There was a time when I decided that I had eaten enough ramen in college that I never had to pop open a package of those dried noodles again. Then the Texas Winter Storm of 2021 hit, and I bought some ramen as emergency supplies which included a Tapatio flavored cup of the noodles. After trying those (more on that here), my opinion on ramen changed and I decided to put those back on the acceptable list. In the meantime, I noticed people going on and on about Samyang’s spicy ramen on social media and I happened to stumble upon some in World Market. I couldn’t resist and snatched up the one cup they had on the shelf.
The Samyang ramen are usually found wrapped in plastic like most other ramen on the store shelves. What I got was in a cup, and upon comparing ingredients, it appears to be the same as what comes wrapped in plastic. This version just supplies its own serving vessel as a bonus. Most ramen tend to include the noodles, a package of seasoning, and perhaps a package of dried veggies. The Samyang comes with a packet of sauce along with a packet that includes dried laver (a type of seaweed) and sesame seeds.
As you pour the sauce out, there is something that you will notice immediately. It has a look and consistency very similar to blood. Let that serve as an advance warning to those who may not have a high tolerance for spicy food!
I tasted the sauce by itself and it has a strong soy sauce flavor followed by a nice punch of heat. And this is a burn that sticks with you for a while and lets you know you are consuming something spicy! Mixed in with the noodles and other ingredients, that soy sauce taste is quite pronounced along with a hint chicken broth-like flavor. According to the ingredients, that comes from chicken flavor power, though I’m not exactly certain what that is. I do see egg included in the ingredients (though no actual chicken), so perhaps that plays a part? On a side note: for a happier, more fulfilling life, don’t read the ingredients of ramen noodles.
On the package, it says that there is added sugar, but I have no idea why they are pointing that out. (What did I just say about not reading the ingredients of ramen?) There is a little bit of sweetness in the final product, but not a lot. And as for the laver and sesame seeds, they may add some hints of flavor, but nothing that really stands out. I typically add in fresh veggies like mushrooms, broccoli, green onions, chilis, etc. that I steam along with the noodles to spruce them up. In this case, though, the chili pepper is not needed.
The noodles cut the heat of the sauce to an extent, but this is still a very spicy bowl of ramen! The more you eat, the more that heat comes through, and when you get down that last bit of broth it is practically molten. Have a drink or something at the ready to help dowse the flames, because this lives up to its spicy reputation. Chiliheads will certainly enjoy the 2x version while the average mortal may shrink in fear. The “regular” version might be a bit more acceptable to those who can’t handle the super hot stuff, but it will still deliver a burn.
The Samyang ramen—which are a product of South Korea—have developed quite a reputation over the past ten years because of the Fire Noodle Challenge trending on social media. And they even have their own entry in Wikipedia. According to that, the Hot Chicken flavor comes in at 4,404 Scoville Units while the 2x doubles that to 8,808 SHU. The 2x Spicy Mini goes even higher to 12,000 SHU, and it sure seemed like the cup I had was in that range.
As mentioned above, I found the 2x Spicy at World Market, but I got the last one on the shelf. Some grocery stores may carry these and I’m betting that Asian and/or international markets would be a good place to find them. They are also widely available from sellers on the internet like Amazon.com as are bottles of the sauce that come in both the Hot and 2x Hot varieties. World Market has the sauce and I will be picking up a bottle next time I go. I will also be buying more of the noodles and will have those next to my Extra Spicy Tapatio Ramen at the ready for a quick, fiery, and tasty meal.
Tale of the Tape:
Ingredients: Noodle (76.7%): Wheat Flour, Modified Tapioca Starch, Refined Palm Oil, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Emulsifier (Soy Lecithin), Acidity Regulator (Potassium Carbonate, Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Phosphate Dibasic, Citric Acid), Thickener (Guar Gum), Green Tea Flavor Oil, Soup (22.7%): Water, Artificial Chicken Flavor Powder (Dextrin, Sugar, Disodium 5′-Ribonucleotide, Egg), Soy Sauce (Water, Soybean Salt, Disodium 5′-Ribonucleotide), Sugar, Chilli Pepper Powder, Soybean Oil, Onion, Red Pepper Powder, Red Pepper Seed Oil, Yeast Powder, Garlic, Modified Potato Starch, Decolorized Chilli Extract, Paprika Extract, Black Pepper Powder, Curry Powder, Flake(0.6%): Roasted Sesame, Roasted Laver.
Serving Size: 1 Cup (70g)
Calories: 300
Fat: 11g (5g Sat/0 Trans)
Protein: 7g
Carbs: 43g
Sodium: 640mg