Nongshim Shin Ramyun is where this all started for me. I had instant noodles in my pantry for years, but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that I started digging into the world beyond the 30-cent supermarket bricks. Shin Ramyun was one of the first I tried without any clue what I was getting into, and it set the bar high enough that I still use it as the benchmark for spicy Korean ramyun.
Read more: Noodle Journey Episode 1: Nongshim Shin RamyunWhat I love about Shin is that it’s super convenient. I can easily find it at my local Target, which definitely wasn’t the case a few years ago. No need to special order from an Asian grocery or buy a bulk pack online anymore. And with its round noodle block, it fits in a microwave-safe bowl, meaning I don’t even have to dirty a pot. But for the sake of fairness for this review, I cooked it on the stovetop for maximum quality.
The soup base is heavy on chili and beef stock, with a punch of garlic and onion, and a vague umami in the background. The veggie pack is basic: mostly green onion, carrot, mushroom, and a few bits of soy protein masquerading as meat (at this point in my reviews, I was still a little inexperienced with these ingredients and thought it was more mushroom).
You can pretty much find Shin Ramyun in most grocery stores all across the world nowadays.
Noodles:
These are some of the most reliable noodles in the instant noodle world. They’ve got that classic Nongshim bounce: firm, chewy, and maintaining a good texture even while they sit in broth. I cooked mine for four minutes instead of the full five because I like a firmer bite, and they came out great. These are the standard by which I judge other Korean noodles against.
- 8/10
Spiciness
If you’re not prepared for it, you’ll find this is a spicy one. Not “ruin your digestive tract” spicy, but definitely enough to get your attention. It’s a pretty standard Korean red chili heat, but it doesn’t build to something unbearable. My first taste of it, I thought, “How am I going to get through this?” But it didn’t really get any worse as I went along, and I eventually got used to it. If you’re used to the dollar-store ramen experience, this will absolutely feel like a kick in the throat. It’s spicy enough to be satisfying, but not so aggressive that it overwhelms the rest of the flavors.
- 6/10
Overall
There’s a reason I started the channel with this variety. Shin Ramyun is just dependable. It’s cheap, easy to find, and it delivers every time. The flavor is bold, with a strong, savory umami and some nice layers of chili, beef, garlic, and onion. It works just as well straight from the package as it does dressed up with an egg, kimchi, scallions, or even a slab of Spam. Is it the most complex bowl I’ve ever had? No. But it’s one I come back to regularly, and that says a lot.
- 7/10
Notes since filming: My first review! I still love this flavor, and you can’t beat how easy it is to find in supermarkets nowadays. Sadly, that 99-cent price point I mentioned in the video is long gone in most stores. I confess that I don’t buy this as regularly as I used to (my main Korean noodle purchases for myself are mostly Shin Black, Shin Green, and Samyang Vegetasty as I write this), but I will forever be grateful to Nongshim for showing me what a quality instant noodle product can be. This one is a great way to get your spice tolerance up to a medium-level, and Shin takes really well to almost any veggies or protein you want to throw into it.
