Korean Brand Category

Sogokimyun Beef Flavor Ramen

January 31st, 2006

3 1/2 Stars

Samyang Sogokimyun

At 4.2 oz., it makes a satisfying bowl of good noodles. As with all Samyang noodles, they have a good chewy texture. The taste reminded me of the spicy Korean BBQ sauce used in popular hotpot-style cuisine. Being not too spicy hot, you can taste the garlic beef flavor and a decent note of vegetables.

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Sutah Ramen - Spicy Flavor

January 11th, 2006

3 1/2 Stars

Sutah Ramen

Packaged in newer foil-type bag, Sutah’s ramen has a nice gummy texture from the addition of potato starch with wheat flour. It has a rich spicy beef and vegetable broth that’s quite balanced, so that all the flavors come out.

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Shrimp Flavor Noodle

January 2nd, 2006

2 1/2 Stars

Six Fortune Shrimp Flavor Instant Noodle Soup

Six Fortune’s air-dried line of low-fat instant noodles in shrimp flavor. The ramen cooks in 4 minutes. The seasoning has a very shrimpy aroma and taste from real powder shrimp (including shell) in the broth.

This is not a ramen to be enjoyed alone, the overall taste is kind of bare. However, I could definitely use it in another recipe for its decent shrimp flavor.

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Kimchi - Oriental Style Noodle

December 9th, 2005

4 Stars

Wang Kimich - Oriental Style Noodle

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A gourmet instant spicy Kimchi flavor noodle soup with excellent thin oriental style noodle made from rice and wheat flours. The noodles have the bests of both types, quick cooking & fat-free as rice noodles and more flavor absorbent like wheat noodles.

It looks and smells very appetizing and has a rich full-flavor Kimchi taste with a note of garlic. The dried flakes comes in a lightweight block, which are the best. There are more Kimchi cabbage pieces here than most other brands of Kimchi instant noodle. The scallion pieces are more tender too.

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Japanese Style Udon Package

December 7th, 2005

4 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Japanese Style Udon Package

A package version of its twin without the extra cost of a bowl, its the cheaper way to go if you love it - same excellent taste.

The fresh-packed noodle sealed in a clear pouch is as good as the Udon you’ll find at any Asian grocery. As prepared, the noodle soup looked really good with slices of fish cakes, tiny brown wheat vegetable dumpling, and green vegetable in a rich reddish brown broth. The soup sauce had a delicious rich sweet spicy soy sauce flavor.

It tasted like what you mght get at a resturant, it’s that good. About the only thing holding it back from a five star rating is the amount of solid ingredients other than the noodles.

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Seafood Udon

December 4th, 2005

4 Stars

Wang Seafood Udon

An excellent quality microwave type fresh-sealed noodles that’s as good as fresh Udon. Prepared, the noodle soup looked very appetizing with lot of varied good solid ingredients on top.

The soup had a delicious rich spicy seafood and sweet-salty gourmet soy sauce taste. There are small traditional fried shrimps with edible shell that looked better than it taste, not very meaty.

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Pojangmacha U-Dong

December 1st, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Pojangmacha U-Dong

A pojangmacha is a wheeled Korean stall/cart serving food and drink set up on the city’s streets. The package has the Korean spelling of “U-Dong” for the Japanese Udon style thick soft noodles.

The noodle soup has a spicy seafare taste that’s a blend of anchovy with two kinds of seaweed and pepper powder. There are some roasted popped wheat grits, sesame seeds and green onion which add textures and highlights for a tasty, well balanced serving.

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Champong Cup Noodle (Spicy Seafood)

November 3rd, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Champong Cup Noodle (Spicy Seafood)

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If you like Champong Noodle in the package, you’ll love this one. The noodles are the familar softer instant cup ramen type instead. This is a very rich spicy seafood recipe. A tasty treat that’s perfect for a quick light snack.

As prepared, there were so much soup solids floating on top! The cuttlefish and shrimp powder gave the soup sauce its unique rich salty seafood flavor and strong aroma. The cuttlefish pieces remained chewy, which is normal. A very colorful cup noodle soup that was very good!

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Vegetal Kimchi Bowl

October 4th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Kimchi Ramen Bowl

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Kimchi Ramen Bowl is a hot spicy instant noodle soup with regular ramen noodles. The soup is a little thinner than the Shin’s ramen and the flavor notes are more sharp.

When I opened the package, a nice vegetable smell came from within the bowl as there are dried vegetable solids under the block of noodles. The taste was zesty and spicy, kind of like a good spicy vegetable beef flavored soup with a note of seafood taste.

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Japanese Style Udon Bowl

September 26th, 2005

4 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Japanese Style Udon Noodle Soup

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True conneisseurs should at least try this one, just to see how good an instant noodle soup can be.

The fresh-packed noodle sealed in a clear pouch is as good as the Udon you’ll find at any Asian grocery. As prepared, the noodle soup looked really good with slices of fish cakes, tiny brown wheat vegetable dumpling, and green vegetable in a rich reddish brown broth, with a delicious rich sweet spicy soy sauce flavor.

It tasted like what you mght get at a typical resturant, it’s that good. About the only thing holding it back from a five star rating is the amount of toppings other than the noodles.

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Kimchee Ramen

September 24th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

package

Kimchee (also Kimchi) is a popular Korean pickled hot & spicy cabbage relish. Serving crispy homemade Kimchee to impress your guests is a popular tradition to Korean, with every household using its own favorite recipe.

This entree is medium hot for most people other than Korean. It is served with regular ramen instead of the thicker Korean noodle, which requires a more intense soup sauce. Just as well, I am not always in the mood to be scorched.

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Kimchi Big Bowl Noodle

September 23rd, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Kimchi Big Bowl Noodle

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This kimchi flavored entree is about medium spicy. The “oriental style noodle” on the lid refers to a starchier ramen noodle which is a bit more al dente. Interestingly, it is the first time I have seen freeze dried kimchi (see the picture below of the brown block in the before cooking part).

As prepared, you can hardly see anything beside noodles on top but the soup sauce came out rich and reddish. I poured out about an inch of soup before I started eating. It certainly had the taste of hot spicy kimchi. Could have added some vegetables to this one to give it a little more substance. Flavor is good.

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Pollo Bowl Noodle (Spicy Chicken Flavor)

September 11th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Pollo Bowl Noodle (Spicy Chicken Flavor)

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A hot spicy entree that tasted a bit like curry chicken & beef but in a clear broth. It was a very well seasoned and tasty soup sauce with good ramen type noodle.

There isn’t any chicken in it except egg, but could have fooled me as I ate, actually thought that there were pieces of chicken meat. These textured vegetable proteins were getting good at it, until I saw what looked like brown pieces of sausage. Even the funny shaped fishcake slices tasted like cured chicken meat. It must be the power of suggestion, as chicken is what I had in mind from the smell. The soup stock actually has a strong beefy flavor if you can ignore the chicken soup aroma.

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Shin Bowl Noodle Soup (Hot & Spicy)

September 10th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Shin Bowl Noodle Soup (Hot & Spicy)

The Shin line, all share similar graphic but taste somewhat different. This one share similarity with Big Shin Cup, which has beef flavor.

As prepared, this entree has the right note for me. The ramen had a good springy bite and the soup sauce flavored very well. Its size was just right for a snack or small meal. One of the best of the Shins if you can get the imported (Korean) version.

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Shin Ramyun (Hot & Spicy)

September 7th, 2005

3 1.2 Stars

Nong Shim Shin Ramyun (Hot & Spicy)

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This Korean favorite is a fiery red hot soup with a spicy scent that live up to its reputation. The noodle is thicker than ramen and round, similar to Udon but springier.

When ready, I carefully poured out about half the soup sauce before serving it in a bowl. Taking the first sip before eating, prepared me for what was to come. Slurping the sauce with the noodle in each bite, I was really enjoying it, as the hot spicy sensation took hold. The lively hot noodles were enjoyed with tasty chewy bits of shitake mushroom and other vegetables. It was a great finish, the spicy hot sensation was felt as far down as my stomach and I got a little sweaty too.

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Champong Noodle

September 6th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Champong Noodle

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The term Champong noodle refers to a popular recipe of Korean noodle in a rich spicy seafood broth containing mainly cabbage, and various sea foods like squids and shrimps. It presumably has its origin in Japan with influence from China. This entree is medium to high in spiciness.

In opening the dried soup solid packet, there was a nice aroma that was reminiscent of something familiar to me. My mom often use tiny dried salted shrimps in many of her recipe. This ingredient has a strong aroma and very savory flavor, being used more like a spice. In this case, the aroma came from the dried cuttlefish pieces. As prepared, the cuttlefish and shrimp powder gave the soup sauce its unique rich salty seafood flavor. The cuttlefish pieces remained chewy, which is normal. There was an effective display of colors and textures in the noodle soup from the various solid ingredients. This was surprisingly good.

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Ansung Tang Myun (Hot & Spicy)

September 6th, 2005

4 Stars

Nong Shim Ansung Tang Myun (Hot & Spicy)

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The cute raccoon like character on the package is the first I have ever seen on a Nong Shim noodle item. It is an Asian raccoon dog, also know as tanuki in Japan, and has supernatural powers in folklore. Presumably this recipe is famous in Korea as a spicy chewy noodle dish and a source of dietary calcium.

As prepared, the reddish soup sauce was well flavored, and very spicy. The tasty flavors sort of masked the spiciness until it get to you later, leaving the mouth feelings a little singed. Overall, a very agreeable flavor and a big portion to boost.

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Kal Gook Soo

September 5th, 2005

2 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Kal Gook Soo

This particular noodle is an air dried ribbon type, which require extra cooking time. The entree supprising has virtually no fats.

As prepared, the clear light brown soup sauce was mildly flavored. With a mild flavored sauce, you have to slurp it while eating the noodle to get the taste. A little less cooking water would make a stronger flavor. The anchovy gave a little extra character to an otherwise light refreshing vegetable stock. After trying out so many of Nong Shim spicy ramen, this one was sort of a relief.

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Chajang Myun (Chapagetti)

September 5th, 2005

3 Stars

Nong Shim Chajang Myun (Chapagetti)

Chajang sauce is a thick savory fried black bean sauce made from cultured soybean. Myun means noodles in Korean, it looks like spagetti and coincidentially the dish is called Chapagetti by its marketing folks. Noodles w/black bean sauce is popular in Korean like noodles w/spaggetti sauce here and taste delicious if properly seasoned.

There are also Chinese versions called “Zha Jiang Mian” and Japanese versions. The Koreans consider their versions more refined and the Japanese versions are less heavy on the soybean paste and are made with either ramen or Udon noodles.

This dish was mildly seasoned, but a dash of salt & pepper or a vinaigrette dressing really help. While it tastes agreeable to me, I would not recommend it to all, as it’s more a cultural favorite.

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Big Shin Cup (Hot & Spicy)

September 4th, 2005

4 Stars

Nong Shim Big Shin Cup (Hot & Spicy)

While it shares almost the same name as it smaller cousin, Shin Cup, it’s not just in a bigger cup. It breaks the mode, as the noodle for one is the round ramen noodle and not the softer flat type. The Shiitake mushroom are really chunky in this one and it needs a bit more wait time to soften than 3 minutes.

As prepared, the soup has a fiery red color and nice spicy aroma. The soup sauce flavored the lively noodle very well, although I hardly noticed the beef flavor through all that spices. My mouth had that nice tingling sensation all over afterward. A real treat!

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Dosirac Shrimp Flavor

September 3rd, 2005



Dosirac Shrimp Flavor

Dosirac Shrimp Flavor, instant noodle soup w/vegetarian dumplings. This reminded me of the old ways of my mom, they were recipes that use just a small portion of briny ingredients to be served with rice. It’s an old world taste.

The shrimp flavor of this soup sauce is made from a fermented briny shrimp paste. You may find this flavor either exoteric or exotic, depending on how it leaves a first impression on you. The soup sauce flavored the noodle well with a salty, humble taste, though I had better shrimp pastes.

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Picante Bowl Noodle Soup

September 3rd, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Picante Bowl Noodle Soup

This spicy hot entree is a refined version of its acclaimed cousin, Shin Ramyun, with thin ramen instead of the thicker Korean noodle.

As prepared, the light reddish soup sauce was deceiving calm until I took too quick of a tentative sip, which promptly got me coughing. The unexpected spiciness must have sent some down my wind pipe. The sharp peppery picante sauce numbed my palate somewhat as I continued eating. The beef flavor of the soup sauce was light and the toyish pinwheel slices of fish cake were a nice diversion to the plain noodles.

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Udon Big Bowl Noodle

September 1st, 2005

3.5 Stars

Nong Shim Udon Big  Bowl Noodle

It is a big bowl and at about 4oz, it’ll make a good meal for most people. Fortunately, the thick Udon noodles save well in the fridge for a later snack, if you don’t eat much.

In traditional Korean table etiquette, you start with a small taste of the soup before you start eating. I find that this prepare one’s palate for the meal and works well.

The lively thicker Udon noodles balance nicely the hot savory soup that has a rich seafare taste. There are three bigger pieces of fried fish cake that look like browned crouton and tasted a bit smokey, some small pinwheel slices of white on pink fish cake, and pieces of green seaweed that tased like spinach. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, that what make this soup great.

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Pojangmacha Yukejang (Spicy)

August 29th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

package

Yukejang is the most popular spicy recipe in Korean resturants. In this mildy spicy hot entree, there are also small colorful slices of fish cake. While the ingredients are simple, it was effective and flavored the noodle well. It begs for some tasty Korean BBQ beef shortribs to make my day.

Samyang is an underated company that started making instant ramen (ramyun or ramyon in Korean) with technical assistance from Myojo Foods of Japan. It has not made much efforts yet to broaden appeal with better packaging, like the cooking directions in fine print.

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Neoguri Udon (Seafood & Spicy)

August 29th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Neoguri Udon (Seafood & Spicy)

This entry offers a tastyt blend of seafood flavors and seasonings, a traditional taste cherished by coastal Korean. The smooth chewy texture of the thick Udon noodle offered a lively contrast to the somewhat spicy rich seafare broth with an overtone of seaweed.

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Beef Noodle

August 27th, 2005

1 1/2 Stars

package

This one has a homely asian beef soup aroma and flavor. There are bits of fried tofu (soybean curd) that tasted like bits of wiener. The noodle soup tasted really contrived - with these cheap ones, the beef flavors just aren’t very promising.

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Dosirac Beef Flavor

August 27th, 2005



Dosirac Beef Flavor

Dosirac Beef Flavor, instant noodle soup w/vegetarian dumplings. It’s a garlic beef flavor that’s very well spiced and the noodles are decent. There’s lot of tiny sausage-like vegetarian dumplings and the soup has a very beefy taste, but surprisingly there isn’t any beef ingredients listed.

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Shin Cup (Hot & Spicy)

August 26th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

Nong Shim Shin Cup (Hot & Spicy)

While it shares the red hot graphic of the highly acclaimed Shin Ramyun pack, it is different. The noodle for one, is the familiar soft instant ramen. It also has a rich beefy flavor, assuming you’re not overwhelmed by its spiciness first!

As prepared, the noodles soaked up half the soup sauce, meaning that you can’t avoid its spicy seasonings. However, using 3/4 or less of the Soup Packet is an even better compromise. The chewy chunks of shiitake mushroom were a very flavorful addition to the soup. This is a tasty treat that’s perfect for a quick light snack.

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Seafood Ramyun

August 9th, 2005

star rating

Nong Shim Seafood Ramyun

This entry offers a rich blend of seafood flavors and seasonings, a traditional taste cherished by coastal Korean. It is a bit peppery but considered mild.

A rich spicy seafood both with the smooth chewy texture of thicker Korean style noodles. Its aroma had the depth of a good seafood broth. The full savory character of this delicious fare revealed itself toward the end when I drain out most of the liquid to finish it off.

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Kal Gug Su - Nonfrying

August 9th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars

package

This unpretentious Korean entree is label simply as cut-type noodle in a nondescript packaging. A very traditional Korean noodle soup that need no explanation, I guess. The flat noodles are cut into width and heat dried, and hence nonfrying with very low fat. The drawback is that the noodle take 2 to 3 minutes longer to cook than regular.

Nothing fancy, just a quality home-style vegetarian broth flavored delicately with sea vegetable to accompany the smooth luscious noodle for a very satisfying fare. The small flakes of sea mustard expanded surprisely well cooked with a nice spinach-like taste.

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Potato Noodle Soup

August 9th, 2005

3 1/2 Stars
Nong Shim Potato Noodle Soup

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Korean cuisine is spicy in general and uses hearty ingredients. This entree offers chewy potato noodle in a peppery vegetable beef flavor soup sauce.

A hearty aroma of soup filled the kitchen as it’s cooked, from a tasty recipe of typical Korean vegetables including onion, shitake mushroom, chili pepper, garlic and ginger. The potato noodle was indeed chewy and quite interesting to eat. Overall, the potato noodle soup tasted unpretentiously down home.

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