Category: South Korea

#4280: Sempio Korean Spicy Noodle Soup – South Korea

#4280: Sempio Korean Spicy Noodle Soup - South Korea

You know, I can’t find anything anywhere about this one and what it’s actually called; I’m guess it’s an apt title, and the label looks to be an import label from the actual company itself. However, I bet the name is different. I bet. A dollar. I have a dollar. I’d have to open the piggy bank to get the cash out, but I’m good for a buck. It’s definitely a rice noodle as opposed to a wheat noodle – and I’m guessing that would be mentioned on the packaging. I looked further on the Sempio website – ...see full post

#4275: Ollebadang Jeju Red-Banded Lobster Cup Ramen – South Korea

#4275: Ollebadang Jeju Red-Banded Lobster Cup Ramen - South Korea

It took a little finagling to wrap my head around this one – insofar as translation. Bar code was a no-go and the only English text referred to the caloric content and not much else. But what helped was that phone number with the 070 prefix. Boom! They were even kind enough to have an English version of their website. So, let’s check out this South Korean variety! ...see full post

Exotic Pizza Party! Indomie Pizza! Bibim Men Pizza!

Exotic Pizza Party! Indomie Pizza! Bibim Men Pizza!

Welcome to my newest installment of my experimentation with instant noodles and breads/pizza dough! This one was a real win IMHO – both came out exceedingly well! First, I made an Indomie pie which presented some questions – how do I make the sauce? Butter. How about a cold pizza with Paldo Bibim Men? Never baked a pizza that would be refrigerated before serving. It’s summer and really hot here right now. Cold sounds good. I’ll give you the recipes for both which are pretty simple. Let’s hit it! ...see full post

Stuffed Shin Black Bread!

I know you’re wondering ‘why does he do these things?’ I pose the opposite question – ‘why don’t you do these things?’ I’ll be honest – I’m playing with food. It’s something different to try. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but I’m finding many times it does work and it works pretty well! Let’s make some stuffed bread with a popular variety! ...see full post

Shin Ramyun & MyKuali Tom Yum Pizzas!

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but here we are. It’s pizza time. I could go into detail to start with, but let me just say – this pizza is wonderful and I’ll tell you how to make it. Probably the best bready thing I’ve ever made. Before we start, let me say this also – if you’re looking for a pizza crust from instant noodles, you will not find that here. What I’ve found is that instant noodles are best as is and not screwed around with too much. A filling for bread, but not part of the dough.  Let’s begin. ...see full post

#4128: Paldo Teumsae Cheese Tteokbokki – South Korea

#4128: Paldo Teumsae Cheese Tteokbokki - South Korea

Here’s one from James in Lakeside, CA – thanks again! Wow – this looks burly. I had to read around to verify cooking instructions and they aren’t hard to cook – just wanted to do it right. This will be my first mukbang I’ve done in ages – not only that, I’ve been hardcore on diet and exercise lately, so not only will it be spicy, it’s going to be a gut buster. Egad. Let’s give it a shot! ...see full post

The Definitive Guide To Nongshim Shin Ramyun Noodles

The Definitive Guide To Nongshim Shin Ramyun Noodles

Definitive Guide Series – Maruchan Ramen Noodle SoupSamyang Buldak * Nongshim Shin Ramyun * Indomie Mi Goreng
UPDATE 3/15/2023 – Added Shin Vegan cup
UPDATE 3/12/2023 – Added section referring to new Shin Gold and Shin Green US variants.

Back in 1986, a South Korean company called Nongshim 농심 (which translates to Farmer’s Heart), introduced a product called Shin Ramyun. Since then it has been one of the most popular varieties around the world. In this post, I’ll do a deep dive into the product – a tear down of the package and it’s contents, my tips of preparation, and some things you might not know about it. While not my favorite variety I’ve tried, chances are it may be yours. I run a group called Ramen Junkies on Facebook and the topic and focus of the bulk of posts on there surround this product. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2022 Edition

The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2022 Edition

One thing I’ve noticed – spicy is in. This list tends to be the most popular on my website The Ramen Rater every single day. People just want to get all the spicy they can get. Why is that? Spicy is intense. Spicy compliments flavor. Spicy will knock you on your butt. The challenge and chase for the endorphin rush that ultra spicy things give people is extremely tempting for many. These are the spiciest varieties I’ve had the opportunity to sample as of my 3,950th review. Ready to burn? Let’s get to The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2022 Edition. ...see full post

#4010: Yopokki Cheese Rapokki – South Korea

#4010: Yopokki Cheese Rapokki - South Korea

I’ve seen a lot of these Yopokki variants lately and this one definitely piqued my interest and my wife loves tteokbokki and cheese – and then there’s ramen in there too! It’s a win, win, win! Found this at Asian Family Market on Aurora and 130th in North Seattle – rad store – go check it out! Let’s crack this big pack open and see what dwells within! ...see full post

#4006: Delling Korean Style Yukgaejang Ramen – South Korea

#4006: Delling Korean Style Yukgaejang Ramen - South Korea

Yesterday we found ourselves in Bellevue and about to go home, Kit asked me if there was anywhere we should go over there before we left. I looked to see if there were any Asian grocery stores I’d not been to and found a few, but one had a name that stood out. S-Mart. Yeah – if you’re familiar with the film ‘Army Of Darkness,’ you know why this piqued my curiosity. It seemed that Korean grocery stores usually have a letter followed by the word Mart. It was only a matter of time; we have an HMart nearby, and a GMart (formerly KS Mart), and there’s more of them. Well, we decided to shop smart and shop S-Mart. That’s where I found this one – something I’ve never seen before. It always floors me – I’ve been to tons of Asian grocery stores in this area and then whammo – one that has a variety I’ve never seen around here. In fact, I found a few of them. Let’s give it a try! ...see full post

#3967: Paldo Namja (Men’s) Ramen – South Korea

#3967: Paldo Namja (Men's) Ramen - South Korea

Wow – it’s been forever since I had this one, so it’s getting a fresh and new review today. Namja mean’s it’s for men in Korean – sorry ladies! I dunno though, it could be an ingenious marketing ploy – tell women it’s not for them, they might just go and eat copious amounts of it to prove that they can handle the heat and garlic. What’s interesting is that I would say when it comes to gender specific ramen, I would say I’ve seen more that are purposefully geared towards women. Anyways, let’s check this one out! ...see full post

Buldak Corn Spicy Ramen Bread! #ramenbread

Yeah, after the last attempt at making bread out of South Korean instant noodles, I needed to explore further. Today, I’m going to infuse a loaf with a block of instant noodles, a can of corn, and chicken, and a wallop of sesame seeds! One thing to note – in the video I mention the dates this one will release on YouTube – I made a mistake. It’ll release on September 20th, and it will also release on December 24th – I thought it would on September 23rd. So, that was a mistake. Let’s take a trip down Corn Lane! ...see full post

Samyang Ramen Bread Experiment #ramenbread

I left it to the folks over at the Ramen Junkie Facebook group to pick which #ramenbread would be next for me. I really wanted to do something that incorporated a South Korean variety – last time I tried that though, it was a big fail as I tried to make flour with the noodles. I’ve learned that is definitely NOT the way to go, but using cooked noodles and bread flour in a good mix makes for a nice moist cake and crisp crust.  Well, here it is! Best loaf yet and infused with chashu, cheese, and egg. Let’s see what happens when I try to put a ton of stuff in a little loaf of bread with a big block of ramen in it! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater In South Korean “Top Class” Magazine

The Ramen Rater In South Korean "Top Class" Magazine

I did an interview a month or so ago after being contacted by a journalist in South Korea. I like to do interviews – they’re fun and I always like to see what kind of questions people will ask me. Anyways, when I do one that ends up in print, I always make the stipulation that I would like to get a copy. Well, she sent five of them! Thank you very much – check it out! ...see full post

#3738: O’Taste Habanero Tteokbokki With Noodles – South Korea

#3738: O'Taste Habanero Tteokbokki With Noodles - South Korea

Oh boy, oh boy… I did a big sort of all the noodles I had in my hampers and one thing I found was a huge amount were expired – not just a little, but like expires in 2018 (it’s 2020). Now that my noodle hoard has dwindles (I think I tossed a good 50 packs/cups/bowls), I saw someone else touting this one as a new add to their stash. Well lo and behold, this one made the cut – it expires next week, so I’d better get on it. Not only that, this sounds like a mukbang if I’ve ever heard of one. Let’s do it. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition

Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles

Last year, I was way behind schedule on everything. This year however, it’s going to be the opposite. Last week, I kind of decided to go nuts on Top Ten Lists. I did more than one. I did up SEVEN OF THEM! So that should make 2021 a little better for everyone. I’m calling to all South Korean noodle companies – send me your stuff! I have been hoping to review more stuff from South Korea but it seems to be harder to come by – at least newer varieties as of late. Drop me a line! This list is current as of review #3,702. let’s check out The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition. ...see full post

#3677: Samyang Foods Challenge Buldak Bibimmyun – South Korea

#3677: Samyang Foods Challenge Buldak Bibimmyun - South Korea

A little while back, Samyang Foods produced a variety called Buldak Mini. It was a smaller noodle block, however it clocked in at 12,000 SHU. Since people like to go big or go home, they came out with this – Challenge Buldak. This time it’s a full size noodle block, and it is served cold. Again, this one comes in at 12,000 SHU. They even have a hashtag mentioning this challenge attribute. I decided to give it a go and in the video below, you’ll see I conquered in in just over 3 minutes. Let’s give this one a look! ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition

THIS LIST HAS BEEN SUPERCEDED BY THE RAMEN RATER’S TOP TEN SPICIEST INSTANT NOODLES OF ALL TIME 2022 EDITION. SEE IT HERE.

The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition

I’ve been enjoying spicy instant noodles for years now and these are some pretty lethally spicy ones. Personally, I go for savory over ultra spicy, but I certainly like a challenge and these bring that for sure. Got one you think is hotter but don’t see it here? Drop me a line. Also, check out Instant Noodles – The Ramen Rater group on Facebook – lots of great people in there talking about ramen from all over the world. Well, let’s check out the new The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition! ...see full post