Tag: south korea

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

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

#3880: Han Ramen Noodle Soup – Russian Federation

#3880: Han Ramen Noodle Soup - Russian Federation

Found this one at Evergreen Asian Market up in Everett, Washington. I don’t often make my way that far north for instant noodles but I did find one or two things there (including Chocolatey Tree Stumps). This one is made in the Russian Federation for the US market – even says on the label which I find interesting. Anyways, let’s check this one out! ...see full post

#3875: Nongshim ChapaGuri Jjajang Noodles With Spicy Seafood Flavor – United States

#3875: Nongshim ChapaGuri Jjajang Noodles With Spicy Seafood Flavor - United States

Well look at this! I’ve seen something like this before…

#3875: Nongshim ChapaGuri Jjajang Noodles With Spicy Seafood Flavor - United States

I did a post way back in April of 2013, extolling the virtues of Chapaguri! No clue where I’d heard of it back then – maybe from Nongshim, IDK. I’d long forgotten about it and then I saw this and was like ‘hey – that’s the logo I made!’ It’s a pretty easy conclusion to do something like this from a design perspective and I think it looks nice. If they got the idea from me, I’m honored, but I’m guessing they had the idea of it when it was a popular item back then. Well, let’s see how it tastes! ...see full post

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

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

After one very turbulent year, The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time is back. My mother died, we had an auto accident, the kids missed in-person schooling, and of course the pandemic. It’s been a really rough go but we’re back. Vaccines are rolling out everywhere and hopefully we can all get back together someday son. One thing I’ve found inspiration and enjoyment from during these times is a book I’d been hoping to find was sent to me by a noodle company exec called Momofuku Ando Speaks. It’s a book of quotes (kind of like the Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition if you’re a Star Trek fan) by the inventor of the instant noodle. I’ve been reading one on my show Instant Noodle Recipe Time every day – a lot of fun and a very interesting perspective. Little things like that have been really important as of late. Today, I’m proud to announce the show hits its 1000th episode! ...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

#3658: Samyang Foods Buldak HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen Tomato Pasta – South Korea

#3659: Samyang Foods Buldak HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen Tomato Pasta - South Korea

Well, here’s the first of a whole slew of new Buldak varieties. If you’ve never seen or heard about this range (you’ve probably been under a rock), just know these are probably the most popular spicy range of products around when it comes to noodles. They came out with a Christmas themes variety – meat spaghetti. I’m wondering if this one will be similar? Let’s find out. ...see full post

#3637: Samyang Foods Buldak 3x Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen – South Korea

#3676: Samyang Foods Buldak 3x Spicy HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen - South Korea

Well, well, well. Here we are yet again. Just not hot enough for you, eh? Well, maybe this will do it for you. I mean look – Hochi (the Buldak mascot) is right there, tears streaming, breathing fire… 3x Spicy – so what it 1x spicy? Well, 4,400 SHU (scoville heat units). 3x would be 13,200 SHU – I guess we’ll have to see if that’s spicy. I know it will be. Time to burn! ...see full post

#3586: Ottogi Kongguksu Ramen – South Korea

#3586: Ottogi Kongguksu Ramen - South Korea

Here’s something I’d not seen before – I know, that’s kind of a redundant statement; I try to review something new every day, so… But this is very different. Often, cold noodle varieties from South Korea pop up, but not usually ones that come with a cold broth – they’re usually broth-free. I think that may have been the longest sentence I’ve ever typed on this blog, so apologies for that. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2020 Edition

The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2020 Edition

Bowls, cups, , trays, packs, and boxes. Well, I haven’t done a list of boxed or tray-style instant noodles – maybe that will come soon. But I think that separating these is important. The experience that a cup is meant for is different than a cup or bowl. Cups are more for a snack on the go, packs for when you’ve got a stove, and bowls are, well, for lunch. Although in the finished shots of these you’ll see them plated here, generally people will be looking at the bowl they came in, possibly using the plastic fork they came with, and tossing everything once they’re done. These are my favorites, current as of review #3545. Let’s have a look at The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2020 Edition. ...see full post

#3548: KORMOSA Kiss My Food Shrimp Instant Noodles – Taiwan

#3548: KORMOSA Kiss My Food Shrimp Instant Noodles - Taiwan

Okay. This one’s interesting. This product is produced by Paldo Vina, a Vietnamese branch of Paldo Food of South Korea. It is for sale in Taiwan (formerly called Formosa). It was sent to me by Daniel – one of the guys from www.exoticnoods.com who visited Taiwan recently and brought it back for me – thanks again! Let’s check it out! ...see full post

#3534: Nongshim Soo Air-Dried Noodles Beef Flavor With Seaweed – South Korea

Nongshim Korean Famous Ramen Variety Selection (농심 라면) (Soo, Seaweed Ramen, 4 Pack)

This one is the first I’m reviewing from a ship that Nongshim America was kind enough to send – thank you! I should mention that James from Lakeside California sent one of these – thanks everyone! So from the little word-cloud above the name Soo, I’m guessing perhaps that the word Soo means excellent? I looked it up and it can (as a family name) mean water or shore/riverbank. I’m going to guess water will be the logical one here since these are air-dried noodles and not fried. That has a nice little logic to it, at least in my head. Let’s give them a try. ...see full post

#3460: Paldo Bibimmen (35th Anniversary Edition) – South Korea

#3460: Paldo Bibimmen (35th Anniversary Edition) - South Korea

This is a longstanding favorite of mine and probably the first cold noodle I came in contact with. First time I had it I wasn’t so sure, but over time it definitely grew on me. This is usually enjoyed in the summer months, but seeing as the folks at Paldo sent it to me recently, I’d give it a go right now. Let’s cook it up! ...see full post