Re-Review: Meet The Manufacturer: Nongshim Kal Guk Soo Korean Style Noodle Soup

I reviewed this about a year ago – at number 442. Well, let’s give it another review! It’s a bit different than other instants I’ve had from Nongshim. Here’s what it says on their website:

Kal Guk Soo is a light soothing traditional Noodle Soup made with a calcium-rich anchovy soup base with zucchini, green onion and egg flakes. The noodles are not fried making it even better for those who prefer a less heavy meal.

Let’s give it a try!

Check out the amount of water and the cooking time.

Here’s why: the noodles are different. Look to be broad and flat.

Here’s the seasoning packet.

Lots of light powder – not the usual red color.

Here’s the veggie packet.

Looks like a nice mix of veggies.

Finished. I added some onion, some Odeng, a little Fresno pepper and some Ajishima Kimchi Furikake. Hey this is good stuff! The noodles are indeed broad and flat and very different from the usual ones I’ve had from Nongshim varieties. They have a light firmness and are very good. The broth is full of anchovy flavor and very tasty.  The veggies are good too – they fit the dish well. I like this a lot – last time I gave it 4.0 stars, this time I think it’s getting 4.5 out of 5.0. I could eat this all day! UPC bar code 031146157358 .

Here’s a Shin Ramyun commercial

Wow now that looks hot!

#714: Pulmuone Nature Is Delicious Non-Fried Ramyun Noodle (Spicy)

Here’s a rather uniquely titled one that the nice folks at Ramen Place sent along! I think I would rearrange the title right now to Is Nature Delicious? I guess that what we’re trying to find out with this review. Pulmuone seems to put out products that try to appeal to the health conscious. Let give it a try!

I really like the ‘Why do I feel guilty after giving my husband ramyun? Can we enjoy ramyun without feeling guilty?’ caption. I will say right now I never feel guilty when I eat the noodles unless the particular variety has an odor that my wife doesn’t like. Other than that, nope – no guilt here.

Had a taste of this block as it was non-fried and it’s not bad – crunchy but not like uncooked spaghetti crunchy.

There’s nothing as wonderful as a bright red packet of Korean seasonings, no matter what company makes it. You immediately know the fire within will be coming out soon!

Yep this is that good spicy powder we all know and love.

Veggies!

Quite an array of veggies going on here – onion, carrot, red pepper and mushrooms.

Finished. Nature looks delicious! I added some roast beef, stir-fry veggies, an egg in the noodles as they cooked, a couple drops of Tabasco Buffalo Hot Sauce in the center of the broken yolk, some Ajishima Kim Chi furikake and a little bit of Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt on the egg. So let’s dig in. The noodles are good – not very chewy but not low on character; they’re tasty and enjoyable. The broth has a strong spicy flavor. The veggies are all over the place and pretty tasty. I must say that 3 cups of water is a realistic amount to use as per the instructions – this is not a thin broth either. Good stuff – nature truly is delicious! 3.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 8801114119068 – get it here.

First part of a multipart feature about Pulmuone.

The COEX Kimchi Museum in Korea!

Re-Review: Marchuan Ramen Noodle Soup Pork Flavor

I remember reviewing this one a while back up in Anacortes – got it and was really stoked as I’d never seen it before!

Here’s my son, Andreas! He’s eating a bowl of Indomie Special Chicken flavor noodles – he doesn’t like the soup do I drain it for him. He gave me a gift this year for Christmas which was a pack of Beef, Pork and Oriental Maruchan noodles! Awesome! Thank you so much, Andsy! Love you and will enjoy these and review them!

Here’s the back of the packaging. Pretty standard panels.

The noodle block.

I keep seeing people doing up posts like ‘how to make ramen healthy’ and one thing they say to do is to either get rid of the packet altogether or use barely any of it. I don’t think these people like to taste their food. Anyways, here’s the glorious single packet!

Here’s the seasoning powder – yes, it contains salt. So does a salt shaker, pizza, hamburgers, etc.

I added two eggs as it boiled. I also adjust the water – about 25mL less. I don’t know if it does much, but it seems like the flavor stays more intact what with the increase in mass in the bowl. Anyways, the noodles – your standard all-Americanized/Japanese noodles. Note – to those who demand they delete the seasoning pscket, why not just buy some high quality ramen noodles? Soba! Come on! The broth is very nice – salty and pork flavor. I really liked this one. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars! Thasnks again, Andy! Merry Christmas!

Andy’s a huge LEGO maniac – and soon as I click ‘post,’ we’re going to build a ton of sets he got for Christmas!

Awesome.

 

#402: Sau Tao (Thick) Instant Noodle King Scallop Soup Flavor

I think this is the last of the Sau Tao’s I have for reviewing at this point. This one’s Scallop flavor with thick noodles. Again, these noodles aren’t fried. If you notice to the upper right of center, you are being informed that ‘Health is important.’ Looks like 4g fat and 7.5g fiber – not too bad actually.

So here we go with the packets. I really enjoy the look of the powder packet – the one at the far left. It’s got that old Asian product look that really draws me to the noodles in the first place. Next is a clear packet of seasoned oil. This packet might often be cloudy because the temperature would be cooler. The last is the veggies and other stuff packet, a good sized one.

An interesting melange of colors going on here… Those noodles are real weird looking are they not?

As is my constant behoove, I added one fried egg. I see fried eggs in all sorts of instant noodles from every part of Asia. Breaking a soft yolk really makes the broth more accommodating and relaxing to the palate, like a fleece blanket. The noodles, healthy as they are, are kind of lacking. I think frying them gives an extra bit of flavor and texture that these don’t have. The broth was extremely thin, and I would recommend using a little less water than the directions call for – maybe just fill it a tad below the line. The winner here were the veggies. They re hydrated nicely and were delicious. It all came together decently, but wasn’t anything really exceptional. 3.0 out of 5.0 stars.

NOTE: This one did come with a fork but I’ve done a Sau Tao fork update already.

It didn’t make me deflate.

When I grew up, I lived very close to the Canadian border, so I saw a lot of Canadian kids’ shows. Here’s a few…

#377: Sau Tao Ho Fan Abalone Chicken Soup Flavored

Yep – here’s another of the Sau Tao’s. I’m just going to go through all of them in a row I think. This is Chicken and Abalone – kind of a new twist on ‘surf and turf’ eh? Anyways…

From left to right we have seasoning powder, seasoned oil and veggies.

A blurry shot of the ingredients atop the noodles. This is what happens when you combine housecleaning and ramen rating.

The final product. Broth is awesome, noodles are awesome, tons of veggies! Extremely good stuff; kind of reminds me of a chicken stew. Added a little black pepper after this picture too and that added a little niceness to the whole thing. So this appears to be my favorite so far of the Sau Tao line. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars! Find it here.