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