As I get closer to the bottom of my Buldak review pile, today I’m reviewing one of the more sought-after flavors you can only find in Asia: Samyang Buldak Thai Crab Curry Spicy Ramen, also called Pu Pad Pong Karee Flavor. A special thanks to my friend The Fat Hipster for sending me this flavor, along with the next Buldak flavor in my queue.
The Verdict:
| Product: | Samyang Buldak Thai Crab Curry Flavor (Poo Pad Pong Curry Flavor) |
| Origin: | South Korea |
| Noodle Quality: | 7/10 |
| Spice Level: | 6/10 |
| Overall Score: | 9.5/10 |
You’ll generally see this variety referred to online as Buldak Thai Curry Crab, Buldak Coconut Crab Curry, or some combination of those words. As near as I can piece together, this is the spicy Buldak take on a Thai dish called pu pad pong karee, literally meaning crab stir-fried with curry powder. Most recipes I found while researching this video start with Thai yellow curry powder mixed with a spicy chili paste, plus coconut milk, aromatics, and usually eggs to make the sauce richer. Unfortunately, I’ve never tried the real thing, and I couldn’t find a Thai restaurant near me that serves it. I would have loved to try a restaurant version before conducting this review, but what can you do?
At the time of this review, this variety is sold in South Korea and is not regularly exported to the United States. If you live in the US, eBay or a smaller Asian market that imports specialty products may be your best option. You should not expect to find it at chains like H Mart, T&T, or 99 Ranch.
Inside the bowl are fried wheat noodles, Buldak sauce, and a curry powder packet. Translating a curved bowl like this with Google Lens is not easy, but the sauce appears to be a fairly typical Buldak sauce containing soy sauce, chili pepper, chicken powder, garlic, sugar, and similar ingredients. The powder contains sugar, milk powder, curry powder, coconut milk powder, onion powder, oyster, anchovy, shrimp, chili pepper, black pepper, and parsley. According to the translation, there is no actual crab in this – the seafood flavor comes from those other sources instead. There are also no dried flakes, which feels like a missed opportunity – a little imitation crab would have been a nice touch. This is not vegetarian due to the seafood extracts, and the chicken powder appears to contain real chicken, so pescatarians should avoid it as well. The entire bowl contains 1010mg of sodium.
The main instructions say to add boiling water to the fill line, microwave the bowl for three minutes, and add the sauce and powder after cooking. Tiny alternative instructions further down the package say you can steep it in boiling water for four minutes if you do not have a microwave, then drain all but two tablespoons before adding the packets. I followed the microwave instructions. Very little water remained afterward, and the Buldak sauce was unusually thick and congealed, even after I ran the packet under hot water. Once the powder went in, the coconut and yellow curry aromas became very prominent. It took a lot of stirring to incorporate everything, so if you make this yourself, keep a tablespoon or two of very hot water nearby in case you need to loosen the sauce. Once mixed, it comes out with a very creamy consistency.
Noodles:
These feel like the standard Buldak bowl noodles, which are thinner and softer than the noodles in the packs. I gave this same noodle a 6 out of 10 the last time I had it, but the very low fill line left these less soggy and a little firmer, and they worked really well with the sauce. I’m bumping the noodle score up for this review. They are still better than a lot of other brands, but the signature chew of the pack noodles is not quite here.
- 7/10
Spiciness:
The heat is potent and lingers, but it feels a little below the original Buldak for me. The coconut milk and real milk temper the heat, putting this on par with the Buldak Truffle flavor I just recently reviewed. It is hot, but not as hot as Buldak can get.
- 6/10
Overall:
Bottom line up front, this is fantastic. Anyone having difficulty finding the old Buldak Curry flavor may want to look for this instead because it has a great depth of curry flavor. It does not feel like Buldak sauce with a touch of curry powder; it feels more like a well-made curry base with a hit of Buldak heat, with the typical Buldak flavors taking a back seat to the curry powder. The curry is savory, sweet, and deep with umami. There is a hint of something slightly sour that might be lime, plus a great one-two punch of seafood and coconut sweetness. I would not say the seafood tastes like crab. It is more in the realm of shrimp, which makes sense because shrimp is in the ingredients. Think of it more as a robust yellow shrimp curry. Because Buldak sauce also has sweet, savory, and umami elements, it blends perfectly with the curry base. I seriously love this, and I might have to go on eBay and order myself a case.
The disclaimer is that I have never had real pu pad pong karee, so I cannot comment on the authenticity. I imagine this is probably a strong deviation from the real thing due to the Buldak sauce. Anyone who has eaten the dish before may want to think of this more as an homage, but the flavor on its own is sensational.
My only complaint, and the only thing keeping this from a perfect score, is the lack of flakes or any additional texture. The sauce comes out very creamy, and it needs something to break up that creaminess because the noodles are also on the softer side. Something as simple as chili flakes, onion flakes, or dried celery would have been enough. Other than that, the sauce in this bowl is one of the best Buldak flavors ever made, hands down.
- 9.5/10
Final Thoughts
What a great recipe this is. Again, I do not think it is especially authentic to the dish it is based on, if I had to guess, but I do think it is a standout in the Buldak product line. If you love spicy curry and Buldak sauce, and you can get this wherever you live, it is definitely worth hunting down. This is arguably the deepest and most nuanced flavor profile I have ever gotten out of a Buldak product, and I have reviewed a lot of them. This is just crazy good.
Continuing the Journey:
- For another Korean-Thai Buldak fusion with coconut and seafood ingredients, try Samyang Buldak Tom Yum Ramen.
- For another hard-to-find bowl with a creamy and unusually nuanced Buldak sauce, see Samyang Buldak Basil Cream Udon.
- For a very different instant noodle built around Southeast Asian crab flavor, check out Prima Taste Chili Crab LaMian.
