When I first saw Samyang Buldak Dumplings in the frozen section, I bought them purely out of curiosity without any intention to review them. I mean, after all, these aren’t exactly noodle. My wife and I had tried them a couple months ago and quickly forgot about them until I found the bag buried in the freezer while cleaning. But since people on Reddit frequently ask about these or are surprised to learn they exist, and because they are technically noodle-adjacent as a product, I decided it was worth making an official Noodle Journey review to settle the question once and for all.
Read more: Noodle Journey Dumpling Review: Samyang Buldak DumplingsBuldak Dumplings come in three flavors: Original, Kimchi, and Carbonara. They are widely available at Asian grocery stores for around $8 USD per bag, in the frozen section. Despite the “New” label on the pack, they’ve been around for a while. Each serving is two dumplings with about 380 mg of sodium, and they’re certified vegan, which will appeal to some.
These dumplings contain a long list of ingredients, but the important parts are the Buldak-style seasonin, which is artificial chicken flavor, sugar, chili pepper, onion, soy sauce, MSG, and curry spices, and the filling, which consists mostly of sweet potato starch noodles, cabbage, chives, and onion. These can be cooked several ways, including microwaving, steaming, boiling, or air frying. Although the packaging recommends pan frying, I found that to be unreliable the first time I made these; by the time the exterior crisps up, the center is still frozen. Air frying with a little oil spray works much better and produces a nice golden edge, and so that’s how this review was conducted.
Spiciness:
This product earns every bit of the Buldak name. It’s blisteringly hot, at least as spicy as the standard Hot Chicken Ramen and maybe even more. The burn is harsh and chemical-tasting rather than flavorful.
• 8.5/10
Overall:
Cutting right to the chase: I don’t like these dumplings at all, and there are two major reasons. First, the flavor is wildly off from what fans of Buldak sauce would expect. Instead of that signature smoky-sweet chili taste, the dominant flavor is an odd curry blend heavy on cumin, cloves, bay leaf, rosemary, and sage. I found it pungent, perfumy, and just overwhelming to my tastebuds. Second, the texture inside the dumpling is a complete failure, mostly sweet potato vermicelli and cabbage, resulting in an unrelentingly soft, spongy interior that lacks contrast with the crisp outer shell and just begs for a crunchier, more solid element inside. The result is an unpleasant combination of mushy texture and acrid spice. My wife also disliked them, and the only way we found them remotely edible was by dipping them in sweet chili sauce, which dulled the harshness slightly. Even then, neither of us wanted more. The wrappers themselves are fine, and the dumplings are impressively large, but the flavor and texture make this a rare total miss from Samyang.
• 2/10
Notes since filming:
It dawned on me after filming that I should have given the dumpling a “Texture” score, in which case these probably would’ve earned a 3/10. If I do more dumpling reviews in the future, I will make sure to score texture.
