RAMEN~!!

Paldo Bibim Men (비빔면) If you don't like messing around with broth and enjoy spicy things, then give this a try! So, we're back with Paldo for the second week in a row. This ramen is meant to resemble Bibim Naengmyeon (비빔냉면), which is a cold spicy noodle dish that actually looks a lot like the finished product of this instant ramen. Contents (from left to right): Sauce and Noodles Cooked noodles The noodles in this ramyun are really thin, as they're supposed to resemble the buckwheat noodles used in naengmyeon. They're not as chewy as the noodles in the other ramyun I've tried, but they're extremely soft in texture and consistency. Similar to the Zha Wang ramyun, these noodles are strained and cooled after cooking and then mixed with the packet of sauce provided. The sauce As the package states, the sauce for this ramyun contains real apple juice. This style of dish normally contains pureed apple or asian pear, which adds a laye...

Paldo Cheese (치즈) Ramyun If you like cheese and are looking for something different, then this give this a try! The Paldo brand is known for the Bul Jjamppong (불짬뽕) Ramyun, Rabokki (라볶이 - a combination of ramyun and tteokbokki, also known as spicy rice cakes), and Bibimmyeon (비빔면). Contents (from left, top to bottom): Cheese powder, soup base, dried vegetables, and noodles. The soup base has a bit of heat to it, with a hint of a seafood-like flavor (once again, anchovies). The cheese powder (stirred in after cooking) adds a slightly salty and creaminess similar to eating Cheetos Puffs, but a little sweeter. The noodles in this one are similar in thickness and chewiness to the Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun, but I think this one takes a little longer to cook. They're still excellent quality noodles though, so no worries there. (I started eating and then remembered to take the picture, so there's only a small bowl this time.) Adding cheese to ramyun (particula...

Nongshim Zha Wang (짜왕) Ramyun If you like Jjajangmyun (짜장면 - black bean noodles), then this is totally the ramyun for you! So, we're back to the Nongshim brand for yet another fantastic ramyun, this one based off of Jjajangmyun, also known as black bean noodles. Contents (from left, top to bottom): Flakes, Sauce Mix, Vegetable Oil, and Noodles The noodles in this one are a bit thicker than what you normally see in ramyun. However, they do soak up the sauce really well and have a really great chewiness to them that I don't think I've ever seen in instant noodles before. A package of "flakes" containing dried cabbage, peas and what appear to be something like tofu bits are included and cooked with the noodles. The packet of vegetable oil (although it smells more like sesame oil than vegetable oil) is mixed into the noodles before adding the sauce. Similar to last week's ramyun, the sauce for this ramen is prepared separately from ...

Ottogi Cold Soy Milk Noodle (콩국수) Ramyun If you're looking for a cool, refreshing ramyun, then you may want to give this one a go! The Ottogi brand is another prominent company in the ramyun industry, with products such as Jin Ramyun, the Ppushu Ppushu snack ramyun and the Sesame Ramyun.  I decided not to eat a spicy one this week, partially because this one was on sale when I went to the store and I hadn't tried it before. The noodles were fabulously soft and chewy, as usual with most Korean ramyun. The interesting thing about this one was that I had to strain and cool the noodles after cooking them. Although since it's a cold ramyun, I suppose that's a given, haha. The broth for this ramen is prepared separately from the noodles, and uses cold water. As you can see in the picture below, it's very milky and has sesame seeds in it. Perhaps I didn't wait long enough before I ate it (in my defense, I was hungry), but the soup was very gritty...

Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun WARNING: Contains extremely spicy ramyun. Consume at own risk. If you like Kimchi Stew (김치찌개), then this is the ramyun for you!  The Nongshim brand is known for producing a variety of different ramyun, such as the Bowl Noodle, Shin Black Ramyun and Chapagetti.  The Kimchi Ramyun boasts of its authentic kimchi flavoring. The soup base provides the almost fizzy tang of well-aged kimchi, with underlying hints of the fatty savoriness of anchovies. However, if you aren't one for spicy things, I would recommend not putting in the entire packet of soup base. My lips turned numb about halfway through. The noodles themselves are of a slightly thicker variety than those seen in Japanese instant ramen like Sapporo Ichiban and Top Ramen. When cooked, their texture is of a chewiness similar to al dente pasta. A package of dried kimchi is also included in the package, and is added with the soup base and noodles. It adds more tanginess and texture to ...