Samyang Foods - U-Dong Flavor Noodle

Samyang make an Udon flavored instant noodle called Pojangmacha. The packaging of these noodles closely resembles the Pojangmacha packaging and these appear to be a rebranded version of those noodles. I suspect that the Pojangmacha brand is sold within Korea where the customers would be familiar with the term meaning a street vendor. Outside of Korea, most people would be unfamiliar with the term and it would simply be sold as U-Dong Flavor Noodle.

I was very relieved to find that the stiff piece of seaweed in Pojangmacha has been eliminated in this package. The noodles are Samyang's typical product: thick, chewy, and flavorful. The broth is quite mild but has tastes of onion, salt, and fish. There are tons of scallions to provide bursts of flavor.


I quite enjoyed these noodles despite the mild broth. It bears little resemblance to the Japanese style udon that most of us are familiar with, but still provides a satisfying experience if one is looking for a simple and hearty broth. Typically I avoid this kind of noodles due to their plainness, but it's nice to have one or two in the cupboard for those days when our tastebuds need a break.

Samyang Foods - U-Dong Flavor Noodle - 6.0/10

Samyang Foods - Kimchi Flavor Noodle

I've already reviewed this pack of instant noodles over two years ago, but I figured it was worth another try. They've changed the packaging, so it's possible they've changed the recipe as well. The Korean name for these noodles is much more prominent in this package although the graphics and layout remain nearly identical. It's possible that I've just obtained a different regional variant of these noodles, but there's no way for me to know for sure. The phrase "NO MSG" also appears for more prominently, perhaps reflecting an updated health consciousness.

I usually like Samyang's noodles thanks to their thick and chewy quality, and this pack of noodles is no exception to the rule. They have plenty of flavor and provide a nice contrast to the spicy soup. They also give you a lot of noodles, in this case 120g.

The broth in this soup is not very spicy compared to some of Samyang's other products. However, it does have a distinctive pickled cabbage taste which I never noticed before. This is a nice touch but it comes across slightly spoiled tasting instead of tasting like kimchi. They also include small dehydrated cabbage chunks to add to the kimchi theme. These noodles are pretty good, but I wish they had made it a lot spicier.

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Samyang Foods - Kimchi Flavor Noodle - 7.0/10

Yeul Ramyon - Hot Taste

Yeul Ramyon is a Korean instant noodle made by Ottogi Ramyon, the manufacturer of Jin Ramyon. Yeul Ramyon has many of the typical characteristics of Korean ramen. It comes in a large package (120g), the noodles are thick and chewy and the broth is spicy. I really don't know how this pack is supposed to differ from the Jin Ramyon Spicy Taste, but I guess that this one does not have any beef flavoring in the broth.

These noodles were nothing unusual but were still pretty good. The noodles were thick and chewy like most Korean noodles. There were plenty of mushrooms, scallions and carrots which added some nice bursts of flavor. The soup broth tasted a bit peppery and was not very spicy compared to most Korean ramen.


I enjoyed this ramen but felt that it tasted exactly like Jin Ramyon Hot Taste and most other Korean instant noodles. To be honest, next time I would just buy whatever spicy Korean ramen was on sale the most at the local Asian grocery store. They are all about the same and all pretty good.

Yeul Ramyon - Hot Taste - 5.0/10

Nong Shim - Seafood Ramyun

Seafood-flavored instant noodles are notorious for being disgusting due to overwhelming seafood flavor. However, since seafood broths are such an important part of Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese cuisine, the seafood-flavored instant noodles are an essential part of a ramen manufacturer's lineup.

The noodle brick came in the convenient circular shape. Inconveniently, however, the noodles had been broken into a few pieces during transit. My first thought upon sipping the broth was that these noodles did not really taste like seafood at all. Instead, the spiciness was quite powerful and overwhelmed the seafood taste at first. This is a pretty common seafood strategy among Korean noodle-makers since most of the seafood noodle soups in Korean cuisine are quite spicy anyway.


After a few more sips, I started to taste the seafood identity of this broth. It was just a basic fish flavor but went quite well with the noodles. I probably wouldn't get these noodles again because I prefer the basic "hot and spicy" flavor without the seafood taste. There is nothing wrong with the seafood flavor here, it just seems a little unnecessary to me.

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Nong Shim - Seafood Ramyun - 6.0/10

Nong Shim - Mu-Pama Tang Myun

To be honest, I'm not sure what Mupama means. I think it is some sort of beef and radish broth, but I have never had it at a Korean restaurant or noodle stand. I am generally quite satisfied with Nong Shim's products, so I figured I would give this a shot despite not really knowing what to expect.

The flavor of the broth in the Mu-Pama Tang Myun was quite good. There flavor was primarily beef and scallion which always makes for a nice soup base. There was also a few pieces of dehydrated cabbage, which is unusual but enjoyable. The noodles were thick and chewy with plenty of weight and substance.

Overall, I enjoyed these noodles despite not knowing what dish they were meant to evoke. The broth is a bit spicy, which was a nice surprise. But it's nowhere near the spiciness level of some of the instant noodles that I have been profiling recently. I would recommend trying this one out if you happen to see it, but I know that it is quite rare to find in the US.

Nong Shim - Mu-Pama Tang Myun - 8.0/10

Nong Shim - Japanese Style Udon Noodle Soup

Udon noodle soup is one of my favorite fresh dishes, but instant versions of udon have usually sorely disappointed me. I understand the difficulty in manufacturing a noodle that can have 12 months of shelf life, yet reconstitute into the billowy soft noodle that udon requires. I was very interested to see how well Nong Shim could do, since their other offerings are mostly top-notch.

The noodles came in a vacuum-sealed package and seemed to be partially dehydrated. They were certainly not dry and rock hard like the typical ramen package, but they were still much stiffer and drier than udon noodles should be. The thickness of each noodle seemed right, unlike Samyang's halfhearted attempt at udon where they just used their regular instant noodle.


Upon tasting the broth and noodles, I almost had to throw this one in the garbage. The noodles are not soft at all and remain stiff with a strong wheat flavor. The texture on each one is grainy like a ramen noodle, not silky smooth like udon should be. In addition, the broth tasted like soy sauce rather than the delicious umami-loaded seaweed broth that udon should have.

I really don't think it is possible with today's technology to make an instant udon noodle soup with a long shelf life. The udon noodles are just too delicate to stand up to the partial or full dehydrating that long shelf life requires. I would recommend going with a fresh udon package instead. Another option is to buy fresh udon noodles from your local Asian grocer and then making your own broth from scratch or buying a udon broth base. I have tried both of those options and they have both come out vastly superior to the Nong Shim Udon noodles.

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Nong Shim - Japanese Style Udon Noodle Soup - 0.0/10

Teumsae Ramyon

When I was purchasing these noodles at the local Korean grocery store, the cashier warned me that these were particularly spicy. I shrugged him off, since I have eaten countless packets of spicy Korean instant noodles and lived to tell the tale. Teumsae is a noodle bar chain in South Korea specializing in fresh ramyon bowls, and they have decided to produce an instant noodle that customers can make and enjoy at home. The "Teumsae Dishes" page on their website has priceless poorly translated quotes, including the following ones:

• While two people eat it, nobody knows even if the other dies.
• Chewy squid and the smoothe (sic) mussel conveys the freshness of ocean and the spicy taste makes your stuffy heart cooly
• It is well known among the young people especially, the young ladies, for it gives double pleasure of fantastic taste and exciting feeling of sauce dipping.
• Have a cool summer with the Ice-ramyun to fill the sultry summer body with cool energy.

Upon tasting the broth, I quickly concluded that these were undoubtedly the spiciest instant noodles I have ever eaten. There is little you can taste except the intense heat radiating from the broth and noodles. The flavor of the broth really did remind me of some noodle bowls that I've had at Korean restaurants. Of course the noodles don't taste as good as fresh noodles, but they did have the typical thick chewy Korean instant noodle taste that goes well with spicy broth.


People could save a lot of money on their heating bills if they started eating these noodles! They will definitely warm you up and probably require you to find something to wipe the sweat away from your brow, even if it is freezing outside. I couldn't say it better than Teumsae's own website:

• It only has never forgetting taste from various spices to turn you into 20 years of Teumsae love, right from the moment it touches your tongue.

Teumsae Ramyon - 8.5/10

Nong Shim - Kal Gook Soo

These noodles are meant to imitate the same dish as Samyang Food's KalGugSu Noodle Soup. The original dish is served with thin, flat noodles and has a shellfish based broth. I have had a lot of poor experiences with seafood flavored instant noodles, but in general, the Korean noodle manufacturers seem to have done a pretty good job. The key, in my opinion, is to stay away from shrimp and crab and stick to shellfish flavorings like clam and mussels. It also helps if they make the broth spicy, like Nong Shim's Neoguri Seafood & Spicy noodles.

I must say that the smell from these noodles is quite strong. Even before I added boiling water, the smell of clams began emanating from the powder I poured on the noodles. After adding water, I felt like I was at a fishing pier. The broth smelled and tasted like salty clam broth. The flavor was pretty good and the disgusting factor was acceptably low. There were some floating yellow tofu strips that I thought were unnecessary.


The noodles included are different from Nong Shim's typical noodles. They are wide and flat and I found that they tended to stick together more than the usual round noodles. Despite being flat, they needed longer to cook in order to fully separate and soften. Overall, they were acceptable but there was nothing remarkable about their taste. These noodles are OK if you are craving some clam-flavored broth, but my advice is just to steer clear of seafood flavored instant noodles.

Nong Shim - Kal Gook Soo - 5.5/10

Paldo - Hwa Ramen

The Chinese character for fire is displayed prominently on the front of this package, leaving no doubt the intended flavoring of these noodles. I like this package; it conjures up a mental image of a hot coal or something else too hot to even hold. It is a little odd that the packaging proudly boasts that these noodles are now "with soy peptide". But perhaps that is not weird for the Korean consumers that these noodles are targeted towards.

Without a doubt, these noodles truly pack a hot and spicy punch. The broth is cough-inducingly and sweat-provokingly spicy. As with all Paldo noodles, they are thick and chewy with not a lot of flavor. But your tastebuds will be numb anyways upon sipping the broth. The advertised "soy peptide" refers to these small vegetable protein cakes that are included. As usual, I think these things are just weird and don't taste particularly good. I really don't know why they seem to be popping up everywhere in these instant noodle packages.

This is a good pack of instant noodles to pick on a cold day when you need something to warm you up. Trust me, this one will definitely warm you up although it won't provide much besides heat. I rather enjoyed it and also thought the packaging was quite fun and unique.

Paldo - Hwa Ramen - 7.5/10

Jin Ramyon - Mild Taste

These noodles have nearly the identical packaging as Jin Ramyon - Hot Taste except that the color scheme has been changed to blue instead of red. Here, they have also used a slightly different picture that includes a couple slices of beef. The raw egg yolk is still prominently in the picture. The package also proudly advertises that this pack of instant noodles is MSG Free, which is quite an accomplishment because these things are usually full of MSG.


The noodles were thick, chewy, and flavorless as I expected from trying the Hot Taste of these noodles. The biggest surprise was that the broth was a little bit spicy. I had been expecting a flavor completely devoid of heat but actually there was a pleasant peppery spice to the soup. In fact, the broth tasted quite good, combining flavors of pepper, soy sauce, mushroom, and beef. Much better than the Hot Taste flavor made by these guys.


I wasn't thrilled with this pack of instant noodles since the noodles themselves are quite disappointing. However, the broth was a pleasant surprise and was definitely flavorful and savory despite having no MSG. I recommend the Mild Taste much more than the Hot Taste for Jin Ramyon.

Jin Ramyon - Mild Taste - 5.5/10

Jin Ramyon - Hot Taste

I don't think I'll ever fully understand why ramen manufacturers choose to put pictures of raw eggs on the front of their packages. But Ottogi Ramyon, makers of Jin Ramyon have chosen to do just that. In Korean cuisine, it is customary to crack a raw egg into your boiling hot soup at the dinner table. In that case, though, the egg cooks immediately and doesn't sit on top of the soup looking raw.

Ottogi Ramyon has very little distribution in the US and I've only seen them in one supermarket in my life. This is typical of many imported ramen, however, since it is difficult to compete with such tight profit margins on instant noodles. The noodles here were thick and chewy but lacked flavor. The broth was spicy, but not nearly as spicy as some of the other Korean instant noodles that I've had recently. In fact, it was a little disappointing that the broth wasn't spicier, since I had been expecting a real sweat-inducing lava soup.


There isn't much that's exciting about these noodles. The broth is mildly spicy, but not especially flavorful and the noodles themselves are quite forgettable. There are much better Korean spicy instant noodles so pick up another pack.

Jin Ramyon - Hot Taste - 3.0/10

Paldo - Stir Fried Kimchi Noodles

I usually think of Paldo as one of the cheaper and lesser Korean brands. I got this pack from the Korean supermarket and it looks quite different from every other Paldo pack I've ever had. Notice that this one is different from the Paldo Kimchi Flavor that I already reviewed. The package proudly indicates that stirfried kimchi is inside, which really intrigued me as I've never seen anything like that before.

The kimchi came in a very large packet that was well sealed to prevent any possible leakage. Inside was a lot of liquid and the kimchi itself. This was quite unusual because vegetables are almost always dehydrated in instant noodles. This saves on weight and also prolongs the shelf life.

There were quite a few pieces of kimchi in the package; the kimchi pouch contained its own weight measurement and claimed to contain 40g of it. You can't really see all the kimchi in the picture because it tended to sink to the bottom. I think next time I try this one, the kimchi should be added right at the end so that it doesn't get buried during the stirring process.

The Paldo noodles are typical Korean noodles. They are thick and chewy and provide a tasty contrast to the spicy soup. I thought that the flavor of the broth and especially the kimchi was a little bit too sour and bitter. The appeal of kimchi is that it is able to combine many different flavors, including spiciness, saltiness, savoriness, and a hint of sweetness. However, I felt that the flavor in these noodles was too sour and didn't really taste like kimchi. That was a shame, because the included kimchi was an interesting idea and I really wanted to like it.

Paldo - Stir Fried Kimchi Noodles - 3.5/10

Paldo Korean Noodle - Chicken Flavor

Paldo competes in the very crowded Korean instant noodle market. Here in the US, the Paldo packs tend to be a little cheaper than the analogous Samyang or Nong Shim offerings. I had a friend in college who relied on cases of Paldo for subsistence; it was still cheap and the flavor was better than the ultra-cheap American ramen.


The Paldo noodles are thick and chewy like most Korean instant noodles. The pack also contains a lot of noodles: 120g to be exact. There were some strange flat orange squares of textured vegetable protein which I found quite repulsive. I really don't know why Paldo decided to include these, since they were completely out of place and tasted funny as well.


The broth tasted just like chicken broth. Nothing exciting, just the flavor of salt and chicken. There were some scallions and dehydrated carrots in the broth, but I couldn't stop being disgusted by the protein squares. There really wasn't anything remarkable or memorable about these noodles so I wouldn't recommend these. I would recommend going with Nissin Demae instead.

Paldo Korean Noodle - Chicken Flavor - 4.0/10

Paldo Korean Noodle - Kimchi Flavor

Although I've never tasted this particular pack of instant noodles, I had a pretty good idea what they would taste like. Most Korean brands specialize in hot and spicy flavors, but Paldo actually has quite an extensive line of non-spicy noodles.

No surprises here as the broth turned bright red upon addition of the flavoring packet. As expected, the broth packed quite a spicy punch. Like their Korean brethren, the noodles themselves tended to be a little thicker and chewier.

Honestly, the flavor of these noodles is practically indistinguishable from other Korean spicy noodles. With that said, they are still all very good and one of my favorite styles of instant noodle. My advice is to buy whichever one happens to be on sale that day!

Paldo Korean Noodle - Kimchi Flavor - 7.0/10

Samyang Foods - KalGugSu Noodle Soup

I am not too familiar with what KalGugSu is supposed to be, but I believe it is a Korean dish made with a shellfish broth and chewy noodles. The picture on the front of this pack seems to corroborate my hypothesis. These noodles are made by Samyang Foods, one of the giants of Korean instant noodles along with Nong Shim and Paldo.

Unlike all other Korean noodles that I've had, KalGugSu's noodles are wide and flat. They are also chewier and maintain their chewiness even when cooked for a long time. The other surprise here is that this pack is not hot and spicy, like almost all other Korean noodles.

For once, I was not completely disgusted by the seafood tasting broth. The taste is quite clammy, but it is done in a savory way that actually tastes like clam. The bits of seaweed and carrot in the broth were helpful as well. I still prefer the hot and spicy types of Korean noodles but this is a nice change of pace. Both the texture of the noodles and the flavor of the broth are very different than the usual fare.

Samyang Foods - KalGugSu Noodle Soup - 6.0/10

Samyang Foods Cup Noodle - Hot Beef Flavor

I don't usually buy the instant noodles that come in disposable packaging; I think it is just a waste from an environmental standpoint. But once in awhile I'll buy one if it looks interesting enough. In this case, my curiosity was piqued by the fact that these are made by Samyang foods, one of my favorite Korean noodle brands.


Unlike most American noodle cups, these contain a flavor sachet under the lid that you need to open up and put on the noodles. I'm guessing that this is so they can package it with a different flavor sachet and instantly change flavors.

The noodles inside bear little resemblance to those found in the "brick" style instant noodles made by Samyang Foods. These are much thinner and less flavorful, much like the noodles found in Nissin Cup Noodle or Maruchan Instant Lunch. Quite a disappointment because I was hoping that they could replicate their tasty noodles in this cup form.


The flavor definitely reminded me of Samyang's other offerings. Unlike those, this had a bunch of chunks of Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP). I don't really like TVP because it just tastes unnatural. But I guess they decided to include it just to be more "beefy". While the flavor of the broth was pretty good, the noodles themselves and the inclusion of TVP ruined this experience for me. From now on, I'm going to stick to Samyang in "brick" form.

Samyang Foods Cup Noodle - Hot Beef Flavor - 4.0/10

Samyang Foods - Leebaikyang

It's hard not to notice these noodles on the shelf with their flaming red packaging. Made by Samyang Foods, the Leebaikyang noodles are imported from Korea and are graced by a trio of jolly musicians on the package. I have no idea what Leebaikyang means, but I have had good success with Samyang Foods in the past, so I decided to try these noodles. Judging by the packaging and where these noodles come from, I would guess that they are probably spicy hot with not much other flavor.


Like all their other products, Samyang noodles are very chewy and need to be cooked a little longer than the average ramen. However, I feel that they also tend to be tastier with a little more flavor as well. They definitely have more substance and will fill you up better.


As I expected, these noodles turned out to be just like every other one of Samyang Food's spicy instant noodles. The spiciness is very strong and has a tangy chili powder flavor. There's a nice amount of scallions and dried shitake mushrooms to add some variety. Nong Shim and Samyang are certainly battling it out to win the Korean hot and spicy noodle battle. Their products are so similar and redundant that I cannot really tell them apart. But they happen to be one of my favorite styles so I am not going to complain!

Samyang Foods - Leebaikyang - 8.0/10

Nong Shim - Chapagetti

Here's a flavor that's pretty different than the standard instant noodles that you find. It is based on a common Chinese and Korean dish called Chajang Myun. This dish is traditionally served with ground beef or pork and a slightly sweet sauce made with black bean paste. I am not really a fan of this dish, but I was curious as to what the instant noodle version would taste like.

"Chapagetti" is certainly an interesting name for these noodles. I guess they are trying to say that it is a blend of Chajang and Spaghetti...? These noodles have a little different cooking instructions than what you usually see since they are not supposed to be served with soup. You must boil the noodles in water and then drain them and add tablespoons of water and add the sauce packets to create the sauce.


These noodles came in the convenient circular brick form, although this convenience was largely lost since the cooking method required independent boiling. The circular brick is really only helpful when you can cook the noodles in the bowl and not have to drain them.

Strangely, the sauce came in pellet form but dissolved easily enough in the water to form a very dark sauce. The flavor was surprisingly mild. It definitely tasted like the right kind of flavor, it's just not as strong as I am used to getting when this dish is homemade or served in a restaurant. I won't be buying this again because it just wasn't that good. Nong Shim is a quality brand, but don't go for this one!

Nong Shim - Chapagetti - 5.0/10

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Samyang Ramen

I have been trying a lot of Samyang's offerings recently, specifically Sogoki Myun, Sutah Ramen, Kimchi Ramen, and Pojangmacha U-Dong. But this one has the special privilege of being named after the company: Samyang Foods.

The packaging reminded me of a box of Tide detergent but I didn't let that stop me from trying it. No surprises on the inside...like almost every other Korean ramen in the world, there is a big block of noodles with a spice packet and a dried vegetable packet.


The steam from the broth fogged up my camera lens! But let me tell you, this was quite a tasty ramen with plenty of heat yet plenty of flavor as well. I especially liked the shitake mushrooms included in the veggie packet. You don't see that very often for some reason yet they add a lot of potent bursts of flavor to the whole package. This is quite similar to Samyang's Sogoki Myun, Sutah Ramen and Kimchi Ramen but comes together a little bit better. Very satisfying and deserving of the Samyang name!

Samyang Ramen - 9.0/10

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Sogoki Myun - Beef Flavor

The packaging of this reminded me very much of the Kimchi Ramen I had a few weeks ago, which was also made by Samyang Foods. I guess you could say they are part of the same family of large Korean instant noodles with relatively basic flavors.

These noodles turned out to be much spicier than I had anticipated. It's not quite up to the heat level of Shin Ramyun, but it definitely has more kick than you might expect from the packaging, which gives no hint that it might be spicy inside. I guess these Korean packages don't need to indicate spiciness, since pretty much all Korean instant noodles are spicy. The exception is the Chajung Myun varieties.


Couldn't really taste any beef flavor because the heat from the broth overwhelmed the taste. Overall, these were decent simple noodles that didn't do very much to distinguish themselves in my mind positively or negatively.

Sogoki Myun - Beef Flavor - 7.0/10