Category: South Korea

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

The Ramen Rater In South Korean “Top Class” Magazine

The Ramen Rater In South Korean "Top Class" Magazine

I did an interview a month or so ago after being contacted by a journalist in South Korea. I like to do interviews – they’re fun and I always like to see what kind of questions people will ask me. Anyways, when I do one that ends up in print, I always make the stipulation that I would like to get a copy. Well, she sent five of them! Thank you very much – check it out! ...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

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

THIS LIST HAS BEEN SUPERCEDED BY THE RAMEN RATER’S TOP TEN SPICIEST INSTANT NOODLES OF ALL TIME 2022 EDITION. SEE IT HERE.

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

I’ve been enjoying spicy instant noodles for years now and these are some pretty lethally spicy ones. Personally, I go for savory over ultra spicy, but I certainly like a challenge and these bring that for sure. Got one you think is hotter but don’t see it here? Drop me a line. Also, check out Instant Noodles – The Ramen Rater group on Facebook – lots of great people in there talking about ramen from all over the world. Well, let’s check out the new The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2021 Edition! ...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

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

This yeah has just been rough – for everyone I know. After the hardest part of it for me – the passing of my mother – I took a week off from walking after doing 1,000,000 steps on my Fitbit in June and dove in  to working on top ten lists. I did four of them, all current as of review 3545. This list hasn’t been updated since 2017. I’ll be rolling out lists here and there for the next couple of months and maybe do this again a little ways down the road. Here’s The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Instant Rice Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition. ...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

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

.The Ramen Rater's Top Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time 2020 Edition

Despite all the tumultuous and unnerving events of our current age,, I am happy to announce that I’ve got a new list for our year, 2020. In the past fe hundred reviews I’ve done this past year there have been some real standouts and of course many have remained. These are my absolute favorites of reviews 1 through 3487. It’s hard – I feel like I should be doing a top 20, or even a top 50 at this point, but the sheer amount of time that would take with being a stay at home father of two while trying to get in a few hours of exercise every day just isn’t in the cards. I’m hoping in the coming months to come out with the regular top tens and maybe some new ones, but it’s a tough juggle these days. ...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

#3451: Nongshim Shin Light Air Dried Noodle Soup – South Korea

#3451: Nongshim Shin Light Air Dried Noodle Soup - South Korea

It’s been quite a while since a new Shin variety came out I think. On the edge of the package it mentions it being ‘Shin Black Class’ but I mean look at the packaging. Clearly, this is Shin White – am I wrong?I’m guessing this is going to be quite different – fried vs non fried noodles are like night and day, and I expect I’m going to like this one to be honest. Let’s find out! ...see full post