Home » Food » Instant Gratification » Ramen Reviews Instantly » Noodle Review: Nongshim Instant Noodles

Noodle Review: Nongshim Instant Noodles

Nongshim are a Korean instant food company that have been producing tasty snack products for over 50 years. Their great quality instant noodles are available in a variety of tempting flavours .

Nongshim Kimchi Noodle Soup

Brand: Nongshim

Flavour: Kimchi Noodle Soup

Type: Instant

No. Of sachets: 2 – Dried Vegetables and soup sachet in green packet

Weight: 120g

Country: Korea

Comments: 420cal

Nongshim instant noodles Kimchi noodle soup
Nongshim Kimchi Noodle Soup

The taste that promises warm familiarity and joy – that of kimchi, the fermented cabbage dish that is the national food of Korea, coupled with the noodles you seek in a luscious soup. Basic goodness is hopefully assured. Conveniently this instant noodle brand, from self-proclaimed No.1 Brand Nongshim, seeks to please with thoughtful ergonomic design of the product. Unless supplied with a vessel for consumption (such as the cup noodle or the incorrectly monikered pot noodle alongside other ramen that use other containers) the shape of your instant ramen can have geometrical implications. For many brands the convenience in bulk packing results in square or rectangular dried noodle shaped portions which clearly makes the packaging and distribution much easier. For the end user, however, attempts at placing your rectangular dried noodles into a round bowl is not as intrinsically easy as having your ramen delivered in circular form – one that precisely fits the most appropriate eating vessel. And indeed Nongshim Kimchi Noodle Soup noodles are conveniently round and hence ideal for your bowl.

But what of the taste? The supplied dried vegetables come in a standard sachet and are complemented by the pale red broth from the powder in the green sachet. Once the noodles are cooked they are generally of modest length (although some small mini-noodles tried escaping the chopsticks but this was inevitable given the dried noodle injury that occurs in transportation from factory to seller to you to bowl) that have good texture and consistency. The broth is pleasant and distinctly kimchi flavoured, a great thing given that this is kimchi flavoured noodles. There is a decent hit of heat but those whose palette doesn’t favour spicy food can simply add to the already rather liquid recommended 550ml of boiling water without any harm to product or flavour, even giving you a touch more broth to the soup in the recipe. The final product is reliable and comforting. Just don’t expect any surprises.

Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup

Brand: Nongshim

Flavour: Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup

Type: Instant

No. Of sachets: 2 – Dried Vegetables and soup sachet in red packet

Weight: 120g

Country: Korea

Nongshim instant noodles Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup

You may, or may not, know about a particular instant sachet of foodie fun, the Nongshim Kimchi Noodle Soup set. But, fellow ramentics, the difference lies with the name, for the product on offer here is Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup. Note the six extra letters, but weight-watchers might also notice six extra calories giving a total of 426cal. But does the ramyun taste produce that extra flavour even though the net weight of the product is the same and the net weight gain on you is different?

The soup sachet is distinctly different in appearance and description to its companion ramen: the green sachet on the Nongshim Kimchi Noodle, marked with a yellow font declaring kimchi, was notably Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup, different to the extravagant red sachet which incorporates those extra words and a different font-to-background colour to emphasise its provocative declaration of ramyun flavour enhancement over the traditional option.

Well, the kimchi taste is still there and has a highly satisfactory flavour essential for a soup based kimchi noodle. The issue with many kimchi ramen lies with the flavouring which, when well implemented, is just what you want but there’s often something manufacturers sometimes don’t get quite right with the texture of the noodles. Also, instant versions of products often have trouble properly realising the dried vegetables, particularly cabbage, which are essential in providing that kimchi familiarity. Here the vegetables rehydrate beautifully and even become crunchy. The soupiness is notably soupy when the correct amount of water is used. The real difference with the Nongshim Kimchi Ramyun Noodle Soup is a distinctly pleasant, almost smoky, taste compared with the Nongshim Kimchi Noodle Soup, which makes for a delightful subtle surprise. Even if there are those additional calories.

Nongshim Shrimp Big Bowl

BRAND: Nongshim

FLAVOUR: Shrimp Big Bowl

TYPE: Normal

No. OF SACHETS: One – Soupbase (the dried ingredients have been added for you)

WEIGHT: 115g

COUNTRY: Korea

Big Bowl it says and, by golly, it’s not wrong. Huge it be, with bright orange labels and the warning of a bursting stomach. As with most of these ‘all in’ jobs, the noodles are slightly thinner for ease of cooking with the all-important sealable lid. Naturally, the meal is simplicity itself to prepare. Wait. What’s that? There are loads of really strange things in here and a soy-fried scrambled egg square, there’s cuttlefish, shrimp, and even fish cake. Lots to chew. There are even some prawn tails so watch out for the shelly bits. Add to that a really appetising broth and…

Nooooo! They’ve done it again. There’s a nasty artificial polystyrene aftertaste – yuck, yuck! Not as bad as some we’ve eaten but it’s a real downer on what could have been a noodle delight. So close.

Nongshim Chapagetti

BRAND: Nongshim

FLAVOUR: Chapagetti

TYPE: Normal noodles

No. OF SACHETS: Three – soup base, oil and dried veg with soya

WEIGHT: 140g

COUNTRY: Korea

Nong Shim Chapagetti Instant Noodle Review

“It cannee hold it much longer cap’n, she’s breakin’ up”. So says my regulation blue noodle munching mug when faced with the huge tower of noodles that Nong Shim have decided to supply us with. Massive thick luscious noodles, like Medusa’s hair, spitting mushroom soup to all corners of the room and causing grown men to flee in terror or at very least turn to stone. “It’s… it’s… not human”. No it’s a packet of noodles with a lot of weight to throw around and an attitude problem as dark as the jet black broth wherein they lie.

These are not tasty, delicate noodles nor fiery hot little passion burners, they’re the fill-you-up-mate variety and from this angle they work well. They cook easily and have a lot of bite. But, call me a noodle snob, I happen to prefer mine a little more dainty. Not that these are bad – there is lots of wholesome broth to accompany the noodles but really too much of a good thing. Somehow, despite the massive portion, you’d rather have fewer and a more refined flavour.

Nongshim Chicken

FLAVOUR: Chicken

TYPE: Normal noodles

No. OF SACHETS: Two – soupbase and dried veg with soya

WEIGHT: 90g

COUNTRY: Korea

The cute packaging promises ‘Lunch Box Noodle’ and the seriously wide-eyed tanuki/racoon/bear/panda/thing postures in a display of pure ego counterbalanced by a seriously unflattering neckerchief. This is a ‘cook in the box’ type of offering with the noodles fitting very snugly into their polystyrene enclosure.

They cook very well and the soupbase is tasty, if not a revelationary delight. The vegetables add a nice crunch but we are let down by the metallic taste of the soya pieces – if it’s meant to be soya flavour, put soya in it. If it’s meant to be meat, put meat in it. Good starter package, just add water. But try and pick the soya out before you cook, you’ll thank yourself for the effort.

Nong Shim Oriental (with Soup Base)

BRAND: Nongshim

FLAVOUR: Oriental

TYPE: Normal

No. OF SACHETS: One – soupbase

WEIGHT: 125g

COUNTRY: Korea

Nongshim instant noodles

The grinning fuzzy raccoon creature with the huge pan of noodles rushing to greet you gives the game away: a huge pan and the rotund waistline means big noodles for a big appetite. They are a bit coy in the name-the-taste department – I mean ‘Oriental Style’ doesn’t do a great deal to limit the potential field of flavoursome options, you are kinda left with a just-roll-with-it approach. But you are amply rewarded, they make up to every 125g promised on the packet, you have to squish ’em back in the mug there are so many of the little noodly devils wriggling around.

The taste does not disappoint either, a good warming, spicy bite with the surprising, but welcome, addition of substantial pieces of seaweed. Great stuff. Highly recommended for the larger eater or the very hungry with no expense spared on the taste. There’s an awful lot of flavour packed into one small sachet.

Nongshim Hot Noodles

BRAND: Nong Shim
FLAVOUR: Hot
TYPE: Normal
No. OF SACHETS: Two – Soupbase and dried stuff
WEIGHT: 86g
COUNTRY: Korea

‘Hot Taste! Bowl Noodle!’ the Styrofoam bowl packaging proudly bellows. This is primary colour territory – just rip off the lid and add the water. There’s not a racoon in sight and as such there is no ‘return to the kettle’ mucking around that can delay your eating pleasure. The downside is that the noodles themselves are spindly and lack the thick bite of their not-so-convenient cousins. Also you pay for the packaging, there’s no such thing as a free noodle bowl.

First impressions on the flavours are good with a fair amount of veg bandied about and some really tasty bite sized chunks of chewy fish (revealed to be pollack on closer inspection of the label). The stock is really good and not too hot (Trading Standards should probably be informed – after all, they are advertised as ‘Hot Taste!’ – but its no big deal really).

But then there’s a but. A big but. Taste may be good BUT there is a horrid plastic aftertaste, its like eating Epoxy resin. Truly nasty. I tried to figure out where the problem arose. Sadly, it feels as though someone has managed to produce industrial glue aftertaste flavour noodles.

Link to all ramen reviews
If you liked this post, please share it:

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up To Our Very Tasty Newsletter

Loading