Tangle-tastic Noodles

The folks at Samyang have perfected the art of ramen flavors, look no further than the extensive and unique flavor options Buldak noodles have to offer. Their newest line of ramen, Tangle, combines European and Korean cuisine, creating flavors like Bulgogi Alfredo and today’s ramen, Kimchi Rosé Tangluccine. 

This ramen bowl comes with 3 packets: flakes, sauce and a cheesy powder. The flake packet comes with lots of dried kimchi! 

The bowl has different instructions for different preparation styles- microwave and boiling water. You can either pour in water to the lower line and microwave the bowl for 5 minutes, or pour boiling water up to a higher line and drain the water after 5 ½ minutes. I chose to microwave my bowl and it ended up a little soggy in the process… Consider placing your bowl on a plate or paper towel for easy clean up. 

Once my noodles were ready I added the sauce and cheese powder. The sauce smells amazing, like tomatoes and basil! The cheese powder adds a wonderful creaminess to the sauce. I added some fresh housemade kimchi on top, and some seaweed too.

I was very curious to see how the kimchi flavor would pair with classic Italian flavors, and I was pleasantly surprised! The kimchi adds a nice acidity to the meal, reminiscent of fresh tomatoes, and brings a bit of extra heat. The spice is much more manageable than Buldak, but still leaves a satisfying burn. The fettuccine-sorry, tangluccine- noodles hold the sauce well and have a great texture and eggy flavor. The creamy, cheesy sauce alleviates the spiciness with a sweet, tangy flavor and has a downright addictive taste. If you’re a fan of Buldak’s Carbonara noodles, or are looking for a more mild creamy ramen, I highly recommend giving it a taste!

-Amelia

Momofuku Mania

Have you heard of Chef David Chang? He is a famous chef known best for the famous restaurant chain Momofuku, which is especially renowned for its noodles.

I actually typically don’t like non-broth noodles, but I’ll EASILY make an exception for Momofuku. I think the thick and chewy texture of the noodles help make it more satisfying, so I don’t need the broth to feel like I’ve eaten a hearty meal.

All the flavors are also straightforward and traditional. Momofuku isn’t going for gimmicks; they want to make an instant noodle that delivers a high-quality, restaurant-esque experience for you to enjoy at home. You can also (one might even say encouraged to) add your own mix-ins since the flavor profiles are so accessible, and the noodles themselves are such a large part of the experience. The noodles and sauce packets make a phenomenal base when you want to add some of your own garnishes and tastes. Overall, Momofuku didn’t just want to make noodles, they wanted to make a canvas (which can also double as a finished painting, of course).

The three flavors Momofuku currently boast are: Soy and scallion, spicy soy, and tingly chili wavy noodles. I tried all three! All three are similar inside to pack (air-dried noodles + sauce packet), but the soy and scallion flavor also has a pack of dried scallions, and the tingly chili noodles are thicker than the other two flavors.

Soy and Scallion: This is the simplest, and only non-spicy, flavor. The umami and sweetness are balanced in the soy sauce within the sauce mix, and the sesame oil gives it some earthiness. I added a soft-boiled egg and some Korean seasoned spinach to the noodles when I tried them, and I almost forgot I was eating instant noodles!

Spicy Soy: This was a step up in spiciness, but nothing too major. I mean, my spice tolerance is certainly nothing special, but I handled it fine. I again added a soft boiled egg (but feel free to add something else, I just don’t eat meat and LOVE eggs), and some more of my Korean seasoned spinach (say YES to prepping side-dishes). The taste of this flavor is basically the same as the soy and scallion flavor, but there are no scallions, and chili oil is added to the sauce packet. Go for this one if you want something similar with extra warmth.

Tingly Chili Wave: This one is definitely spicier! It was so spicy I needed to add peanut butter to cope. Despite already knowing this, I did also add some spicy marinated tofu crisps though… So I didn’t do myself any favor… This one has a more complex blend of flavors thanks to the abundance of spices in the chili paste, including numbing Sichuan peppercorn. The thicker noodles also provided an even more substantial mouthfeel.

Momofuku noodles also keep well as leftovers, which cannot be said for every instant noodle. The very first time I had the tingly chili noodles, I did not finish them (I had laid myself out a veritable buffet and overestimated how much I could eat). But the next day I just needed to microwave them, and they were as good as new! We can probably thank the sturdiness of the noodles for that.

Overall, Momofuku noodles are simple, but in that simplicity they go for quality over quantity. The ingredients list are relatively simple, but they seek the best for each ingredient used, which allows underestimated flavors to shine and reveal their own complexity as they flow over your taste buds. The noodles are also special for the same reason. They too are simple, but their quality is practically incomparable within the instant noodle arena. And for more ideas about how to customize Momofuku noodles, check out shop.momofuku.com/blogs/recipes/tagged/noodles

-Josie

Hearty & Heartwarming Pepper Power

The Jing Yao Pepper soup ramen review is a little different from the others we've covered! To me, it is more like a soup starter than a whole soup. There are six packets in each bag you buy. Half those packets are a blend of noodles, seasoning, soy curls, gluten, and dried veg. The other half are packs of cornstarch and more seasoning. You pair the two different packs together to make one pot of soup, which has around 4 servings in itself. Pepper soup is known for its complex taste profile, and is even thought to have healing properties by some, due to the variety of seasonings used. Here is a translation of the back:

To start, bring 1000 ml/4 cups of water to a boil with the noodles/veg/soy packet. Adding additional broth flavoring is optional, but the directions do advise against adding any more salt. So I just added a single bouillon cube to add a little more to the broth, since the 4 cups of water would dilute the salt in the cube. You could also add any additional veg at this point. While waiting for this mixture to boil, you can move onto preparing the next packet.

While that is cooking, tip the starchy packet into a bowl and add 260 ml/1 cup of cool water to that. Mix to make a slurry. Pour the slurry into the pot to thicken the soup and stir. Once it returns to a boil, you're done! Feel free to enjoy the aromatic pepper and star anise blend of the soup, adding vinegar and sesame seed oil to taste, as recommended by the directions.

Or, you could take it up a notch. When researching the soup, I read from one Chinese woman that she recommends cooking it with carrots, tomatoes, and adding cilantro as a garnish. I did the same (plus celery, my soup soulmate) and it definitely added layers of flavor. I even added some more soy curls to add more protein. Those are easy to cook with and have a very substantial, meaty texture that grips the flavor around it like pasta due to that texture. You only need to soak them until they are just reconstituted (this brand took just a few minutes) and add them to whatever dish you are making. You could personalize it as you want. I can imagine it would be great with pork belly or thin beef slices, or different vegetables like bok choy or spinach.

I had this with leftover rice since I had added so much, but there are still noodles in there, so it still counts for this review! I also added the dried packet to noodles and the peppery, star anise-ey flavor was very refreshing as it balanced well with the other flavors in my ramen, and added protein from the soy curls.

We have a few different flavors of this soup... green (mild), orange (5 spice), and red (mala).

-Josie