjigae – and it’s my favorite of the varieties to spring onto the market in the last couple years. With bits of processed meats and other niceties, it combines with South Korean flavors into a crescendo of tasty goodness. Budae Jjigae translates to ‘troop stew’ or army stew’ as it originated from donated rations from US forces during the Korean War. Original review
#1: Samyang Foods Paegaejang Ramen
The number one this is year is Samyang Foods Pagaejang. This is a very tasty beef noodle with strong flavor – a hearty broth and rich taste. The noodles are just perfect for me – a nice light outer edge and chewier insides. Definitely one to try and I hope it comes to the United States for all here to sample. Original review
Being a superfan of all things instant noodle, I have newsfeeds I check daily on my phone pertaining to them. I saw an article about Nongshim’s Jjawang in the Korea Times New York edition. It mentioned with it’s release, jjajang variants are flying off the shelves in NY and NJ. I figured hey – I better find this stuff!
I had an idea where to look. In Lynnwood, WA, there’s a store called G Mart. They usually have a Nongshim promo at the front and sure enough, they did. We also had my friend Paul S. over last night and he brought some Heaven Sent fried chicken. I had bought some Nongshim Waffle snacks (they taste like maple syrup and crunchy waffle) and they went together well. Now, what’s jjajang? Here’s something from wikipedia:
Jajangmyeon (자장면; 짜장면; jjajangmyeon), a Korean Chinese cuisine, is a noodle dish topped with a thick sauce made of chunjang (a salty black soybean paste when unheated), diced pork and vegetables, and sometimes also seafood. Jajang (alternately spelled jjajang), the name of the sauce when heated, is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese characters 炸醬, which literally means “fried sauce.” Myeon (also spelledmyun) means “noodle”, which is represented by the Chinese character 麵.
The dish originated from zhajiangmian (炸醬麵, literally “fried sauce noodles”) in China’s Shandong region. [1] Zhajiangmian was adapted in Korea to fit the Korean taste. The start of jajangmyeon can be traced back to theJoseon Dynasty. When the Joseon opened the Incheon port, many Chinese people from the Shandong region moved to a town in Incheon, which is now known as Incheon China Town.[2] These people created Chinese restaurants and adapted the traditional Shandong food zhajiangmian in a way that Korean people could enjoy. It is rumored that in 1905 a Chinese restaurant named Gonghwacheun (공화춘), created jajangmyeon. However, it turned out that Gonghwacheun was the first registered business.[3] At this time jajangmyeon was a cheap dish that the worker class enjoyed and was more similar to Shandong region’s zhajiangmian than the current day Korean jajamyeon. After the Korean War, Korean chunjang was invented. With Korean chunjang, caramel was added to give it a sweet taste. After this jajangmyeon became a completely different food from zhajiangmian.[4] The pronunciation of the dish’s name is nearly identical to that of its Korean counterpart. But Korean jajangmyeon differs from Chinese zhajiangmian, as Korean jjajangmyeon uses black Korean chunjangincluding caramel, and onions.[citation needed]
Alright – with your education complete, let’s check out this new Nongshim Zha Wang!
Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge). Contains shrimp. To prepare, add noodle and flake sachet to 600ml boiling water and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, As it cooks, make the sauce by adding 3 tablespoons of water (45ml) and stirring. Drain noodles. Add in the contents of the oil sachet. Add prepared sauce and combine thoroughly. Enjoy!
Broad, flat noodles. There are little specks of kelp powder in them.
The sauce powder sachet.
Has a nice black bean scent.
The vegetable flake sachet.
A nice mixture of vegetables.
An oil sachet.
Vegetable oil.
Finished. The noodles are out of this world – soft and chewy, with a nice width and thickness – very hearty. The sauce coats everything and there’s more than enough of it. It has a rich black bean flavor augmented with peas, cabbage and other veggies. This is the best jjajang I’ve ever tried. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146033324.
South Korea has the highest per person consumption of instant noodles in the world. It’s not a surprise that their instant noodle are quite good – usually the noodles (known as ramyun) are thicker and accompanied by a spicy broth. These are my very favorite varieties of South Korean instant noodles – hope you enjoy!
#10: Paldo Kko Kko Myun
This one is like a bowl of candy to me. We start with nice quality noodles, and then the broth takes over. The broth has a kind of chicken and jalapeno flavor to it. The flavors play off of each other quite nicely and deliver both a strong bite as well as a mellow comfort food flavor in one bowl. The vegetable packet includes little chicken pieces. Original review
#9: Paldo Jjamppong Seafood Noodle King Bowl
Thick and chewy ramyun noodles are augmented by a broth with a good consistency – a little thickness was very good. Also a slightly sweet, seafood and spicy flavor to it I thoroughly enjoyed. Original review here
#8: Samyang Foods Red Nagasaki Jjampong
The noodles are perfect – what I like to find in ramyun! Thick and chewy. The broth is amazing – an excellent level of heat balanced with a respectable amount of seafood flavor. The added vegetable pieces hydrated quite well. Top notch! Original review
#7: Paldo King Bowl Super Spicy Pan Stirfried Noodle
The noodles are of a good ramyun gauge – lots of them as well. The flavor is a kind of seafood and spicy thing and there’s a sweetness going on as well. The supplied vegetables did great – this was an amazingly good stir noodle! Original review
#6: Nongshim Soon Veggie Noodle Soup
This is the first instant noodle on the top ten to be marketed towards vegetarians. What surprised me about it was the broth had such a full flavor to it; deep and satisfying. The noodles are slightly larger in gauge than your run of the mill instant, which is common of South Korean ‘ramyun.’ Magnificent stuff! Original review
#5: Nongshim Zha Wang (Jjawang) Noodles With Chajang Sauce
The noodles are out of this world – soft and chewy, with a nice width and thickness – very hearty. The sauce coats everything and there’s more than enough of it. It has a rich black bean flavor augmented with peas, cabbage and other veggies. This is the best jjajang I’ve ever tried. Original review
#4: Paldo Cheese Noodle
These noodles – wow. I think the best addition to South Korean ramyun has to be cheese. Well, not only is cheese included here but it’s got just the perfect notes of spiciness and strong, rich flavor. The little guy with the sign that says cheese noodle rocks as well. Original review
#3: Paldo Rabokki Noodle
The noodles plumped up just perfectly – thick and a good chew. The broth is more of a sauce and it’s very rich – spicy and sweet – like an adult version of Spaghetti-O’s which I find delectable. Original review
#2: Nongshim Jinjja Jinjja
The noodles are very good – nice thick ramyun. The broth has a seriously spicy kick to it and a very peanut aroma with pork notes. The vegetables hydrated very well. Back with a vengeance! Original review
#1: ChoripDong Hurricane Rice Cake
It’s red. It’s got a thick spicy and sweet sauce. It’s got ramyun. It’s got topokki. This was a real find – Just looking at the picture makes me want some right this instant. The most wonderful big bowl of noodles I’ve ever had. Original review here
There are a few different iterations of this one – I reviewed one a long time ago and I think I liked it, and then they came out with a newly packaged version that I never ended up trying. Now in it’s (at least) third set of clothes, I think it’s definitely time for a new review. If you take a look at the package from the old review, you’ll notice the nutrition facts are indeed different – a definite mark of being a different recipe. Let’s dig in!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains beef. To prepare, add package contents to 500ml boiling water and cook 4-5 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The soup base sachet.
Has that red color ramyun usually has with a tangy scent.
The vegetables sachet.
Looks like a little more kimchi than anything else in the mixture – the old one was more of a mix of things.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added beef for Korean BBQ, Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion and egg. The noodles are just right – perfect thick and chewiness of ramyun. The broth has a nice spicy red ramyun hit and a nice piquantness from the myriad bits of kimchi in the mix. 4.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146181018.
Found this one at Uwajimaya the other day. We thought it sounded interesting – a fettucine alfredo made in South Korea? Hey – why not. I thought the idea of it being made with rice noodles was enthralling as well. Let’s have a look!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but checkfor yourself. To prepare, add noodle block and vegetables sachet to 310ml boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. AQdd in contents of powder sachet and stir. Let sit for 1 minutes. Stir and enjoy!
The rice noodle block.
The powder sauce sachet.
A lot of powder.
The vegetables sachet.
Lots of peas and nice sized slices of mushroom.
Finished (click to enlarge). Added baked chicken. The noodles came out pretty well, with a broad and flat character. They were chewier than expected. The sauce was thinner than expected and there was a lot of it. I think less water would have worked a little better. The flavor was very good, although could have been stronger. The vegetables were exceptionally good. 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146033355.
Here’s one I’ve been curious about. Looks like South Korean take on rice noodle spaghetti perhaps? It certainly looks tasty… Hmm! Let’s check it out!
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Contains beef. To prepare, add noodles and contents of vegetables sachet to 310ml boiling water in an 8 inch skillet and cook for 4 minutes. Add in remaining sachet contents. Stir and enjoy!
Rice noodles – this is a gluten free pack!
The sauce base.
Has a nice red sauce scent to it.
The vegetables sachet.
Looks like maybe tomato and cabbage?
An oil sachet.
Vegetables soil.
Finished (click to enlarge). The rice noodles came out very nicely – thick and with just the right amount of chewiness. The sauce was extremely good – very nice tomato taste with a nice spiciness to it – seemed almost like a kimchi spaghetti sauce! The vegetables were ample and worked well. I’m very impressed with this – definitely look for this one. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146033300.
