Noodle Journey Episode 119: Samyang Bulgogi Ramen Soup

Today’s review is Samyang’s Bulgogi Ramen Soup, and I’m happy to finally cover a new Samyang product that isn’t another Buldak flavor. Bulgogi is something you’ll find in Korean barbecue: thinly sliced beef marinated in soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and onion, sometimes with Asian pear for sweetness, then grilled or stir-fried. As a noodle bowl, that translates to those marinade flavors adapted into a soup, since bulgogi itself isn’t served as a soup.

I paid about $3 at YamiBuy for this, and it should show up at Asian grocery stores and other online shops for a similar price as availability ramps up in the U.S. Sodium is 1,590mg, and added sugar is 12g. Inside the cup are thinner Samyang wheat noodles with onion and garlic flavor added, a sauce packet with corn syrup, MSG, soy sauce, garlic, onion, chili pepper, ginger, and artificial meat flavor, a seasoning oil containing sesame/vegetable oil and green tea extract, and a flake packet with textured soy protein “beef” pieces, carrot, and bok choy. This does appear to be vegan, but doublecheck the label for yourself if that matters to you.

Noodles:
Chewy and bouncy with a nice bite, especially for a cup. They are a bit thinner than Samyang’s pillow-pack noodles but still great.
• 8/10

Spiciness:
Just a tiny zing of heat here. I think it’ll be barely noticeable for spice-tolerant eaters, but you might notice it if you hate spicy food entirely.
• 1.5/10

Overall:
The flavor lands right where I want a bulgogi profile to be. The sauce brings salty, sweet, umami, and savory notes in balance. Onion was the first thing I noticed, with garlic on the back end, and a little extra kick that tastes like black pepper. The sesame oil adds nuttiness and a glossy finish, and the textured soy protein gives a convincing beef-esque bite that helps make up for the lack of real meat. The noodles soaked up some of the liquid while cooking, so this ended up closer to a sauced noodle than a true soup, which I think works better for this concept. My one gripe is the sweetness; I would have preferred a touch less sugar here, and those of you who don’t like sweet-and-savory flavor combinations will not like this. But if you like bulgogi or you simply enjoy sweet-savory flavors typical of Korean cuisine, this is a great product with broad appeal in a post-Buldak world.
• 9/10

Notes since filming:

It amazes me how well this video continues to do (compared to many of my others) despite this not being a Buldak product. I had no idea this flavor was so popular!