Oh hey now I’m psyched. I love rabokki. It’s a combination of tteokbokki, a rice cake tube, and ramyeon. Alone, kind of bland, but paired with tteokbokki sauce, it’s absolutely delightful. Now, you might wonder how to pronounce tteokbokki. It’s a soft t or a hard d. I heard multiple times that it was one of the hardest words for westerners to pronounce in Korean. Well, I watch a few videos and figured I had it down. One day, I had a violent toothache. I mean ready to take an ice pick to the ice pick pain I was experiencing. I hate going to the dentist. It was so bad I begged my wife to take me. Well, they took pity on me and took a look on the spot. They said we can fix it or pull it. I said let’s yank that beast. I opted for the nitrous oxide – laughing gas. I swear, I’d love to have a tank of that stuff. Anyways, that gas really got me going. After I was all gassed up, I spoke to the doctor, a young Korean guy. Well, I was pretty happy what with all the gas, so I thought I’d see if my Korean was any good, so I asked if I could try it on him. So, I said tteokbokki. He said it was pretty good. Then he took that thing out of my head. Thanks, man! Let’s make some rabokki – I have some tteokbokki left over to use with it. Let’s cook!
Tag: south korea
#4533: Ottogi Jin Jjambbong Spicy Seafood Noodle – South Korea
Back in March of 2017, I reviewed this one for the first time. In November, I ended up going to Taiwan for the second time and it was really quite amazing. The first day there I think, I got to visit a little restaurant called ‘Love Instant Noodles.’
#4528: Wang Malatang Udon – United States
A week. Last week I mean. Feeling crummy. Started Sunday and went on until Thursday. Then Friday happened and it was like I was pretty much at 100% again, which was really nice. Went out for a nice walk, then went out shopping. I definitely wanted to see what was up at Asian Family Market – the next day would be Lunar New Year. Got a few things, this being one of them. Looks interesting; let’s check it out!
#4483: Samyang Foods Buldak Yakisoba HOT Chicken Flavor Ramen – South Korea
Big thanks to Pher Engi for sending this along. Have you seen this one? Figured I should get it out there soon as possible for everyone to see. Definitely a departure from the multiple creamy and cheesy flavors as of late. Let’s give it a try!
#4475: Samyang Rosé Buldak Stir-fried Noodles – South Korea
First – this doesn’t taste like roses. This was sent by The Fat Hipster – thanks man! So, rose is like a chili-cream kind of thing. I tried a rabokki that was rose before and loved it, so we’ll give this a try with high hopes. I want to also thank Samyang Foods for something very exciting to hear – from the Korea Times: ‘For customers who are blind or visually impaired, the company for the first time printed Braille dots on the packaging of Rosé Buldak Stir-fried Noodles.’ This is referring to the cup versions. I think this is truly excellent. I’m legally blind and while I don’t read braille, I think some day I may need to. Really top notch of them – high marks from me. Let’s see if the flavor matches this kind innovation.
#4464: Samyang Buldak Carbonara Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen – United States
I figured out – I’ve never reviewed the cup version of this one, nor the export version either. So, let’s do it!
#4452: Samyang Buldak Jjamppong – South Korea
Here’s another Buldak variety that came by way of The Fat Hipster – he’s got a great YouTube channel you should check out! This guy drank s’mores flavor Pepsi. You should really look at what he’s up to!
#4438: Samyang Foods Buldak Lovely Hot – South Korea
A big thank you to The Fat Hipster from YouTube for sending this over – so I figured this sounds like a good place to start. Why? Well, I realized in my post schedule for YouTube that this would come on Valentine’s Day, so hearts, Valentine’s day – not an extreme stretch. This appears to be a less spicy version – but it’s also got something else going on. The packaging scheme looks a lot like Buldak Light.
#4430: Nongshim Shin Kimchi Big Bowl – South Korea
I’ve a couple fascinating varieties from the Shin range by Nongshim which came by way of The Fat Hipster – thanks man! He’s got a YouTube channel where does reviews you should check out. This is one I though was only in the UK but from the labeling it’s distributed throughout Europe – there fore its getting the South Korea stamp as it’s not just for one country but many. Let’s give it a try!
#4424: Dongwon Spicy Topokki With Rose Sauce – South Korea
I thought this one was a combo tteokbokki and noodle like the other one I reviewed a little while ago but that isn’t the case. Rose is when you have a carbonara and a spicy tteokbokki sauce mixed together – spicy and creamy. I couldn’t just let it be so I made it and it’s freaking good – here you go.
#4421: Ottogi Kimchi Ramen – South Korea
So this one might look like a variety simply for the US market but there’s a difference. The nutrition facts are valid for Canada as well. This one get’s the country of origin’s tag on it, although it’s most certainly an export product. It’s been quite a while since I’ve reviewed a South Korean variety I’ve not reviewed. Quite a while! Let’s hit it up and give it a try!
#4420: Samyang Buldak Cheese Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen – United States
So I’ve not reviewed this one in a long time. Way back when it was introduced, it had a black background, then changed to cheese colored to lessen confusion. That was back when the import version looked like the original Korean version with the Hangul text. Well, this is the current version for the US market. They’ve changed the recipe for a few of these and so curious about how this one is these days. Let’s find out. Oh – and by the way – this isn’t chicken flavored – it’s based on the spicy sauce you put on Korean BBQ chicken, so calling this chicken flavored is like calling Sweet Baby Ray’s beef flavored – but that explanation would really make for a long title. Ok let’s do this.
#4413: Ottogi Spicy Cheese Ramen – South Korea
Been wanting to try this one for a while – Ottogi makes some good ones. My favorite has been the Jin Jjamppong – nice smoky seafood flavor. Let’s give this one a try!
#4397: Paldo Stirfried Kimchi Noodles – United States
When I shot the pictures for this one, it was the last of the instant noodles I had on hand for review – until I did 5 unboxing videos yesterday. Should have enough now to get a little way into the 4400s. I’ve had this one before, although it was an incredibly long time ago – back in early 2011. Looks like I liked it. Paldo has had a logo change since then. Let’s check this one out.
#4389: Paldo Teumsae Jjajang Ramen – United States
Well look what we have here – something to mukbang. I haven’t done a mukbang in what seems like forever; I never find anything that’s spicy that I’ve not tried before – however, the folks at BNB Global have been kind enough to send me some samples. Definitely made in Korea, but packaged for US sales. Time to burn. Check out the videos below – the mukbang was released on Christmas 2022 but recorded August 17th, 2022 – I’m pretty far ahead. Let go.
#4368: Jongga Hot & Spicy Noodle – United States
Here’s another one made in South Korea and packaged for the US market. These use an interesting noodle style that I’ve only seen hailing from South Koreas. Let’s check it out.
#4365: Paldo King Noodle Spicy Chicken Flavor – United States
This one hails from South Korea, but made in this packaging for the US market. They were sent to me by BNB Global – thanks! The mild was good – let’s see how spicy this one is.
#4362: Chilkap Perilla Seeds Korean Style Pasta – South Korea
Found this one at Boo Han Market last weekend at the end of July. So, this isn’t ramen, it’s something called sujebi. Looks different that’s for sure. Let’s try it out!
#4359: Nu Rea Red Kimchi Udon – South Korea
Another one from S-Mart. There’s a different one which is Black Kimchi flavor – Should be about the same is my guess but red. I remember the black one was a little sweet – maybe this one’s more spicy? Guess only one way to find out.
#4353: Ottogi Buckwheat Chilli Noodle – United States
Here’s one made in South Korea and packaged for the Us market. This is a spicy and sweet cold noodle, perfect for summer months. As I write this, it’s just turned to August. We just had a week of temps above 90 degrees – very hot for the Seattle area – record breaking actually. Today it’s much cooler which is a relief. First day in quite a while since I remember the air conditioning being turned off.
#4352: Paldo King Noodle Mild Chicken Flavor – United States
Thanks to BNB Global for sending this along! So this looks like a ‘king cup’ but I tend to consider them bowls. I’m thawing chicken in the sink right now for this one and the previous two as well. It’s hot – it’s about 8pm and 89 degrees (July 30th) and just been a tough go. We’re about to have a record for most 90+ degree days in the Seattle area ever. It’s gross. So, what do I do? I bake pizzas, cook ramen in boiling water. It’s a challenge. Anyways, hopefully when I do this up tomorrow it’ll be cool in the morning. Let’s hit it!
#4350: Paldo Bibim Tteokbokki – South Korea
This comes by way of BNB Global – thanks! So Bibim Men is a cold noodle dish – you cook and drain the noodle, rinse with cold water and then add the sauce. This is a variety of tteokbokki, rice cake tubes which are soft and thoroughly enjoyable. This uses the same type of sauce as in the cold noodle, however it’s hot. I don’t think chilling tteokbokki would work so well – probably would make them tough. Regardless, this sounds interesting and I’m very interested. Let’s give it a try!
#4349: Paldo Stir-Fried Noodle With Spicy Soy Sauce – South Korea
This is an interesting one. While it says it is a stir-fried chicken flavor, below that it mentioned it has artificial chicken and beef flavor. I’m very curious – it sounds interesting. I’m excited as I’ll be reviewing some more Paldo stuff soon. Let’s check this one out – I think I found it at S*Mart in Bellevue, Washington.
The Ramen Rater’s Top Ten Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition
NOTE – THE 2024 LIST IS OUT – CHECK IT OUT HERE
It’s true – some like it hot. This list is comprised of the hottest varieties I’ve tried – that are currently available as far as I can tell. In prior years, there were some that were so hot that the #1 on here was like cotton candy. That being said, I’m guessing there weren’t many repeat customers. At the bottom, you’ll see those varieties. This list is current as of review #4300. Let’s get spicy with The Ramen Rater’s Spiciest Instant Noodles Of All Time 2023 Edition!
The Fat Hipster Sends Myriad Spicy Korean Varieties
The Fat Hipster is a fellow ramen afficionado and has a great review channel on YouTube – check it out! He sent a box with a ton of varieties I haven’t tried before – let’s have a look!
#4309: Samyang Foods Buldak 2x Spicy Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen Cup – United States
You know, I was surprised. Thought I’d reviewed the 2x Spicy cup before – but apparently, I hadn’t! Lucky me! I’m curious if this will burn my face off. While I thoroughly enjoyed my recent review of the Curry Buldak, it was less spicy than I’d expected. How will this one fare? I’m guessing it’ll light my mouth on fire! Let’s find out!
#4305: Nu Rea Udon Black Original – South Korea
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Here’s another interesting one, this time from South Korea. Really no clue what the ‘black’ entails, although there’s another one of these bowls that says ‘red’ on it. Let”s give it a try.
#4575: Nongshim Shin Ramyun Bokkeummyeon – South Korea
Here’s another neat and never before seen Shin variety that was sent by The Fat Hipster – Shin Bokkeummyeon. Basically, it’s a dry version of Shin – also looks to be spicy from the packaging. I hope it’s good – let’s find out!
#4302: Surasang Kimchi Janchi Guksu – South Korea
Another super recent find from S-Mart. This one sounded like it would be good. This is definitely for export, but for multiple countries so it’lll get the South Korea label instead of for a specific country being exported to. Let’s try some kimchi noodle soup!
#4296: Paldo Teumsae Stir-Fried Ramen – South Korea
If you’ve been following my reviews lately, you might wonder why this isn’t marked as for the USA – but the thing is if you look, it’s in English as well as French. This definitely means this is for the US and Canada – so, since I can’t pin it down for one or the other, this one gets the country of origin’s stamp on the review.
#4290: Sempio Korean Anchovy Noodle Soup – South Korea
Here’s the second of two Sempio varieties I found recently. This one’s anchovy flavor. Sounds simple enough. Their noodles are unique, that’s for sure. Let’s give this a try!
#4280: Sempio Korean Spicy Noodle Soup – South Korea
You know, I can’t find anything anywhere about this one and what it’s actually called; I’m guess it’s an apt title, and the label looks to be an import label from the actual company itself. However, I bet the name is different. I bet. A dollar. I have a dollar. I’d have to open the piggy bank to get the cash out, but I’m good for a buck. It’s definitely a rice noodle as opposed to a wheat noodle – and I’m guessing that would be mentioned on the packaging. I looked further on the Sempio website –
#4275: Ollebadang Jeju Red-Banded Lobster Cup Ramen – South Korea
It took a little finagling to wrap my head around this one – insofar as translation. Bar code was a no-go and the only English text referred to the caloric content and not much else. But what helped was that phone number with the 070 prefix. Boom! They were even kind enough to have an English version of their website. So, let’s check out this South Korean variety!
#4250: Mr. HOO Rice Noodle Soup Pho Flavor – United States
Here’s one that was sent by James from Lakeside, CA – thanks! I’ve been on a reviewing tear the last week – actually the past couple of weeks. I’m trying to empty bins of varieties I’ve not tried yet. This was in a box above the bins. Anyways, yeah – this is made in South Korea for the US market. Let’s check it out!
#4241: Samyang Buldak Quattro Four Cheese Artificial Spicy Chicken Flavor Ramen – United States
Here’s the second of the two varieties I’ve rushed out that arrived in the mail from MH from the Ramen Junkie group. So… Four cheese… This one’s interesting. First, this is made in South Korea, but packaged for sale in the United States. Second, Hochi looks like she’s dressed up for Halloween. During my research on this one, I found that it’s been in South Korea as well. I also found people trying this variety four months ago – kind of interesting. I wonder if they’ve just been test marketing these in a limited fashion prior to now. In the mukbang video below, I mention I thought I’d only 2 varieties not tried, however that’s not the case. In addition to the creamy carbo and the rose, there’s a jjamppong and a ‘lovely’ variety. Would like to add them to my reviews if anyone’s got some to donate! I did read that someone thought carnitas would go very well with this, and luckily my wife made some last night so I ended up with some nice garnish. Let’s cook these up – don’t forget to watch the mukbang at the bottom as well!
Exotic Pizza Party! Indomie Pizza! Bibim Men Pizza!
Welcome to my newest installment of my experimentation with instant noodles and breads/pizza dough! This one was a real win IMHO – both came out exceedingly well! First, I made an Indomie pie which presented some questions – how do I make the sauce? Butter. How about a cold pizza with Paldo Bibim Men? Never baked a pizza that would be refrigerated before serving. It’s summer and really hot here right now. Cold sounds good. I’ll give you the recipes for both which are pretty simple. Let’s hit it!
#4204: Yopokki Kimchi Rapokki – South Korea
Okay so for those of you who don’t know what tteokbokki is, you needsta figure that out because it’s really quite nice! This is both tteokbokki and ramyun; hence, rabokki. Let’s give this a try.
#4162: I’m E Choice For You Spicy Min Saeng Ramen – United States
I found this yesterday while looking for Lunar New Year specials at a big Asian grocery store. I immediately knew what I was looking at when I saw the font. These are from eMart. They’re a really big hypermarket chain in South Korea which now is opening stores in the United States. Now, this is a private label product, so one of the big companies in South Korea is making it for them . Not sure which one, but in the past it’s been Samyang. Let’s check it out!
#4138: Paldo Teumsae Stir-Fried Ramen – South Korea
Thanks to Jessica K. for clueing me in about this stuff! She said it’s good stuff and I got a good deal on it on Amazon so figured what the heck. Anyways, this is a dry version of Paldo’s Teumsae and a mukbang sounds good – only 18 degrees Fahrenheit outside right now. Let’s give it a try!
#4128: Paldo Teumsae Cheese Tteokbokki – South Korea
Here’s one from James in Lakeside, CA – thanks again! Wow – this looks burly. I had to read around to verify cooking instructions and they aren’t hard to cook – just wanted to do it right. This will be my first mukbang I’ve done in ages – not only that, I’ve been hardcore on diet and exercise lately, so not only will it be spicy, it’s going to be a gut buster. Egad. Let’s give it a shot!