Here’s one I should have reviewed a long time ago: Nongshim Neoguri Spicy Seafood Stir-Fry Noodles. If you never watched my 25th episode spectacular from way back when, I pitted the soup versions of Neoguri against each other, Korean export vs. American manufactured, and it was a pretty interesting experiment and it gives you an idea as to what Neoguri’s all about. Basically, it’s a thick-noodled spicy beef and seafood broth concoction not too dissimilar from jjambbong, and it’s also available in this stir-fry form if you prefer something brothless.
The Verdict:
| Product: | Nongshim Neoguri Spicy Seafood Stir-Fry Noodles |
| Origin: | South Korea (Export to the USA) |
| Noodle Quality: | 8/10 |
| Spice Level: | 5/10 |
| Overall Score: | 9/10 |
Like its soupy counterpart, this is a spicy seafood flavor and appears to be very popular, considering there is also a Mild Neoguri that Nongshim sells as well as a bevy of cup and bowl versions. While this might be a bit harder to find in the USA compared to the standard mild & spicy soup versions, this is still pretty widely available at Asian grocery stores and on various online storefronts.
Inside the pack is a block of the thicker Neoguri udon-style noodles, a powder packet, a flake packet, and a seasoning oil. If you watched my original Neoguri review, you may be wondering if this contains beef or not. Since it was manufactured in South Korea for export to the USA, and since the USDA keeps imported beef on a tight leash, it shouldn’t be surprising that this is purely a seafood-based sauce with no beef in sight. There’s all kinds of seafood extract in here, including bonito, clam, tuna, mussel, and cuttlefish. The dried packet contains fish cake, carrot, soy protein, and seaweed. And I have no idea what’s in the seasoning oil because the package doesn’t itemize the ingredients, but it tastes like a neutral oil with maybe the slightest bit of seafood and chili in it. Sodium is a decently medium 1270mg for the whole package.
Noodles:
While not advertised as “udon-style” noodles the same as in the Neoguri soup packs, this is still a very thick, plump noodle from Nongshim. After a five-minute boil with the recommended stir-fry step right after, these came out with a pleasant medium chew. No issues with the sauce coating them either.
- 8/10
Spiciness:
I know I graded the original Neoguri soup as a 6/10 for spiciness, but this one doesn’t feel quite that hot. There’s of course a more-than-mild chili heat to it, but maybe it’s a bit more mellow than the soup flavor because the recipe was reformulated into a stir-fry. Or maybe I’ve just gotten more spice tolerant. Whatever the case, it’s a good medium heat that doesn’t mask the flavors in the sauce.
- 5/10
Overall:
Incredible! While I did enjoy the original soup recipe very much, there’s something more unique about this stir-fry preparation that I feel brings out the seafood flavor wonderfully. The result is a seafood-heavy sweetness with some great smoky balance from the bonito and savory notes of soy, pepper, and garlic. The sauce is thick and oily, and I didn’t have any issues with all of the noodles being appropriately covered. The flake packet is also extremely generous, especially from Nongshim, who tends to cheap out on flakes in products like original Shin and Soon. There’s a ton of crunchy carrot pieces, those raccoon-shaped fish cakes, plenty of seaweed, and some textured soy protein that was made to look like beef, and everything rehydrated perfectly. There was some flake content in every bite I took, which I appreciated for the sake of both texture and flavor variety. I guess if there’s any reason not to give this a perfect 10, it’s because the seafood flavor is very dominant and I wish there was some real beef fat for some umami balance like there is in the American-manufactured original Neoguri, but trust me when I say that that is the only fault I can find in this. It’s absolutely terrific and highly recommended if you like smoky, spicy seafood flavors.
- 9.5/10
Continuing the Journey
- For more sweet and spicy seafood stir-fry, I highly recommend Paldo Bul Nak Spicy Octopus Stir-Fry Noodle.
- If you want spicy seafood and beef flavor in a broth, check out Samyang Buldak Jjamppong Ramen.
- Another great spicy seafood option is Samyang Nagasaki Jjambbong Ramen Soup.
