If Korea’s prepping for a food war, THIS is their nuclear weapon of choice. I’d call it the great fire of Korea, no bakers allowed, because this stuff is HOT. NO JOKE. WARNING. CAUTION. If I had safety labels, I would plaster it all over this post and Samyang’s packaging. Even the staff at the shop asked if I valued life as I queried the whereabouts of this item by name!
As you’ve probably guessed, Samyang is the Korean company providing this lethal ramen as well as other miscellaneous flavours and labels –going strong since 1961. They don’t tell you the secret to their heat (apart from the red pepper powder and chilli) but the number of extracts, enhancers, artificial flavours and sweeteners they do mention makes this ramen FAR from organic, and healthy.
This post talks about the notorious hot chicken noodles, and it really doesn’t help that the chicken flavour is awesome, so you want to finish it even though you know you have to plow through a volcano of carbs. It hurts so good.
Samyang ramen come in cups, bowls and packs, and since this is the cup ramen, the instructions ask you to:
- Peel off the lid to the stop line engraved on the rim of the cardboard
- Take out sachets (leave noodles) and fill the cup with boiling water to the inner stop line before closing the lid for 4 minutes
- Drain the water and throw in your nuclear chicken sauce and sesame seeds with seaweed flakes
- Stir till you have a saucy red concoction of fire noodles.
By this point you’re excited and can’t wait to feel the burn, but PLEASE have a cup of milk, water or something cold and drinkable before proceeding.
Then of course eat, SLOWLY, and enjoy the flavour.
Now at first you’ll question your humanity thinking you were some kind of fire god in your past life because there’s no heat – at first – but give it a sec… like an oven on preheat, it starts as a little fire in the back of the furnace, then the space heats up, then the whole room heats up!
And then you thank me for suggesting milk. BECAUSE IT BURNS!!
But don’t get me wrong, you won’t be rolling on the floor dying in your own sweat like those melodramatic actors on Youtube, your mouth will burn (intensely), and there may even be tears, but it’s an enjoyable kind of burn, a laughing and gagging with your friends while gushing down water kind of burn. Oh and don’t think drinking will instantly remove the heat, it stays there for a good 5-10 minutes, the drink is just to ease your suffering… mwahahahaha.
Jokes aside though this is a fun ramen, it’s a good level of scoville (heat level) for dares, a personal thrill or simply a laugh. Fun food like this excites me and adds to the foodventure experience. So if there is a Korean market near you, go buy this bad boy, tell your shop clerk I warned you already, then go home or to your friend’s house and blaze up on this.
The Foodventures of Xtian 