Category: Paldo / Korea Yakult

#1480: Paldo Jjol Bibim Men

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Here’s a new variety of Paldo’s Bibim Men line to come out recently. Jjol means ‘chewy.’ Bibim Men – now this is slightly trickier but isn’t that hard. Bibimbap is a mix of vegetables, meat and an egg topped with gochujang (a spicy sauce) over rice. It’s one of my favorite Korean dishes, often served in a stone bowl and sizzling like nothing else! Well, the ‘bap is rice. In Jjol Bibim Men, the Men is the same as -myun or myeon, which means noodles. So what you have here is a cold, spicy, chewy noodle dish. I’m hungry – let’s get to it! Bring on the Jjol Bibim Men! ...see full post

#1394: Paldo Mild Kokomen (Prototype)

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Hey look – another prototype! Thanks, Moses of Paldo America! Kokomen is one of Paldo’s signature products. It’s a spicy chicken and jalapeno broth accompanied by a nice amount of noodles and a garnish that includes these little strips of chicken. Good stuff. This is a milder version. Let’s see how this one compares! ...see full post

#1388: Paldo Barbecue Ramyun (Prototype)

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I got a message from my pal Moses over at Paldo America while back asking if I’d like to review some instant ramyun that hasn’t been put out yet but is being sampled with college students to see what they think. I was absolutely rceptive to the idea – prototype instant noodles sound very interesting! Let’s see how barbecue ramyun tastes – this is the first of two versions, the other I’ll try soon. ...see full post

#1347: Paldo Bulnak Bokkummyun Spicy Fried Octopus Ramyun

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Today I’m trying something really interesting. This is Paldo’s new spicy octopus ramyun! I thought I couldn’t make this stuff without adding some octopus, but I’d never cooked it before and was a little reserved and slightly nervous. Octopus? Hey, why not! I went to the Korean grocery and picked some up. It was a bit of a surprise how many different kinds of packaged octopus there are. I settled on frozen baby octopus. Let’s see how it turns out! ...see full post

#1314: Paldo Korean Traditional Beef Gomtangmen

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Korean beef soup is usually something that isn’t spicy; a departure from what people usually see in most ramyun varieties. Gomtang translates to ‘bear soup,’ but there’s no bear in there! It’s been – boiled for a long time. The ‘men’ at the end of gomtangmen is where the noodles come in. Men, myun, myeon and myon are all suffixes that mean noodles in Korean. I’ve had Paldo’s Gomtang variety in the gold packaging – that stuff is quite good. I’m very curious to find out how this one is. Let’s have a look. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten South Korean Instant Noodles Of All Time 2014 Edition

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It’s no secret that I eat a lot of instant noodles. Last year alone, I did 320 new reviews! I’m often asked, “when you aren’t reviewing, what instant noodles do you like to eat?” South Korean ramyun is the answer. In 1963, instant noodles were first introduced to South Korea as ‘ramyun.’ People were a little confused at first; they thought it was a textile! They also weren’t super keen on it being chicken flavored; South Koreans prefer rich beef flavors as opposed to lighter poultry tastes. With a little tweaking, the spicy rich beef noodles synonymous with ramyun were born.  The thick noodles, rich broth and spiciness keep me coming back for more. This list contains my favorites from the 1272 reviews I’ve done thus far. They are all made in South Korea, and many will be hard to find in the United States, if not impossible. With that, here’s my list. ...see full post

#1194: Paldo Namja Ramyun King Cup (US Version)

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Here it is! Now you can get a big cup of Namja here in the states! I reviewed the South Korean Namja King Cup before, and there are differences between the two. If you’re wondering, Namja means ‘men’s’ or ‘guy’s’ – still wondering if they will make a ramyun for the ladies. Let’s check this new one out. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater’s Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time

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So after sampling so many varieties of instant noodles over the years, of course there have been some that I didn’t like. There also were some that are so memorable for how awful they were. After people asked what my least favorites were a few times, I thought I should just make a list of them. I should point out that these are on the list because I couldn’t stand them. I’m pretty sure they are all still in production, and the only reason they would be is that people somewhere find them enjoyable. So who knows – you might have a completely different opinion on these than me, but I found them to be absolutely the worst of the worst. With that, here’s The Bottom Ten Instant Noodles Of All Time, 2013 Edition. ...see full post

The Ramen Rater Top Ten Noodle Bowls Of All Time 2013 Edition

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After more than a year of pondering and reviewing since the last list, here’s the new top ten instant noodle bowls. This encompasses all instant noodle bowls reviewed up to today, June 15th, 2013. With no further adieu, the top ten instant noodle bowls of all time, 2013 edition. ...see full post

Gol Bim Men Recipe – Paldo Bibim Men with Bai-Top Shell

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Today, I’m trying a new recipe sent to me by the folks at Paldo! Summer is right around the corner and this cold noodle dish is great to enjoy during the warmer months of the year. It was first introduced on a South Korean TV show on the KBS network called ‘Happy Together’ (click here to see the video). It uses some ingredients I’ve never heard of before, but I’m sure the folks in South Korea are very familiar with them – Cho Gochujang and Bai-Top Shell. Cho Gochujang is a gochujang infused with vinegar. But what’s bai-top you ask? Sea snails! Never had snails from the sea or otherwise before. Thank you to Moses over at Paldo America for sending me everything to make this! Always excited to try something new. ...see full post

#1001: Paldo ДОШИРАК (Dosirac) Beef Flavor

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Well my friends, onward we march with the first post-1000 review! This is Dosirac with Cyrillic writing on it. I thought at first this is sold in Russia, but on the back there was a clue. I looked up the url mentioned – it turns out the .MN means Mongolia! Neato! So what’s Dosirac? It translates to ‘lunch box!’ I’ve had many of the versions that are sold in trays, but never have I seen a pack version. Let’s give this a try. ...see full post

#989: GS25 Gonghwachun Jjamppong

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This was sent to me by Kristina W. of Arizona – thank you! This one was a toughie to decipher so here’s what I found. GS25 is a chain of convenience stores in South Korea. From what I read on the packaging, this is a product made for them by Paldo. There’s a restaurant in Incheon called Gonghwachun – I think that’s what is being referred to here. Gonghwachun is a famous Chinese restaurant and well known for its Jjajangmyeon. Finally, Jjamppong (also jjambong, champong) is a spicy seafood soup. If I’m wrong, please comment! Anyways, on with the review! ...see full post

Donation From South Korea

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Kristen W. of Arizona sent me some noodles she got while she was in South Korea!

This is a great little collection of South Korean varieties you can’t easily find here! Ottogi Cheese Ramyun and Spaghetti bowls – been wanting to try them for a while! The two above are Paldo Korea varieties – I think Rabokki and Jjajang. The Nongshim Shin Cup in the lower right is the South Korean version. Thank, Kristen! Soon as they’re made, some The Ramen Rater stickers will be coming your way! ...see full post

Re-Review: Paldo Kokomen Spicy Chicken Flavor King Cup

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Here’s the original review. It’s cold today so I thought it sounded good. I figure I should mention – there will be some new reviews very soon! I am working on a huge project that’s been taking so much time. A hint – it has to do with upgrading this blog! I’ve been editing every post and image. A lot of work let me tell you! It will definitely be worth it in the end! ...see full post

Re-Review: Paldo Namja Ramyun (Men’s Ramyun)

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I have fallen ill with some kind of head cold it seems and I thought something spicy would be good. My lovely wife Kit was kind enough make me some noodles for breakfast – she’s so good to me! Thought I’d have these – they’re available in the US now, but this is a Re-Review of the pack that is sold in Korea. The version sold in the US will be being reviewed soon! Here’s the link to the original review I did during Paldo’s Meet The Manufacturer. ...see full post

Re-Review: Paldo Lobster Taste King Noodle

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Last night, Obama got re-elected as the President, and here in Washington state, same-sex marriage was approved – as was the recreational use of marijuana. Quite an evening! Anyways, was fun watching the political process wind up and come to a close for this cycle. Now, on to the urgent task of noodle reviewing!  The last time I reviewed this one was back in February of ’11 and was #287 (link). I forgot how awesome the picture on this one – I love how it says ‘serving suggestion.’ It makes me think that this is one enormous king of the lobsters that wants you to serve it these self-flavored noodles! Roarrr!!! On a side note, if you look at the lower right hand side of the cup, you can see it says “Chitosan Oligosaccaride 2 mg.” What the heck is that?!?! What I got out of this Wikipedia article is that this is something that comes from the exoskeletons of crustaceans. It got me thinking – Chitosan… ChitoSlim? I remember commercials for ChitoSlim, a weight lossupplement. I found it and lo and behold it contains 1000 mg of Chitosan. I figure it’s basically like a super-fiber. Anyways, let’s continue. ...see full post

#910: Paldo Namja Ramyun King Cup

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Here’s a new one from Paldo not yet available in the USA – Namja cup! Namja translates to Man’s or Guy’s – gender-specific noodles – that’s something new! I think would like to know about the ladies’ ramyun and what that would be… Anyways, let’s give this new one from Paldo a gander. ...see full post

Re-Review: Meet The Manufacturer: Paldo Bibim Men Oriental Style Noodle

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It’s been quite a while since I’ve had this one – thought it’d be a good one to finish Meet The Manufacturer: Paldo with. Hot day, cold noodles. I should also mention the last time I had this was review #118 – over 700 packs ago – and my tastes have changed a bit. I’m happy to say I like cold noodles nowadays. ...see full post

Re-Review: Meet The Manufacturer: Paldo Hwa Ramyun With Soy Peptide

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Here’s Paldo’s standard hot & spicy variety. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be the hottest days of the year here in the northwest – temps are supposed to hit 94 degrees today and 96 tomorrow. Hot and spicy sounds just about right! What’s Hwa though? Couldn’t figure that one out but here’s what the health info on soy peptide is! Anyways – I’m hungry – time to noodle it up! ...see full post