Kang Shi Fu Hot & Spicy Artificial Beef Flavor Noodles Review | Noodle Journey

A few weeks back, I had my first taste of Kang Shi Fu with their Braised Beef flavor, so now I’m moving onto another bowl of theirs in my pile: Kang Shi Fu Hot & Spicy Artificial Beef Flavor Noodles. I’m not entirely sure as I write this introduction if this is simply a spicy version of the Braised Beef flavor or something a bit more removed from that flavor profile, but either way this seems to be a pretty popular flavor of theirs.

The Verdict:

I got this from Yami.com as part of a six-pack with other bowls for $8.99, but you can also get it individually for $1.69 or so, or in pack form. As with the Braised Beef flavor, I don’t see any difference in the ingredients between the cups and packs, so buy whichever form factor works for you if you’re interested in this flavor. This is also readily available at just about any Asian market that sells Chinese noodles.

Inside the bowl, we’ve got the same noodles as in other Kang Shi Fu bowls, with a sauce sachet, soup powder sachet, dried vegetable sachet, and a handy little fork. In the sauce (which is really more of a paste), you’ll find palm oil, chili sauce, sesame oil, fermented soy sauce, MSG, shallot, sichuan pepper, rice wine, and “spices.” The soup powder has salt, MSG, yeast extract, artificial beef flavoring, and sugar. The dried toppings are Chinese cabbage, sesame seeds, vegetable protein cubes (artificial beef flakes), coriander, and scallion. This bowl has well over your recommended daily dose of sodium: 2520mg. I don’t advise drinking all of this broth if you can help it, no matter how tasty you may find it.

Noodles:

Just like my last experience with these noodles, they’re just a bit above average but still nothing special. They feel a little cheap but fortunately didn’t get soggy in the broth after sitting.

• 6/10

Spiciness:

The heat level certainly got my attention and got my nose running, and while it does linger a little as Sichuan spice tends to do, it’s pretty firmly in my medium heat range. There’s a noticeable amount of chili and Sichuan peppercorn for an extra dose of tingliness, but your average Buldak is still hotter.

• 5/10

Overall:

After such a strong showing with the Braised Beef flavor, I really had high hopes for this – perhaps a bit too high. I’ll start with the positives. The consistency of the broth was very pleasant with an oily finish, and the amount of dried toppings was nice; in fact, I found the vegetable protein chunks this time around to be pretty decent and not as spongy as last time. Unfortunately, I found the flavor profile one-note. The artificial beef flavor was salty and savory, but the emphasis on additional chili and Sichuan peppercorn at times overpowered the savoriness of the broth, and so the final result for me just came across as kind of bitter, with the pungent floral aftertaste that I find typical of too much peppercorn. A better quantity of herbs or even some additional sugar or garlic would have given some better balance to the flavor profile without changing the core intent of the recipe. I’ve seen people rave about this flavor, so it’s possible there’s a certain level of nostalgia for these, a recent recipe change, inconsistency in the manufacturing process, or just my stupid supertaster genetics getting in the way of enjoying this more. If you like very heavy mala flavor with little nuance, you will like this, but I was left wanting just a bit more from the other ingredients. I like mala most of the time, but this was a little heavy for me.

• 6/10

Continuing the Journey

• Craving spicy mala with a lot of flavor? You should hunt down Samyang Buldak Mala Ramen or Samyang Buldak Mala with Flat Noodles.
• If you’re a fan of Cup Noodles, check out Nissin Cup Noodles Malatang.