Tasting Paldo Namja Ramen

Today's tasting doesn't come off the Ramen Rater's lists; in fact, not really sure where I found out about this one. Decent-sized brick of noodles at 4.06 oz/115g, and comes with two packets - one of vegetables, and one of seasoning powder. The directions are to cook in 500cc of water "until tender"; I cooked them for 3 minutes and they were very good texture-wise. The directions didn't say to drain, so I didn't - I just added the packets and let them sit for a few minutes.  

The first impression of the flavor is salt, but it goes down pretty quickly to a solid if non-descript "meaty" flavor. The Ramen Rater thought they were pretty hot, but I'm not tasting any heat at all, to the point I'm thinking about adding some hot sauce to it as well as a protein add-in, this time roast turkey. 

Nutritional details: 480 calories, 14g of fat, and 10g of protein. 1,850(!) mg of sodium. 

Verdict: OK. Not amazing, not terrible, just...OK. I'll finish them but won't buy them again. 

Taste: 6/10

Heat: 3/10

Tasting Mamee Shinsegae Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Noodles

As I mentioned in my last tasting, Bulmawang The Devil of Fire Ramen claims the title of "spiciest ramen in the world". And as I noted then, I think Mamee Shinsegae Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Noodles are way hotter. But it doesn't look like I ever wrote a review, so here it is. 

These noodles come in a cup with an oily sachet. The noodles themselves are black in color...and so is the sachet, at least coming out. Once I mixed it with the noodles it was a deep orange-red. It's a fairly small portion at only 2.82oz (80g). 

I cooked them in the microwave then drained off the water and added the sachet. There was an odd smell to the noodles - not super-off-putting, but definitely somewhat chemical-y. There was nothing even vaguely chicken-like to the flavor, which matches the chemical smell. It's slightly sweet, but that's the only other note. 

Image source: Daebak Foods Facebook page

The heat is instant and lingers. It's right at the edge of my pain threshold - where heat turns to physical pain. At a couple minutes after a bite I could still feel the heat. It wasn't hot enough to make me sweat, but only just - I could feel my forehead wanting to. In fairness, the label is strewn with hints - "daring", "Flaming Spicy Madness", "WARNING: EXTREMELY SPICY". It also includes a Scoville scale - and a challenge! 

EAT IT: Empty the Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken Cup into your stomach.

SURVIVE IT: Take a video of you struggling to finish the whole cup. (Not this guy!)

ANNOUNCE IT: Post it and tag @daebaknoodles on social media and include #CanOrNotCHALLENGE to be chosen as the lucky winner. 

There's a note to check their FB account for more details but I couldn't find anything even close.  

Nutritional details: 340 calories, 12g of fat, and 7g of protein. 946mg of sodium. 

Verdict: I think this is the spiciest ramen I've had so far. I got it in a package of 6 and this is my 2nd, so I'll finish them all unless I find someone else in one of my hot sauce groups that wants them more.

Taste: 6/10

Heat: 10/10

Tasting Bulmawang The Devil of Fire Ramen

 

According to the company that makes them, Bulmawang The Devil of Fire Ramen is "The spiciest ramen in the world". The broth is made using the Carolina Reaper, which either is or was the hottest chile pepper in the world. However, acccording to the website where I first heard of them, TheRamenRater.com, they are only the 7th spiciest. Which one is closer? I'll share my thoughts shortly. 

It's a good-sized package at 4.13 oz (117g). The entire package is in Korean with the exception of the name on the package and the tagline. I'm guessing they are claiming 14,444 Scovilles on the front of the package, which would definitely put this at the top of the list. Inside the package I found your typical ramen noodles and a dry seasoning packet. 

Did I mention the entire package was in Korean? So no idea how to cook these. I checked The Ramen Rater's review and he said 2 1/2 cups of water and 4 1/2 minutes; I followed the recommendations for the amount of water and checked them starting at 3 min until they were done - around 4 minutes.  The results were soup, rather than noodles, the more to distribute the heat I suppose. 

As is the case with many of the spicy noodles, there wasn't a specific flavor to speak of - other than SALT. This ramen clocked in at a heinous 1,969mg of sodium. In terms of the heat, it hit fairly quickly but didn't really last. Because all I could taste was salt, it wasn't really that great until I added my usual enhancements, sesame oil and chopped peanuts, as well as some diced leftover turkey. 

Nutritional details: 508 calories, 18g of fat, and 7g of protein. 1,969mg(!) of sodium. 

Verdict: It is most definitely not the spiciest ramen in the world; I still have 5 cups left of Mamee Shinsegae Ghost Pepper Spicy Chicken and it was significantly hotter (And the Ramen Rater agrees, marking it at #4 on his list). Aside: I have tried that, but apparently didn't do a review so watch this space! I had high expectations for the heat level and was significantly disappointed. I still have 3 left so I'll finish the rest of the pack, but I'll definitely be dolling it up - and having a bunch of water with it, not for the heat but for the salt. 

Taste: 4/10

Heat: 8/10

Thanksgiving 2020 - COVID-19 Edition

 This year's theme is booze - because what else could it be in the Age of the Pandemic? More specifically, the theme will be bourbon. The bourbons I plan to use include: 

• Knob Creek - butter, cheesecake
• Stranahan's - stuffing, turkey
• Woodford Reserve - cran sauce, pecan pie balls
• Bulleit - sw pot, carrots

I'll note which bourbon went into which dish, though I didn't give a ton of thought to trying to match specific flavor profiles to the different dishes. Most of the dishes the alcohol cooks out, but I added an extra tablespoon back into the cranberry sauce because reasons. 

For breakfast: The very much bourbon-free Thanksgiving Morning strata. Recipe: https://fullcontactcooking.blogspot.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-morning-strata.html

Cocktails: 

Bourbon Maple Leaf Cocktail: Recipe

Bourbon Cider: Recipe

Turkey and Gravy: 

Update: Due to idiocy apparently beyond my control, my second turkey didn't thaw in time...or at all. My first turkey, which is primarily for stock and leftovers, has already been rendered into bite-sized pieces and put in the freezer. SO....this year experimenting with a bone-in breast and a boneless breast. Still doing the gravy, though. 

Bourbon-Cream Turkey Gravy: Recipe

Bourbon: Stranahan's

Cranberry sauce:

Vanilla Bourbon Cranberry Sauce: Recipe

Bourbon: Woodford Reserve

Stuffing: 

Bourbon Pecan Stuffing: Recipe

Bourbon: Stranahan's 

Potatoes: 

Sweet Potatoes with Bourbon and Maple: Recipe

Bourbon: Bulleit

Vegetable: 

Whiskey-Glazed Carrots: Recipe

Bourbon: Bulleit

Rolls and Butter:

Hawaiian sweet bread rolls from the store

Bacon-bourbon butter: Recipe

Bourbon: Knob Creek

Desserts: 

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon-Butter Sauce: Recipe

Bourbon: Knob Creek

Pecan Pie Balls: Recipe

Bourbon: Woodford Reserve

Store-bought honeycrisp apple streusel pie

Liq-Creme Bourbon 'n' Beer Ice Cream

Liq-Creme Bourbon Pecan Pie Ice Cream

Relish tray - sweet gherkins, dill gherkins, black olives

Upcoming Challenges - The Paqui One Chip Challenge and the Death Nut 2.0 Challenge

 Just a placeholder post. I have 5 of the Paqui One Chip Challenge chips, 2020 edition, and 2 of the Deathnut 2.0 Challenge sets. These will need to be done on a weekend, because while I have a pretty strong constitution, I expect that there will be...consequences. In addition, they will need to be on different weekends for the very same reason. 

Tasting Indomie Mi goreng Hot & Spicy Noodles

Another first for me today as I tried my first Indonesian noodles, Indomie Mi Goreng Hot & Spicy. This made the Top 13 spiciest ramens list per TheTakeout.com. Pretty small package at only 2.82 oz (80g) - probably why the calorie and sodium totals are so relatively low. Inside are pretty typical-looking ramen-style noodles, and no fewer than 5 different sachet ingredients: seasoning powder, seasoning oil, sweet soy sauce, chili powder, and fried onion. The seasoning oil was...interesting...in that part of it was very dark and seems to have congealed inside the sauce packet, while the rest was a radioactive orange. 

I cooked the noodles per directions - boiled for 3 min, then drained. I added the sachet ingredients to the noodles rather than the noodles to the sachet - so I guess I didn't *exactly* follow them. 

]The texture was good, and the taste was definitely more soy than anything else. Then again, it didn't say it was chicken, beef, etc. I didn't see any animal proteins listed in the ingredients. Heat-wise, there isn't an immediate hit, but it does grow slowly over maybe 30-40 seconds. To my palate it wasn't very spicy but I could see it being a bit tingly for some people. Once I hit the fried onions, they were very potent little salt-bombs. I clearly didn't distribute them evenly enough as the last coupe bites were like chewing on salt crystals. 

390 calories, 17g of fat, and 8g of protein. Definitely more typical ramen in all categories. "Only" 770 mg of sodium so better than many others. 

Verdict: It was OK, but not worth what I paid for it (maybe $1.79 or so at my local grocery store). I'd eat the rest of the pack if it only came in a multi-pack, but since I got just the one, it's probably one and done. 

Taste: 6/10

Heat: 6/10

Tasting Asha Healthy Ramen Noodles (Extra Spicy with Ghost Pepper, Medium Width Mandarin Noodle)

So today I tried my first Taiwanese ramen, A-sha Mandarin Noodle, Extra Spicy Sauce, with Ghost Pepper. They note on the package that it is non-fried. It's a smaller package than many, at 3.35 oz (95g). Inside I found the noodles, which are wider and almost linguine-like, and the sauce packet, also labeled Extra Spicy with Ghost Pepper. 

The directions were distinctly lacking in specifics, so I boiled the ramen for around 2 minutes or until they hit the right level of chew. Per the packaging I drained them and then added the sauce packet. As I opened the sauce packet there was a distinct and strong aroma of....something, midway between soy and teriyaki. My daughter remarked on the pungency as well. 

The texture was good, and the taste was definitely more soy than anything else. Then again, it didn't say it was chicken, beef, etc. As the flavor lingered it turned somewhat black pepper-y. Heat-wise, there was some spicy but not nearly what I expected of something that had ghost pepper in the name. The sauce left a bit of tingle that lingered for a few minutes after I finished the bowl. 

300 calories, only 1.5 grams of fat and 11 grams of protein, so in terms of "healthy" ramen, it'd be hard to beat this one. Lots of empty carbs of course. And a whopping 1,540 mg of sodium. 

Verdict: I bought this as a 5-pack and will definitely eat them all. 

Taste: 7/10

Heat: 7/10

Tasting Paldo Volcano Spicy Chicken Noodles

Today I'm trying Paldo's Volcano Spicy Chicken Noodles. It's labeled as being "Crazy Hot! Hot Spicy". It's rated #9 on the spiciest prepackaged ramens of all time by The Ramen Rater. 

I generally followed the package instructions, cooking it in 2 1/2 cups of boiling water for 3:00, then drained most of the water off. I did not do the stir-fry step. 

The noodles were fairly thick, very chewy, very tasty by themselves. It comes with two packets, one that had seaweed and sesame seeds, and one that was the chili sauce. I added both, gave it a stir, and let it sit a minute or so. 

I found the actual flavor to be a nondescript "meaty". It's labeled as chicken but I didn't see any actual chicken in the ingredients - rather, there was yeast extract, MSG, and artificial beef and chicken flavor. Heat-wise, it did have a bit of a punch, though I'm not sure I'd consider it to be spicy enough to be the 9th hottest of the several thousand the Ramen Rater has tried. The heat lingers - I waited about 4 min after the first bite and I could still feel it. The heat seems to build, too - I finished the bowl about 5 min ago and not only can I still feel the heat in my mouth, but my lips are slightly tingly in a way that evokes both heat and numbness. 

This one runs 520 calories and 1,263 mg of sodium. 

Verdict: I bought this as a 4-pack and will happily consume all 4 of them. That said, I may try a mukbang with the 3 remaining chili sauce packets in one bowl of noodles and save the other two for some other treatment. 

Taste: 8/10

Heat: 9/10

Tasting Tapatio Ramen Noodle Soup

 Today I'm trying Tapatio Ramen Noodle Soup. Saw this at the local Walmart and thought it might be interesting - I love hot sauce and I love ramen, so why not try the combination? Tapatio is not a super-spicy hot sauce - along the lines of a Tabasco or sriracha. 

Followed the directions using boiling water and let sit for 3 min. The noodles were still a bit more al dente than I generally go for so I let it sit another minute or so. 

The flavor is tough to describe. I didn't really get any flavor from it other than a very mild protein flavor - I had to check the ingredients to see that it includes beef and vegetable stock and MSG. The heat was there if you have a very sensitive palate, but as I noted, Tapatio isn't noted for scorching heat. Overall I'd say the flavor was pleasant. 

I didn't have anything to stir into it so I ate it as is, but it would have been significantly improved I think with a bit of meat, maybe some lime juice and cilantro. 

440 calories as packaged, and 1540 mg of sodium. 

Verdict: It was OK, but that's it. 

Taste: B

Heat: D

Tasting Nissin's Hot & Spicy Blazing Hot Flavor Noodles

 

Today I'm trying Nissin's Hot & Spicy Blazing Hot Noodles. Like the previous one, it's a big serving and presented the same way. I cooked it in a bit more water and for 3:00 per package directions. Noodles were nice and chewy and held up well. 

I tried it without the chili sauce first. Flavor was fairly bland, and while there was a slight bit of heat, i.e. hotter than plain or teriyaki, but no real bite, there was not much flavor other than that slight piquancy. 

I opened the chili sauce and there was no particular aroma to it. Added it to the noodles and again, it added a bit of heat and not much flavor. It certainly was unworthy of the term "Blazing Hot". As with the previous tasting, I added a bit of leftover pork and maybe 1/2 tsp of sesame oil and it was OK. 

Only(!) 420 calories as packaged, and 1300 mg of sodium. 

Verdict: It was OK, but that's it. 

Taste: B-

Heat: B-

Tasting Nissin's Hot & Spicy Firewok Sizzlin' Rich Pork Noodles

Today I'm trying Nissin's Hot & Spicy Firewok Sizzlin' Rich Pork Noodles. Like the previous one, it's a big serving and presented the same way. I cooked it in a bit more water and for 3:30 this time and it was still a bit al dente; another 20 sec did the trick, and the noodles remained chewy throughout. 

I tried it without the fire sauce first. Flavor was good but not at all spicy - I'd call it a basic pork flavor with a hint of soy & sesame. I opened the fire sauce packet and it was not at all the same - this one smelled more like charred or roasted meat and in a pleasant way. Had no qualms about adding this one, so wondering if I got an expired packet on the previous one. It added a little heat, but again nothing worthy of the term "Firewok". I did decide to add a bit of leftover pork and maybe 1/2 tsp of sesame oil and it was pretty tasty. 

This one runs 570 calories and an even 2,000 mg of sodium. 

Verdict: Much better flavor than the chicken one...but less heat. Again not sure I'd spend the money and sodium on it. 

Taste: B

Heat: C

A bit of a reset and expansion of focus - tasting Nissin's Hot & Spicy Firewok Molten Chili Chicken noodles

 I don't post nearly often enough (to either of my blogs). In an attempt to counter that, at least on this blog, I've decided to expand my focus just a bit. As those who know me well know, I have a thing for spicy foods - generally the hotter, the better. I'm thinking about starting a video series involving tastings, "World's Hottest X" rundowns, etc. At the same time, my daughter will be joining me with a focus on weird (to us) foods - think limited-edition flavors, flavors from different cultures, etc. 

So! Today I'm trying Nissin's Hot & Spicy Firewok Molten Chili Chicken noodles. It's a big serving, and advertises that it's 20% bigger than their other ones. Inside are noodles, a packet of seasoning, a packet of freeze-dried vegetables, and something called "Fire Sauce". Pretty straightforward to cook, though I cooked it for 4 min instead of 5 so it didn't get too mushy. 

I tried it without the fire sauce first. It had a decent texture, though still slightly mushy, but I generally expect that from the brands I typically find at the supermarket. There was a bit of heat, but definitely not anything to write home about. 

Next, I opened the fire sauce packet. It has a distinctly chemical smell to it that I found incredibly off-putting, to the point I almost didn't put it in. But I did, and it significantly upped the heat quotient. The smell diffused some, but it's still a very odd undertone that will likely prevent my buying this again. 

As I waited for it to cool, I noted that the noodles absorbed every bit of the water and got even a bit more mushy, though still edible. Per the packaging, it's called noodles in sauce, not soup, so I suppose that's to be expected. 

The entire thing runs 560 calories and 2,050 mg of sodium. Woof. 

Verdict: It was spicy and the heat lingered in a not unpleasant way. Not sure it's worth the weird chemical undertone and the sodium. 

Taste: C-

Heat: B- 

Vegetable Pasta Sauce

I love making this and I don't generally use a recipe. Rather, it's kinda "what vegetables do I have in the house?" and then for every cup or so of vegetables I add one can of either crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce. Here's how I made it today. 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil

2 large bell peppers, diced (about 2 cups)

3 large celery stalks, diced (about 2 cups)

1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)

3 medium zucchini, diced (about 3 cups)

5 15-oz cans of crushed tomatoes and/or tomato sauce

1 cup shredded carrots

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 cup shredded Parmesan or other hard Italian cheese, plus more to garnish

Directions:

1. Heat a large pot or Dutch overn over medium high heat. Add oil.  

2. Working in 2-3 batches, saute the peppers, celery, and onions for 3-5 minutes. Add zucchini and saute for another 3-5 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. 

3. Stir in the tomatoes/tomato sauce and remaining ingredients (through Parmesan). Bring to a simmer, then turn heat down to medium to medium-low to barely maintain the simmer. Simmer sauce for 15 minutes. 

Serve warm over pasta, rice, cabbage, whatever you want. I eat it straight from the pot. 

Add-ins: 

You could also mix in lean hamburger or turkey or pork, ground, browned, and crumbled. I've added bacon sometimes. I often add kalamata olives. Seasoning-wise you could omit the crushed red pepper or increase it, or add other peppers (fresh or spices). Basil would be nice. 

Update 9/21/2020: Other seasoning approaches: 

• Curry powder, paprika, thyme, which is a play on my schaschlik sauce. 
• The full bore schaschlik sauce (based on Kraft Original Recipe barbecue sauce rather than plain tomatoes/tomato sauce)
• Plain barbecue sauce, any variety
• Southwestern style, adding in tomatoes with chilies (e.g. Rotel) or even salsa

Hoppin' John

This is apparently a New Year's Day tradition in some parts of the U.S. that's supposed to bring luck for the new year. Regardless, I really like it and, though it's not the healthiest dish (especially as outlined below), it's an incredible vehicle for hot sauces! I also don't have the patience for dried black-eyed peas, so I use frozen or canned. Canned are significantly softer but faster; I'll address both in the recipe below.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice, cooked and fluffed according to package directions
6 thick-cut bacon slices, diced
1 package andouille or other smoked sausage, sliced 1/4" thick
8 oz (about 1 cup) ham, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (any color, I prefer green), chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
2-3 15oz cans of black-eyed peas OR 2 lbs frozen black-eyed peas (and see directions below)
1 quart chicken stock
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste, can be omitted)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
Hot sauce, to taste (optional)

Directions:
1. Prepare rice according to package directions and keep warm.
2. Heat Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook about 5-7 minutes or until nearly desired crispness. Add the sausage and ham and continue cooking until bacon is done and sausage and ham are lightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat mixture from the skillet and set aside, leaving the rendered bacon grease in the pan.
3. Add the onion, pepper, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender and the onion starts to get translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 additional minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the black-eyed peas, chicken stock, and remaining ingredients and stir to combine thoroughly. Turn temperature to medium-low to maintain a steady simmer.

• If using frozen peas, cover pot with tight-fitting lid and simmer for 30-40 minutes until peas are tender. 
• If using canned peas, simmer for 5-10 minutes. 

Once the peas are tender, remove from heat. At this point you can either serve the Hoppin' John over the rice or fold the rice into the pot. Serve warm. 

I love hot sauce so feel free to apply liberally. You could also increase the cayenne, add crushed red pepper flakes, add chipotle or ancho chiles, dice in some jalapenos or other fresh chiles, etc.