Samyang Foods’ Buldak Bokkummyeon. I’ve had the pack form and did up a recipe a while back involving a way to cool the heat. This is the bowl – and a fiery bowl at that. This stuff doesn’t mess around; there’s no broth. The noodles have a violently hot coating that really means business! It’s so hot that people challenge each other to devour a bowl as fast as they can on YouTube all the time! Let’s open up this bowl and see how fiery this one is!
Here’s detail of the side panels (click image to enlarge). Not sure if it contains meat. To prepare, take out the seasoning sachets. Add boiling water and steep for 4 minutes. Using a chopstick, poke out the little holes on the lid and use them as a strainer to drain off all the water. Add the liquid sachet contents and stir until combined. Add garnish sachet contents on top and enjoy.
Here’s detail of the lid (click image to enlarge). Note the three spots on the top left to poke through and use as a drain.
The noodle block.
The sauce sachet.
A thick and spicy scented sauce.
The garnish sachet.
Sesame seeds and thin strips of seaweed.
Finished (click image to enlarge). Added grilled chicken, Satori Farm kimchi, green onions and fried egg. The noodles are thick and luxuriant in quantity and chewinesss. The flavor is like a ever so slightly sweet taste at the beginning and kind of fried taste and then it hits you – like a freight train. It’s hot and spicy – I mean really! I’m eating it right now and taking a break because my lips are on fire, as is my tongue. When I breathe out, it feels like I’m breathing out fire. This stuff is no joke. By the way – the sesame seeds and seaweed are very nice, but it’s hard to detract from that pure fieriness! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. EAN bar code 8801073210363.
Looks like the Samyang Foods Buldak Bokkummyeon chicken is loose at their HQ!
Tried these today after picking up a cup model, 5 of the same flavor in bricks and 4 of the 2x. My local asian market was very well stocked with these so they must be a popular seller. I’d rate it a 4.5 out of 5 but I’m the guy who’s pretty much coming from Wal-Mart maruchan packets and cup-o-noddle varieties.
These were low to mid hot with a decent burn. It’s kind of interesting though because I eat a lot of spicy and hot food and don’t usually sweat. These noodles made me sweat and my nose was running but I really wasn’t in panic mode in my mouth similar to what another reviewer had said.
I will keep these in my rotation. If I had to make a negative comment it would be that one should be mindful of the dish they make these in. The oil seasoning has a very deep color do it and could stain a dish if it’s not glass.
Herr Lienesch, I really love the setup you have here! Your garnish game is absolutely spot on!
Also for managing the heat; mayonnaise, sesame oil, and roasted seaweed (Gim, which are actually included in the garnish pack) complement the flavor of the ramyeon nicely. The way I used to eat in Korean convenience stores is to just buy an onigiri with it and mix it into the finished noodles. Looks ugly but very filling. Shredded mozarella or maybe gouda could also work in moderation.
Incidentally, have you tried the new wasabi mayo ramyeon? It is really an interesting experience.
Hey thank you for your kind words! I do have the wasabi one I will try very soon.
– TRR
Try and find a Korean or Asian market near you, i live in Oklahoma fort sill lawton area and have many Korean grocery stores nearby and I get the cups for a dollar
I just ate the instant cup version of this noodle, and it took some effort. There was no English translation of the directions, only Korean, so I just made it the standard cup noodle way: pour on the sauce, add hot water to the fill line, and let it sit for three minutes, though I had to stir and let it sit for one more minute because the noodles near the top were still a little hard. Then, sprinkle on the toppings. This was probably the hottest cup ramen I’ve ever tasted; my lips were, and still are, burning, and part of the way through I felt my face tingling. My husband suggested I might should stop, but I ain’t no biatch. Still contemplating drinking the broth.
Actually, you’re supposed to add hot water and let it sit for a few minutes and then poke holes in the lid and drain off the liquid and stir. That’d be way hotter too. A lot of people try doing it the way you did for the exact same reason- – can’t read Korean. I’ve made this same mistake on a few varieties as well. If you like it, I say go for it – the correct version of recipe is violenetly hot.
– TRR
Hi! I ate this ramen yesterday for the first time (first instant ramen ever.. but i love spicy food so ok😅) but i found it really hot. Like you, i had to stop eating every 30sec because my mouth was on fire😅 But i really loved the taste, really much, for this reason i ate it all very quickly (loosing the use of taste buds😅) so.. here’s my question: does it exist a ramen exactly the same but just less spicy? Thanks!💕
You could try the cheese version and skip the cheese packet I suppose – about half as hot.
– TRR
The noodles are definitely the highlight here, so chewy and wholesome, probably the best instant noodles I have ever tasted. As for the chili base it was fiery but for me it’s still manageable, as i have high tolerance to chili and spicy stuff, and compares to the limited and powerful “2x” version, this is actually enjoyable. Still not for the faint-hearted, of course! 😉
Hi! I really enjoy this noodle but it’s way to spicy for me to eat regularly. Is there an instant noodle similar to the flavour of this noodle but without so much heat? I’d greatly appreciate it!
Kind of – Samyang makes one called Ganjjampong which is more a seafood but lighter spicy.
– TRR
Hi! There are a lot of new variants to the Buldak… Can you please make a review for them? Thanks. 🙂
Just posted the cheese the other day! Ice and Stew coming soon.
– TRR
I bought these noodles some time ago in my local Asian supermarket (they did have a promotion, 0,75 eurocent for 1 package instead of 1,50 euro). This was for me the first time I tried this brand but didn’t expect the hot flavour really. Often manufacturers print “hot” while it isn’t really. This stuff is really hot (I am used to eat spicy food, but this ramen is pretty tough I have to admit). The taste is good, but it would be nicer to have a bit more chicken flavour in it. In the second bowl I didn’t add the whole red pepper sachet but like 3/4. I bought 5 normal packages instead of the bowl version but for me it’s a bit too hot (I would like to taste more chicken, but it looks like it’s more about the hotness instead of flavour which is pretty important as well!). Not for people that are not used to eat spicy for sure!
So this is the flavor of the sauce the make Korean BBQ chicken with. People use this variety for the ‘Fire Noodle Challenge’ – look it up on YouTube!
– TRR
Just finishing off a bowl of this stuff right now. I boiled it with a handful of enoki mushrooms and then topped it off with cilantro and thai basil leaves.
The spiciness isn’t unbearable at the front end of the flavor. Where it gets you is when it sits at the back of your throat and then builds up heat after each extra bite. Halfway through this bowl I can’t tell if the noodles are physically hot or if it’s just the chili sauce burning my mouth. Thankfully they really sweeten the sauce so that it’s not just heat for heat sake and there’s an actual tasty chili flavor profile to be had; but right now sweat and tears are pouring from my eyes and mouth as I type this.
Again, not unbearable but I’m thankful I don’t have any boardroom meetings today or this bowl would be a horrible life choice.
I’m on board with the RamenRater here 4 out of 5. I’m not going to live off of this bowl but it’s definitely going to be a staple in my round of ramen purchases with 1 always ready to go in the pantry.
PROTIP: Eat with two separate napkins. 1 for your mouth and 1 for your face. Using one napkin will get chili in your eyes which would be another poor life choice.
Bought for $2.29 at local Asian market. Given this product’s reputation, I thought it might be the hottest thing I’ve ever eaten, but it wasn’t close — I didn’t even really need a drink. Still, it was potent, making me break out in a sweat after the first bite, and my nose was running by the end. But my mouth wasn’t on fire; it was very tolerable. The flavor was pretty tasty and the noodles were nice. Would eat again.
this is really late but I wanna say that I tried this but not cup version, the regular one. at the time I found it really tolerable I didn’t understand what was the hype. but then I checked on the back of the package, it says that you should saute it with the sauce for a couple of minutes instead of just mix them on your plate and boyyyyy it really enhances the spiciness!! like really really really spicy I feel like my head is about to explode! try it and good luck!
Ban the noodle
Fuck the noodle
Cost at my local Asian mart is $5.99 for a pack of 5. I am loving this ramen, I’ve had it 3 days in a row 😉 <3
Hi! I have packages of this I got at the Hmart in Tacoma, but I’d love to get the cups! I personally live down near Portland, but travel and have friends and family all throughout Washington. Do you, or does anyone else reading this, know where I can find the cups of this at a reasonable price? Amazon wants 15 for two cups. I only paid 7 for the package of 5 I got, so I’d rather not shell out an obscene amount if someone else can direct me to a local purchasing location. Thanks!
Ebay or Amazon…
– TRR
I saw them at Winco in Spokane.