#841: Nongshim Chapagetti Chajang Noodle (Korean Version)

Thanks to Moon Hee Wi of the JoongAng Ilbo for sending me these! She wrote this article about me. So I’ve reviewed the Chapagetti that’s available here in the US, but this is the Korean version so it gets its own review. I’ve always done this and now I’ve got more reason to. I was talking to a manufacturer of instant noodles from Korea and they said that they use chicken in their instant noodles. The only problem is that the Food & Drug Administration doesn’t like Korean chicken for some reason. So they have to import chicken from a big poultry supplier in the USA into Korea, process it and package their product and then ship it back to the US for the blessing of the FDA. Not sure if that’s the case here, but regardless, it’s interesting to think that this kind of this has to happen to bring instant noodles to us from abroad.

Back of the packaging.

The noodle block. Wide noodles and lots of ’em.

The soup base – more precisely the sauce base.

This is different; more of a granulated kind of thing.

The vegetable packet.

A neat looking little smorgasbord.

A packet of olive oil.

Your standard olive oil here.

Hey look – a new plate! The President of Nongshim America kindly sent some bowls and this interesting plate recently. Thanks!

Finished. Added broccoli, re bell pepper, onion and some roast beef. The noodles are thick and hearty. I would go so far as to say that once everything is combined, the noodles and sauce are kind of meaty. It’s a really hearty and heavy meal – very tasty! The veggies are pretty good too – this is a fusion dish; spaghetti and Chajang, a black bean dish from China. Here’s a Wikipedia entry on it. I like it! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 8801043015226 – get the version available in the United States here.

A Chapagetti commercial from the late 90’s – looks like they’re huddled around a monitor checking out the then-new Internet, but the Internet isn’t as awesome as Chapagetti!

Psy doing “Gangnam Style” on SBS today!

#809: Nongshim Neoguri Mild (Korea)

Here’s another one that Moo Hee-Wi from Korea sent me. she was the one who wrote the JoongAng Ilbo article about The Ramen Rater last month! Thanks again! So this is what you would find in the Korean superkarket if you wanted to get some Mild Neoguri. A while back I reviewed the US version. Let’s give this one a try!

Something I found interesting is the little raccoon character. As we have seen before in Maruchan’s Midori no Tanuki and the Yamamoto Ponpoko bowls, raccoons have a ‘lucky’ thematic reference. Neoguri translates to raccoon in Korean.

The nice round noodle block.

Seasoning powder.

Lots of it.

The veggie packet.

I found this interesting – compare the contents in the US version to these. Looks like kamaboko here but none in the other one.

Finished. Added some vegetables, an egg, a slice of processed cheese, some fish cakes, kimchi, pepper and gochujang. Good stuff – noodles are nice and thick but not super chewy. Easily broken with pursed lips. The broth is nice too – like it purports to be, the broth is mild and has a rich seafood taste. The veggie packet was mostly seaweed and some kamaboko – I liked the prevalence of the seaweed. The kamaboko was alright but usually I find these to be more for show. A nice bowl of noodles. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 8801043014946 .

Can someone over in Korea email me the link or an *.apk for this? Would love to have this app!

This guy’s got it made – would love to be able to go for a walk and get some of this stuff on the street!

Re-Review: Meet The Manufacturer: Nongshim Champong Ramyun Instant Noodle Soup

This is a re-review – the last time I had this was probably in 2003 – when it was review #21. For some reason, I thought that it (Neoguri as well) had octopus in it. Clearly, that’s a squid holding chopstick and wearing clothing. I should note that these days, I know that’s a squid – and that squids don’t wear clothing. Moving on…

Here’s the back of the package.

The noodle block.

Powder seasoning packet.

Spicy, red and hot!

The veggie and seafood packet.

Says the seafood component involved mussel flakes and fish cake.

Finished. Added some onion, odeng, an egg, some processed cheese, some splashes of Tabasco Buffalo Style hot sauce and a little bit of Ajishima Kimchi Furikake. The noodles are nice and wide – they sucked up the broth very nicely and are slightly chewier than the last few Nongshim varieties I’ve had. The broth is great – very very spicy and has a kind of seafood tomato soup kind of sense to it. Very good! The veggies / fish components aren’t bad – all in all a great pack of noodles! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars! UPC bar code 8801043157759 .

Champong TV commercial.

Another Champong commercial

#745: Nongshim Jinjja Jinjja (Really Really) Ramyun

Here’s something really new and very different from a lot of the instant noodles I’ve reviewed before. Jinjja Jinjja translates to “Really Really” (Spicy Spicy) – and I suppose in this review we’re going to find out how really really spicy Jinjja is! I should say that I sampled this one at Nongshim America while I was down there, so I have tried it before – but not a while bowl of it. I found out that the flavor comes from boiling pork bones for a long time, black beans and peanuts! It also turns out that the wheat flour used to make these has some red pepper powder added to them – heat in the noodle as well as from the dry seasonings! Let’s give this a try!

Here’s the back of the package. As you can see, it’s in Korean – it will be available in the United States soon. On Nongshim USA’s facebook page, they’re asking for suggestions as to what to call this in the states!

The big round noodle block – ready to rumble!

Here’s the heat – big red packet full of powder!

Took a pinch to taste before cooking – yeah this is spicy that’s for sure! Has a nice flavor to it too.

Here’s a packet that I imagine will have the peanut component to it.

Indeed it does – a nice peanut flavor and very fine powder.

Finally, the vegetable packet.

A myriad of thin, light and colorful veggie flakes.

Finished. Soon as it was done, my nose was happily greeted by the peanut smell. Then I dug in! First, the noodles: nice. They’re a little chewy and a perfect gauge to them. Not crumbly, not stiff – just right. The broth: first off, it’s spicy. Really really spicy! Underneath the heat lies a complex flavor of saltiness and spices that balance very nicely. Usually I’ve found that with instant noodle varieties that are about heat are not so much about flavor – this one is spicy as well as tasty. The veggies are there and in a decent amount. I would think this would be great with a little shredded pork, an egg  and some extra veggies as well – and I think next time I may try it with a slice of processed cheese. This is good stuff – my lips are happily burning! Bottom line: If you like it spicy, you’ll be pleased! 4.75 out of 5.0 stars! UPC bar code 8801043017916 .

Here’s a TV commercial for Jinjja Jinjja – the two men are ‘cultwo’ – famous comedians Kim tae-kwyun and Jung Chan-woo.

Another Jinjja Jinjja commercial.