#2248: Nongshim Shin Noodle Soup

Every year in January I come out with a Top Ten list of South Korean varieties. Much to the disappointment and anger of many people, this will never be on that list. Why? Simple. It’s made in the United States. People have debated me into the dirt on it too ‘so, why does it matter?’ Well, if I put Nissin top Ramen on the Top Ten Japanese list that would be a little ridiculous, wouldn’t it? The differences between the Nongshim Shin Cup manufactured here and manufactured in South Korea might be only geographic and packaging, but those are the rules. This could be on the Top Ten Made In The USA list at some point (I haven’t come out with a new one of those lists in a while – maybe next year perhaps). I’m working on getting some South Korean varieties soon, so I guess we’ll see this January!

Anyways, this is a pretty ubiquitous cup around the United States. A lot of people are huge fans of Shin Noodle Soup (aka the soup formerly known as Shin Ramyun). I must admit I really like the name change; I’ve seen so many people call it Shin Ramen – this isn’t ramen – it’s ramyun. I guess instead of continuing to allow this incorrect nomenclature, changing it to noodle soup makes a lot more sense. Let’s see what’s in here!

Detail of the side panels (click to enlarge). Contains beef and anchovy. To prepare, add in contents of sachet. Add room temp water to fill line and microwave at 1000W for 3 minutes. stir and enjoy!

Detail of the lid (click to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The soup base sachet.

The spicy reddish powder.

Some of the vegetables from inside the cup.

Finished (click to enlarge). Added Salad Cosmo mung bean sprouts, spring onion, beef, tteokbokki (ricecake), processed cheese. The noodles came out really well microwaved. Everything was hydrated perfectly. The noodles have a light chew – definitely now as chewy as the ramyun in the packs but still very nice. The broth has the signature Shin taste to it – spicy with beef and mushroom notes. The included vegetables were of good size and quality and hydrated nicely. 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 031146270606.