Today I’m covering the full set of Nissin Hot & Spicy Fire Wok Bowls: Sizzlin’ Rich Pork, Scorchin’ Sesame Shrimp, Molten Chili Chicken, and Volcanic Mongolian Beef. These aren’t part of the regular Hot & Spicy line, but while they use what I think is the same noodle base, they come with their own unique Fire Sauce recipes for extra heat. Each bowl aims for “restaurant-level” stir-fry flavor (Nissin’s words, not mine) straight from the microwave, which sounds ambitious for a $2 cup of noodles. I’m testing them from mildest to hottest to see if any of them deserve a spot in your pantry.
Read more: Noodle Journey Episode 159: Nissin Hot & Spicy Fire Wok BowlsYou can find these in just about any US grocery store or Walmart, usually priced between $1.50 and $2.50. Every bowl lists multiple servings on the nutrition panel, which is laughable because nobody’s splitting these. Sodium ranges from 1,900 to 2,160 mg per bowl, and each flavor uses the same noodle block with its own seasoning blend, vegetable flakes, soy protein bits, and a unique Fire Sauce packet.
Sizzlin’ Rich Pork
This one starts off at four out of six chili peppers on Nissin’s spice scale. The seasoning powder includes soy sauce, pork and chicken extract, and garlic, while the flake packet adds green onion and textured soy protein that actually looks convincing once rehydrated. The Fire Sauce smells garlicky and earthy, and once mixed, it turns the broth into a deep amber red.
Noodles:
Medium-thick with a firm, chewy texture. They hold up better than expected for a microwaved noodle. Slightly soft but still very enjoyable.
• 7.5/10
Spiciness:
Noticeable but manageable. Enough to warm you up without setting your mouth completely on fire.
• 4/10
Overall:
This one shocked me in the best way. The flavor balance hits just right, blending garlic and soy with enough chili kick to feel satisfying. The pork flavor actually comes through, giving it some real depth instead of that fake smoky taste a lot of brands fall back on. The soy protein even mimics ground pork pretty well, which is something I didn’t expect to say about a $2 bowl. I love just about everything here; it’s savory, rich, and just spicy enough to keep you eating. It’s not a novelty, it’s genuinely good, and easily one of Nissin’s best microwave noodles to date.
• 9/10
Scorchin’ Sesame Shrimp
This one ups the spice level to five out of six peppers. The base includes powdered shrimp, sesame paste, rice vinegar, garlic, Sichuan peppercorn, and pork extract. It smells strong even before cooking, mostly like sesame and ginger, with the shrimp scent somewhere in the background. The flakes are bok choy, green onion, and soy protein.
Noodles:
Same texture as above – medium, springy, and better than most instant bowls.
• 7.5/10
Spiciness:
Definitely hotter than the pork version, with some numbing from Sichuan peppercorn on top of things. Solid medium-level heat.
• 5/10
Overall:
There’s a lot going on here, but it’s not all working together. The sesame base gives it body and creaminess, but the ginger overwhelms everything else for me, pushing the shrimp flavor completely to the background. The peppercorn adds an interesting tingle, but it feels misplaced in what’s supposed to be a shrimp bowl. It’s flavorful and aromatic, but it also feels a little confused. If you like strong sesame flavor and don’t care whether the seafood part actually shows up, you might enjoy it. For me, I like it, but I don’t love it because it’s too heavy on the ginger and too light on the shrimp to really sell its theme.
• 6.5/10
Molten Chili Chicken
This one comes in swinging with six out of six peppers on the label. The powder includes chicken fat, soy, garlic, and red pepper, while the flakes add green onion, sesame seed, and bits of kimchi. It looks great, but once you stir in the Fire Sauce, it’s all downhill. The smell turns sharp and chemical, and the flavor matches.
Noodles:
Still solid.
• 7.5/10
Spiciness:
Hot, but not pleasantly so. It’s a blunt, burning, acrid kind of heat that overpowers everything else.
• 7/10
Overall:
This one’s rough. The sauce tastes synthetic, almost metallic, with no real flavor to back up the burn. There’s salt, vinegar, and pure heat, with nothing tying it together. The chicken note is completely missing, which is baffling considering it’s supposed to be the main flavor. Even the kimchi flakes can’t save it; they just get lost. The end result is a spicy, salty, one-dimensional mess that leans into chemical flavor for me. It’s edible, but just barely, and the only reason it’s not getting a lower score is that the noodles themselves are still decent.
• 3/10
Volcanic Mongolian Beef
The final bowl also scores six out of six peppers. It features beef fat, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and chili flakes, with bok choy, soy protein, and sesame oil rounding things out. It smells pretty appetizing before cooking; the beef and garlic aroma is most apparent, and the Fire Sauce adds a smoky, chili-oil sheen that looks and smells great once mixed.
Noodles:
Same as the others. Thick enough to handle the sauce and maintain some chew.
• 7.5/10
Spiciness:
A strong, natural chili heat that feels hotter than the chicken version but far less caustic.
• 7/10
Overall:
This one ends the lineup on a high note. The beef flavor is rich, the brown sugar adds just enough sweetness to round out the salt, and the garlic brings everything together. The heat feels purposeful here- spicy but definitely balanced this time. The Fire Sauce gives the noodles a smoky, peppery finish instead of a chemical burn. The soy protein rehydrates well and gives some good texture, while the bok choy pieces feel like a bonus. I don’t think it’s as tasty as the pork flavor, but it’s miles better than the chicken was.
• 8/10
That wraps up the Nissin Hot & Spicy Fire Wok Bowl review gauntlet. The clear standout is Sizzlin’ Rich Pork, followed closely by Volcanic Mongolian Beef; both are rich, flavorful, and worth keeping in rotation. Scorchin’ Sesame Shrimp has its moments if you’re into gingery, sesame-heavy profiles, but Molten Chili Chicken is a complete misfire that deserves to stay on the shelf. Nissin also makes four other Hot & Spicy bowls under a separate line with a chili-lime sauce, and I might tackle those down the road if people are interested. There are also two new Fire Wok pillow packs separate from these flavors – Torched Teriyaki Chicken and Screamin’ Sichuan Beef – which I’ll be reviewing once I can actually find them.
Notes since filming:
I’ve learned since I filmed this video that the overwhelming chemical taste that I experienced with the Molten Chili Chicken flavor is something that other people have found in the Volcanic Mongolian Beef flavor instead. Wild. I thought the Mongolian Beef was really good, and I’m usually pretty sensitive to such things.
Either way, the Sizzlin’ Rich Pork flavor has become a staple in my pantry since this video. What an unexpectedly great product.
