Here we are again with the Fire Noodle Challenge. This is the Samyang Foods Mala Buldak Bokkeummyun. So, all over YouTube, people are wincing and screaming as they choke down packs of Mala – why? Well, for some reason, they are under the impression that it’s 4x spicy. Don’t get me wrong – it’s quite spicy – it’ll kick your butt. But it is a far cry from the 2x Spicy Nuclear Fire Noodle, that’s for sure.
Here’s my full dissertation of what’s going on here. It’s funny – all of this and even talking to the company and I got this comment on YouTube today – ‘t’s not a same thing man.. they have the mala flavor with 4x spiciness written on the packages. But not every mala flavor has 4x spiciness. I think you are trying the regular one’ – yeah… So all I could find as far as a pack saying 4x was a picture of a pack with a 2 changed to a 4 in Photoshop – and you could even see the 2 underneath still… Amateurs. Anyways, here’s an article touting my claim as well. In the video above you can see that there’s a snippet of a communication with Samyang Foods as well. So yeah sorry YouTube – there’s no 4x spicy fire noodle. Quite honestly, I hope there will be sometime – I hope it’s in a green package too! I mean, they’ve done almost every other color. Maybe a 4x spicy green onion flavor? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see!
It’s that time of year again! Actually, this is the first time the list is coming out in July although at the tail end of July. I usually have the lists come out on the Monday closest to the date it came out the prior year. So this list is a compilation of absolutely hottest and spiciest varieties I’ve had out of the 2,500+ varieties I’ve tried thus far. Something you think belongs on this spiciest of lists? Let me know – I’ll give it a try. Let’s get started!
Note – on the day of posting I remember that there was one variety that should be in this list. I’ve given it an ‘honorable mention’ at the bottom, so don’t forget to give that a look. It will most certainly appear in next year’s list in a position on the list as it is quite spicy and truly should get it’s little place in The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time. My apologies.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition
A video presentation of The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2017 Edition.
#10: MyKuali Penang White Curry Noodle – Malaysia
MyKuali’s new recipe added a big punch of heat to their already amazing and groundbreaking Penang White Curry Noodle. Thick almost saucelike broth fires up the palate and includes a generous amount of garlic this time. Original review
#9: Maggi Hot Heads Green Chilli Noodles – India
One of the most recent ones I’ve tried. I was on the fence about including it to be honest, however it definitely does belong. A strong spiciness from a serious green chilli flavor. Definitely the hottest variety I’ve tried from India. Original review
#8: CarJEN Hot & Spicy Dry Curry With Chives Soup – Malaysia
This is one not only spicy but unique. Not only does it have a brothless noodle, it has a sachet you mix with boiling water to make a soup that is served alongside. I’ve seen this done multiple times in Taiwanese variants but never from Malaysia – good show! Original review
#7: Mi E-Zee Perisa Kari Mi Segera – Malaysia
After mentioning I thought it could be improved by making it spicier, they did. They include a sachet of very hot chilli pepper flake – a pretty decently sized one that if you use, you will definitely be feeling the burn. Original review
#6: Samyang Foods Mala Buldak Bokkeummyun – South Korea
The newest variety of the Buldak Bokkeummyun series, this one features Sichuan pepper. It provides a kind of buzzing, numbing effect which is different. Lots of good garnish such as well sized mushroom pieces in here. Original review
#5: Paldo Teumsae Ramyun – South Korea
On the list for four years now! Another South Korean ramyun with serious kick to it. This isn’t to be trifled with! Teumsae has restaurants in South Korea which serve up some seriously spicy fare. I really like the text underneath the word Teumsae which reads, ‘Flavor. Culture. Human’ Original review here
#4: Paldo Bulnak Bokkummyun Spicy Fried Octopus Ramyun – South Korea
After many, many people complaining that I had the order hot and that this should be behind the #3, I decided to give it another try. You were right – totally concede that. However, this is definitely a fiery hot plate of noodles with a nice flavor. Original review
#3: Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyeon – South Korea
The bowl version of this is what is commonly used in the Fire Noodle Challenge. This stuff will really clean your clock – the initial taste is very sweet and savory and then bam. Indeed a crescendo of flame hits you palate like sucking on a charcoal briquet. Original review
#2: emart Dare You! Habanero Ramyun – South Korea
The current packaging for this one has changed yet again. So now it features the name ‘Super Junior’ which is a reference to a Korean pop music act. Definitely need to try that – but at this point, this is definitely worth of the second spot. The broth is violently spicy – coats your tongue is heat and fire. Original review
#1: Samyang Foods 2x Spicy Hek Buldak Bokkeummyun – South Korea
There is no doubt in my mind that there’s nothing hotter than this one out there – as far as they go, this is the spiciest of the spiciest – at least that I’ve tried. This is a real burner and definitely takes my breath away. Therefore, I would say that if you aren’t comfortable with spicy foods, this will grab you, throw you on the ground and have it’s way with you. Consider this a warning in big red capital letters!! The heat will linger long after the plate is clean – if you can get that far! Original review
I would like to mention that I have made a special ‘Definitive Guide’ and video focusing on the Samyang Food Buldak Bokkeummyun series – you can see it here.
Honorable Mention – Paldo Volcano Curry Kkokkomyun – South Korea
As soon as I got everything ready to post this morning, I realized one that I’d reviewed wasn’t in the list – this one. It definitely belong in this list and so since redoing this whole list would take hours of work, I decided to give it the Honorable Mention position. It will most definitely be in next year’s list, If it were on the list this year, it would be in 9th place. Indeed it is a very hot curry that will blow your mind and should appear in the top ten. My apologies. Original review
Got an email from Samyang Foods asking to verify my address for a shipment of samples a week or so ago! Today the box arrived in all it’s glory! Wonder what’s inside? Let’s see!
2x Spicy Buldak Bokkeummyun Cups & More From Samyang Foods – South Korea
A sheet (click to enlarge) with a QR code to help cook this new product from Samyang Foods!
It’s Hochi (click to enlarge) – Hochi is the mascot of the ultra spicy Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkeummyun series! These are little plush heads with a hook – or you can put on your window with a suction cup!
Hey – some snacks (click to enlarge)! Pretzels and crunchy snacks! My son Miles really approves of the caramel pretzels – they’re like regular little pretzels but have a caramel flavored powder coating which is really quite tasty! They al;so come in wasabi (gonna see if he’ll give those a try – he likes it really spicy and he’s only 21 months old – that’s my boy!) and cheese. Below are crunchy hollow tube snacks – It looks like the ones on the left are honey flavor and the other two say they’re banana. Very eager to try all of these!
Miles kind of figured out I was doing something (click to enlarge). Here’s the new variety from the enclosed sheet from above and a spicy kimchi flavor. Wow these are fresh – born on June 1st and it’s June 6th!
A 2x Spicy Buldak Bokkeummyun bowl (click to enlarge) and two of the spicy Song Kimchi bowls.
Cup versions (click to enlarge) of the 2x spicy and the song kimchi varieties.
Miles was quick to snag (click to enlarge) and start stacking the cups. Stick to the caramel pretzels kiddo – I think you’ll have to wait a year or two to try that 2x spicy! Thank you so much for the samples – really made my day!
2X Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen / 핵불닭볶음면 / Hack/Haek Buldak Bokkueummyun / Launch 2016.1 / SHU 8,808
Alright. Today’s the day. I heard about the double spicy Buldak Bokkeummyun a couple of months ago. After hoping to simply find it at the store with no luck, I received a few of these packs – first, I got one from Anders from South Korea which is a reader who’s sent varieties in the past – thank you! Since I wanted to try these as soon as possible, I (for the first time) ordered some from an eBay seller called 1theKorea – they’ve got all sorts of neat South Korean varieties, and lots of the spicy ones that aren’t the easiest to find or are unavailable in the USA. I also got a ton of varieties from Samyang Foods – including the bowl versions of this one and the Stew as well as a couple snack variants.
The original version is hot. Extremely hot. It’s in third place on my annual Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time for the past 2 or 3 years now. If this is truly as hot as it purports to be, it’ll be number one. I’ve been told about it’s voracious heat and seen videos of people who have tried it. I’m proud to say I’ll be joined by my son Andy – he’s eleven years old and has agreed to try a decent bite of the stuff. I’ll do a video of this event that you can see at the bottom. Indeed, the hour is nigh and we now try Haek Buldak Bokkeummyun.
Samyang Foods Haek Buldak Bokkeummyun – South Korea
Here’s the back of the package (click to enlarge). Looks to be meat free but check for yourself. To prepare, Cook the noodles in 600ml boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, saving a 120ml of the liquid. Add in liquid sachet and return to the stove and stir. Let sizzle for 30 second. Add garnish. Finally, stir and enjoy!
The noodle block.
The liquid base sachet.
The fire! So when I opened the sachet and poured the liquid into this little soju cup, I got a little on my fingers. Tasting it was a look at things to come. My lips burnt for about a half an hour! Indeed, I ran to wash my hands! Can’t have that kind of fire on my fingers – rubbing an eye is one thing, but we have a 2 month old and an 18 month old here – not looking for more meltdowns!
The garnish sachet.
The garnish appears to consist of sesame seeds and bits of seaweed.
Finished (click to enlarge). Alright so here we go. The noodles are just awesome – thick and chewy – super thick ramyun with a nice mouthfeel. Now, the flavor speaking of the feeling in my mouth… FIRE! I mean really this is seriously painful stuff. It is not something to give a person who can’t handle heat (although I was quite impressed my 11 year old Andy was able to cope with it although it took a few tortilla chips and 3 peanut butter cups to put out the fire). My take one the experience is that anyone could eat as much of it as they wanted; as long as they don’t stop. You are greeted warmly (no pun intended) by a nice sweet kind of flavor at the outset. If you continue to scarf down the noodles, it continues this way. Until you stop. Once you stop, the fire begins. The heat builds to a crescendo I can only liken to putting one’s tongue on a hot stove. Truly this is the hottest I’ve had yet. Haek Buldak Bokkeummyun, you win! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8801073113435.
Buldak Bokkeummyun is the Korean name for what people all over the world have been enduring in the Fire Noodle Challenge. It’s a seriously spicy variety – #3 on my Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2016 Edition. Well, they’ve come out with a spicier version that’s supposed to be just amazing. I contacted them and they sent me some along with other varieties – let’s check it out!
Samyang Foods Sends 2x Fire Noodle & Others – South Korea
I have the pack versions of these, but didn’t know about the bowls (click to enlarge)! The Stew version on the left and the 2x Spicy bowl on the right.
They also have come out with snack varieties (click to enlarge)! A ‘crsuh noodle’ on the left and a tubular zzaldduck one on the right – both spicy!
Here are some of their myriad varieties (click to enlarge) – None of which I’ve reviewed as of yet!
I was hoping for this (click to enlarge)! Samyang Ramen, their first product in the current look (on the right) and the classic version on the left. Unsure if there’s a difference – will be happy to find out!
Finally (click to enlarge), a couple posters! Already got them laminated by the time of this post. Thank you very much!
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