Noodle Journey Episode 132: Samyang Hot Pepper Jjajang Ramen

Samyang Hot Pepper Jjajang Ramen is part of a smaller Hot Pepper product line from Samyang, separate from their famous Buldak products even though it’s often mistaken for them. There’s also a Hot Pepper Jjambbong companion product in this line, which I’ll be reviewing next. This one has been available in foreign markets for a few years but only recently hit export packaging for English-speaking markets, so you’ll start seeing it in Asian grocery stores and online. You should be able to find this online for around $10 for a five-pack.

Nutritionally, Samyang tries to list this as two servings, but a full pack has 1390mg of sodium. The noodles are fried, thicker than standard Buldak, and even include green tea extract. The sauce is a black bean base with oyster sauce and spices, while the seasoning oil carries extracts of onion, squid, red pepper, sesame, soybean, and green tea. The flake packet only contains dried peppers. Altogether, it promises a noticeably different flavor mix from Buldak Jjajang.

After cooking, the sauce turned out thick and hearty, with visible chunks of black bean. The oil didn’t give off a strong aroma beyond soybean oil, but the flakes added a nice pepper smell.

Noodles:
Chewy, thick, and excellent at carrying the sauce. Essentially the same quality as Samyang’s Buldak noodles, but a little flatter and thicker.
• 9/10

Spiciness:
As hot as Buldak, with a harsh, numbing burn that hits the back of the throat. This is only for spice enthusiasts.
• 7/10

Overall:
Samyang takes the expected sweetness and earthiness of black bean sauce and amplifies it with soy sauce and seafood flavor, creating a salty, umami-rich profile unlike any other jjajang I’ve had. It reminds me a bit of Angry Chapaguri, but less seafood-forward, with subtle smokiness layered in. The pepper flakes taste fresh and pair well with the sauce, while the consistency is thick and satisfying. It’s right up there with Paldo Jjajangmen in terms of texture, though it lacks the vegetable garnishes of that product. The only things holding it back are my general bias against black bean sauce as something I want to eat regularly and the sparse amount of flakes. Otherwise, this is a surprising standout and a much more interesting take on jjajang than I expected.
• 8/10

Notes since filming:

I often recommend this one over Buldak Jjajang because of how much more nuanced the flavor is, and now that Buldak Jjajang is maybe discontinued, this is a highly recommended alternative. If you like spicy jjajangmen, please try this one!