This is an interesting-sounding product that Nongshim stealthily discontinued selling in the USA recently during their big website/product line refresh. That’s a shame, because at least on paper, this isn’t something I’ve really seen from any other Korean noodle manufacturers. I just so happen to still have one of these I picked up a while back, so this review is here in case Nongshim ever brings this flavor back to the US or if any of you would like to buy it from South Korea. I believe this may also still be available in other markets under the name “Kamjatangmyun.”
Read more: Review: Nongshim GamjatangmyunAs the packaging would suggest, and as Google can confirm for me, Gamjatang is a spicy Korean pork stew made from pork neck bones or spine, and which contains some combination of potatoes, noodles, and various greens and spices. Sounds really good to me.
Nongshim claims there are 2 servings in this bag, but let’s face it, almost anyone with a normal appetite is eating this whole thing. Sodium is appropriately at 1740 mg for this whole bag.
Inside the pack, there’s a round block of Nongshim noodles, a soup powder packet, a liquid packet, and a flake packet. The ingredient list doesn’t really differentiate what’s what between the packets, but somewhere in all of this we’ve got some cool surprises like actual freeze-dried potatoes, perilla seeds, and yes, pork fat and pork bone extract. This is not for vegetarians. Also, what’s pretty cool is I’ve never had perilla before, at least not that I know of, so this will be my first time tasting it (not that I have any idea what it tastes like, so it may be hard to distinguish). There’s also your usual assortment of soy sauce, garlic, onion, mushroom, and chili to be found. Inside the very substantial dried flake packet, there’s cabbage, bok choy, textured soy protein (mimicking pork), the aforementioned potato pieces, and some red chili flakes.
Here’s the finished product prior to adding the liquid packet:
At this stage, I was able to confirm that the liquid packet is kind of a gochujang and doenjang combination, which is to say a spicy blend of red pepper paste and soy paste with some nice mild fermentation flavor going on. There’s also a little bit of sesame oil in there.
All stirred up:
Noodles:
These are the typically great noodles Nongshim usually puts out with their Shin products and other soups. Nice, bouncy chew with a terrific texture. These are the Korean noodles I fell in love with years ago.
- 8/10
Spiciness:
I did my due diligence and tasted the broth prior to adding the liquid packet, which is where most of the spice is. Without the liquid packet, it had a very mild zing, barely noticeable but still not what I would call completely “mild.” After adding the liquid, the spice level rose to about the same as Nongshim Shin Black, which I categorize as a pretty medium heat level. The extra oiliness from the liquid packet does keep the spice on your lips for a little while.
- 2/10 without the liquid packet
- 5/10 with the liquid packet
Overall:
The comparisons to Shin Black don’t just end with the spice level – this tastes to me like Shin Black and tonkotsu had a baby together. The broth is a powerfully umami-forward blend of pork and soy with some excellent onion and garlic notes. I mentioned above that I tasted this without the liquid packet first, and that was a pleasant porky onion broth on its own, but most of the extra oomph in the finished product’s flavor comes from that liquid packet. So if you do end up finding and buying this, don’t wimp out on the liquid packet or you’ll sacrifice a lot of great flavor. The consistency of the broth turned out thick, oily, and extremely hearty, which is something I love – it’s basically a comfort food at that point. The flake packet is easily the best, most generous flake packet I’ve ever had from Nongshim next to maybe their K-Army Stew or Noodle Salad. There are giant chunks of bok choy, soy protein, and potato in every bite. The potato rehydrated into a nice and tender form, and the soy protein really did remind me of actual chunks of pork, albeit just the slightest bit chewier than real pork. This eats like a complete meal even without adding anything else to it, which is very surprising for a non-premium noodle product like this. Honestly, eating this made me sad, because the fact that this is no longer being sold in the US devastates me. This is probably one of the best, if not the best, products I’ve ever had from Nongshim, but this was my only pack, and it’s highly unlikely I’ll be able to find this again unless Nongshim brings it back. I can’t imagine all the unique ingredients in this (the dried potato, artificial pork, and liquid packet seem to be exclusive to this product) make it cost-effective to produce and sell in the US, so I get it, but it’s still frustrating that I may have found one of my new favorite things and it was already discontinued. This is one of my absolute highest recommendations if it ever comes back to the US or if you can find it for sale elsewhere.
- 10/10
