#989: GS25 Gonghwachun Jjamppong

This was sent to me by Kristina W. of Arizona – thank you! This one was a toughie to decipher so here’s what I found. GS25 is a chain of conventience stores in South Korea. From what I read on the packaging, this is a product made for them by Paldo. There’s a restaurant in Incheon called Gonghwachun – I think that’s what is being referred to here. Gonghwachun is a famous Chinese restaurant and well known for its Jjajangmyeon. Finally, Jjamppong (also jjambong, champong) is a spicy seafood soup. If I’m wrong, please comment! Anyways, on with the review!

Here’s the back of the packaging (click image to enlarge). From what I see, I’m going with 550mL of water and then cooking the noodles and seasoning powder for 4 minutes. After that, adding the seasoning block and giving a stir.

A nice big brick of noodles.

Powder seasoning.

Spicy flavored seasoning.

A seasoning block!

Seasoning blocks are really cool – they re-hydrate really quickly and have lots of interesting ingredients. This one has a strong fish scent.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added odeng, shrimp, narutomaki, kamaboko and sweet onion. The noodles nice and wide and plentiful. The broth is nice and spicy and has great seafood flavor. This is a real treat – 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 8801128506656

About Jjajangmyeon in South Korea.

#988: Amino Kuchnia Polska Ogorkowa

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Here’s another great one sent by Gil & Joe of the UK! This is a Polish variety. What’s Ogorkowa mean? Simple – cucumber soup. I looked around online and found lots of recipes, some using dill pickles and mentioning that pregnant Polish women favored this soup. Well, let’s check it out!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge).

As the noodles came from a long way via postal mail, they got a little beaten up – here’s one of the chunks.

The dry seasoning packet – a pretty big one!

Has a strong dill pickle scent and kind of a taste much like sour cream and onion chips.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added sweet onion, finely chopped ham and black pepper. The noodles  are pretty good – nothing really weird, just a nice consistency and chew. The broth is slightly on the bland side, but has a really interesting fill flavor to it I enjoyed. 3.25 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 5900300545698.

A recipe for Ogorkowa.

#987: Trident Singapore Soft Noodles

Here’s another one that I was sent from australia! Singapore soft noodles – never heard of such a thing.

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The dry seasoning packet.

Kind of a beef flavor powder – interesting.

Seasoned oil packet.

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A strong onion scent here.

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added broccoli, sweet onion and green bell pepper. The noodles are pretty standard instant noodles – they’re soft and plentiful with a slight crumble to them. The flavoring is kind of bland. There’s some heat and a slight saltiness but that’s as far as it goes. 2.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 9310182300036.

How to make Singapore noodles.

#986: Paldo Jong-gah-jip Kimchi Ramen

Here’s one that was sent by Sungmin over at Paldo America – thank you! This is a new variety that just came out in South Korea. The name ‘Jong-gah-jip’ is of a well-known kimchi producer. Let’s give this a try!

Here’s the back of the package (click image to enlarge).

The noodle block.

The seasoning packet.

The powder is nice – salty and spicy, but not spicy in the extreme. Has a nice richness to it.

The vegetable packet.

A nice little variety.

We went to KS Mart yesterday. KS Mart is in the Lynnwood, Washington area on 172nd and 99.

It’s been a while since I’ve had any kimchi on hand, so it was time to get a jar! I’ve samples store-made varieties around this area and I would say my favorite’s made at KS Mart. Gotta put kimchi in kimchi ramyun, right?

Finished (click image to enlarge). Added kimchi, sweet onion, an egg and processed cheese. The noodles are your typical Paldo fare – nice amount and really tasty and wide. The broth is nice and rich with a strong flavor of gochujang and other seasonings. The veggies are good too. Good stuff! 4.0 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 8809296881537.

Here’s the rad Namja TV commercial!

Anti-Loneliness Ramen Bowl: Exclusive Interview With MisoSoupDesign

I saw a lot of posts lately about the fantastic new ‘Anti Loneliness Ramen Bowl’ lately – a product designed by Miso Soup Design. I thought people would really like to know more about it – straight from the source. I was fortunate to be able to contact the makers of this neat new product and did an interview via email. In the future, I’ll be receiving a sample and put it through its paces with a video review! For now, here’s the interview:

THE RAMEN RATER> Can you tell me a little about how Miso Soup Design came to be?

MISO SOUP DESIGN> Founded by Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan, MisoSoupDesign is an architectural design studio that concentrates on the process of making.
After graduating from Columbia University GSAPP (Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation) and worked in New York for many years, they decided to achieve the dream of making a project come true, by joining Solar Decathlon Europe 2010, and dedicate in the research of sustainability. After that, they began to apply the systematic way of thinking in both architecture and product design, and discover the surprising moment when form meets function. Currently, MisoSoupDesign has offices in Tokyo and Taiwan, and they are both Assistant Professor at the National Chiao Tung University. Received awards include A’Design Award Golden award, 7th Far Eastern International Digital Architectural Design Award, and ACADIA architectural competition 1st prize.

TRR> How did you get the idea to transcend your architecture design skills to the ramen noodle bowl?

MSD> When designing a building, we want to achieve both esthetic and efficiency. We believe it is the same for product design, so form and function can be combined.

TRR> How did testing the bowl go?

MSD> To achieve the slick shape of the bowl, we have done many tests with ceramic. It challenges both the designer and the maker how to perfect the curvature, and we have finally came to the ideal form.

TRR> What material is the bowl made of? How did you decide what material to use?

MSD> Traditional noodle (bowls) are mostly made with ceramics. Noodles can be extremely hot, so we chose double layer ceramic skin to prevent people from getting burned.  It also keeps the soup warm longer.

TRR> Will the bowl hold only the iPhone?

MSD> It holds iPhone and all similar size devices.

TRR>  What colors are available?

MSD> Black and white.

TRR> Where can people go to purchase one?

MSD> Our latest model is being made at the moment and it will go to the US in a couple of months.

TRR> Are there other products that you’ve designed?

MSD> We also designed furniture, planter and jewelry. (Please see attached images)

S_Cube
S-CUBE has inherited the cardboard box shape and material to create multifunction: stool, seating and steps. The sheet of cardboard is precisely cut by CNC machine and folded to create polygon blocks, and turn S-CUBE into a strong yet light-weight structure. To upgrade the cardboard box, we have added different color leather at the child’s seating area. At this moment, the cardboard box still keeps its original material and form, but the function has completely changed.

iLight
The flashlight on iPhone has been given a new task. While charging, the phone is placed strategically in between the slot of the acrylic, which acts as the lamp itself. With a nice wooden base and just one piece of acrylic on top, this phone charger can turn into a charming night light.

Invisible Garden
Taken from the hexagon shape of a snow flake, the units let user to create their own wall. The units can be combined for planting purpose and turn into vertical farming. Even if the resident does not own a roof garden, one can still grow plants with the little space next to the window. It is also a useful container for everyday items.

MoNTUE Bracelet (MoNTUE Museum Limited Edition)
With a little more imagination, the bracelet is an abstraction of MoNTUE museum’s logo with triangular tessellation with Delaunay algorithm. We have applied mathematical terms and turn each corner into a point, which then creates triangles. The geometry is precisely cut by CNC and bent into a bracelet.

MoNTUE Necklace (MoNTUE Museum Limited Edition)
MoNTUE can be mysteriously coded. If we add the length of each letter in the same direction, it becomes a bar that reflects the original text. It may appear to be simple straight bars, but they are actually special surprising text.

TRR> Thank you for this opportunity to find out more about the Anti-Loneliness Ramen Bowl and Miso Soup Design!

There you go! Keep your eyes peeled for an in-depth review of the bowl itself soon!