Way, way, way back in episode 9 on the channel, I reviewed a classic from Samyang: their plain old original flavor ramen in the orange packaging. And it was really good. At the time, I made a note to myself that I would like to try the South Korean version someday to see how it compares to the export version, so lo and behold that day is now! This product dates all the way back to 1963 and seems to be pretty much a staple in South Korea.
Read more: Review: Samyang Original Ramen (South Korean Import)If you’re unfamiliar with this flavor, you can check out the video linked above for more info, but the gist of it is this is a spicy ham and mushroom flavor, essentially a chili pepper mushroom broth with some smoky meatiness to it. The draw of this version from South Korea is the same draw as most imported noodles vs. their export counterparts: real meat. There’s a bunch of meat fat and extracts in this variety that you won’t see in the export version due to restrictions on imported meat and meat by-products. Will that make a difference in flavor? Almost assuredly. The purpose of this review is to gauge the degree to which that flavor differentiates this from the wonderful flavor I discovered all those years ago. If you’re wondering about the anthropomorphic ram on the packaging, it’s some kind of mascot that was part of Samyang’s South Korean marketing campaign at the time I bought this pack.
Check out eBay if you want to score this from South Korea yourself, although it may occasionally pop up on other noodle retail websites. Be mindful of your country’s import restrictions when ordering.
There’s a pretty substantial 1780mg of sodium in this pack.
Opening this up, you can see some fried noodles, a soup powder packet, and a dried vegetable packet. I have to rely on Google Lens to translate all of this, but it looks like the soup packet has pork, beef, bacon, and ham flavor – and I can’t be sure how much of that is artificial flavoring vs. real, but there is a warning on the label saying this does contain pork, chicken, shellfish, and beef, so some of it is definitely real and not just flavoring. There’s also mushroom powder, garlic powder, kimchi flavoring, pepper, and soy sauce, plus other spices. The dried packet contains green onion, cabbage, carrot, soy protein (imitation beef flakes), and “ham flavored flakes,” which you’ll see in the photo below.
Noodles:
I gave the noodles in here a 7/10 in Episode 9, and at the time it’s because I thought they were a little thinner than I liked. But these are great noodles with a great chew and a good bit of flavor all on their own, and my ability to enjoy thinner noodles has changed in the last few years, so I am upping the score here.
- 8/10
Spiciness:
Unlike the old noodle score, my original spiciness score of 5/10 feels about right. My tolerance for spice has gotten way higher since the first time I ate this, but objectively speaking, I think that this would be a pretty medium heat for most people to handle.
- 5/10
Overall:
So look, doing a direct comparison between this version and the export variety I reviewed in episode 9 is tough. I haven’t had this flavor in a couple years at this point, and while I do have a pretty decent taste memory, it’s not 100% perfect. This overall score will reflect how I feel about this import flavor right now, taking into account what I recall about the export flavor. Bottom line: I love it, and I think I love it much more than I did 3 years ago. Is that because I’m just more into this flavor after reviewing noodles for a few years, or is it because of all the extra umami that comes with these ingredients? Hard to say, but it’s probably a little bit of both. This is savory as hell with all of those meaty, mushroomy ingredients in the broth powder, and the smoky flavor is pronounced but not overwhelming, kind of a like a quick shake of smoked paprika in a spicy beef broth. On top of that, the flake packet is pretty generous, especially with 2 kinds of artificial meat flakes in here. There’s a few little beefy soy protein bits that are nice, but the “ham” flakes, which I believe are pink fish cake slices that look like sliced hot dogs, are a really nice touch. They have a supple little extra chew that contrasts nicely with the noodles and they don’t taste particularly fishy. They don’t quite taste like ham either, but they’re a little sweet and smoky and very good on their own. I really loved this. I can see why this flavor has stuck around for 62 years.
- 9/10
Revisiting this flavor in a slightly new context was pretty great. After sampling it on its own for the review, I added fresh scallions, a soft boiled egg, fried Spam, and kimchi – essentially turning this into a budae jigae – and it was delightful. If you’re a fan of budae jigae, this is a solid base for it. If you don’t have dietary restrictions and can find this version sold in South Korea, I highly recommend you buy it. If the meat content doesn’t jive with your lifestyle, the export version is no slouch either. Whatever the case, if you like the flavors I described here and you’ve never had this OG Samyang Ramen before, you should give it a try.
