So spicy it’s addictive！2016 Instant Noodle Awards – A Review of 21 Selected Korean Instant Noodles

Photos & Text byHi, I’m Jh

What comes to mind when you think of Korea? Korean instant noodles must be one of the answers！

Let me first explain why I chose this topic. The cost of living in Korea is much higher than in Taiwan, and eating a proper meal out can easily start from 150 Taiwanese dollars. Living here long-term, saving money is really not easy><于是就在宿舍囤了便宜又方便的泡面。

As my collection of instant noodles grew, I started to want to try them all — and thus this article was born～These are all my personal thoughts and taste preferences, which might not align with everyone's. Please try a small portion first, and only stock up if you find them tasty XDDD (don’t act on impulse～

1. 라궁성 (Beef Bone Soup Noodles)

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Thin noodles, not spicy, milky-white soup, slightly heavy garlic flavor — tastes a bit like instant ramen. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t recommend bringing it back to Taiwan specifically XD There are probably much better options available there haha...............

2. 랑표성 (Shrimp Soup Noodles)

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Regular noodles, medium spicy (and gets spicier as you eat). As soon as you open the package, the overwhelming shrimp flavor hits you — it’s reminiscent of that certain brand’s shrimp-flavored snack X！Very seafood-forward.
Don’t add all the seasoning powder, it’ll get too salty.

Seafood lovers can give it a try, but personally, I don’t highly recommend it because the flavor is actually quite similar to what you can find in Taiwan XD I feel like you can find similar instant noodles back home haha
That square piece that’s the source of the shrimp flavor (?) has a texture similar to fish cake.

3. 산신공 (Spicy Seafood Soup Noodles or Stir-fried Noodles)

Rating: ★★★★★

Thick noodles, they soften well with hot water, but I recommend boiling them — otherwise you’ll really have to soak them for a long time (boiling also lets you add cheese, veggies, or even crack an egg in XDDDD). There’s a spicy oil packet (the smallest one) that lets you adjust the spice level — I usually add about 1/3, which is medium spicy for me. The seafood flavor is really rich, and one bite feels like you’re swimming in an underwater world (← too dramatic XDDDD

It’s the kind of spicy instant noodle that’s addictive!!

4. 소포 (Korean-style Jajangmyeon)

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Slightly wider noodles, not spicy. Remember to pour out some of the water after soaking the noodles, or else it’s hard to mix the sauce. Don’t add all the seasoning powder, it’ll get too salty — adding about 2/3 is enough. I recommend adding some blanched greens as well, which makes it much tastier and helps balance the saltiness ^^

5. 안성탕면

Rating: ★★★★☆

Regular noodles, mildly spicy. The first time I went to Korea, I bought it just because of the Chinese characters on the package (not sure what I was thinking XDD). Then, in the middle of the night, I got hungry and made it at the guesthouse — and wow, it was surprisingly amazing haha！But I’m not sure if it’s because I was super hungry back then, and pretty much anything would’ve tasted good. The last time I had it, it was still good, just not as mind-blowingly delicious as before XD Still, it’s really tasty!! I recommended it to friends and they liked it too!!

6. ??궁 (Raccoon Instant Noodles)

Rating: ★★★★☆

I recommend boiling these XDD Soaking them in hot water takes forever — around 10 minutes to get soft. Very spicy, to the point where it’ll make you blow your nose, but it’s delicious！You can boil them and add an egg to balance the heat～～really tasty！Highly recommended！！

7. Beef Soup

Recommendation: ★★★☆☆

I have to admit I only bought this because I was craving Taiwanese flavors (the packaging is so Taiwanese, XDDD). I felt like Korean instant noodles all have a similar level of spiciness, like Shin Ramen, so I wanted to try how Korean beef soup instant noodles compare to Taiwanese ones. The taste is actually quite similar to Taiwanese beef noodle instant noodles XD, but it lacks the oil packet that most Taiwanese noodles have, so it doesn’t have that same fragrant kick. If you’re just visiting Korea for a few days, I’d suggest not buying it.
It takes up space haha, but it’s tasty.

8. 린누후 (Beef Noodle)

Recommendation: ★★☆☆☆

Regular noodles, mildly spicy. It’s really quite ordinary—I can’t think of any particular adjectives to describe it. It’s probably the most generic Korean instant noodle.

9. 고추볶음호 (Spicy Chicken Stir-Fried Noodles)

Recommendation: ★★★★★

It’s said to be the spiciest Korean instant noodle (?). Before eating, I was really worried my throat would burn (it wasn’t that dramatic, okay? XD). In the end, I was surprisingly able to handle it. Although it’s spicy, it’s really super delicious!! So delicious that I’d want to buy it again. I bravely added the entire spicy sauce packet—basically going all in on the spice haha. At first bite, it’s sweet (seriously!) but then the heat gradually builds up and gets spicier and spicier XD. But because it’s honestly so good, I’m giving it five stars!!

10. 담백후 (Sesame Ramen)

Recommendation: ★★★★★

Regular noodles, comes with a spicy oil packet to adjust the level of spiciness. Actually, it’s a bit spicy even without the spicy oil packet XD. Since I hadn’t tried it before, I was so happy when I first opened it and saw the egg-roll-shaped seasoning packet. I thought it would have the texture of a soft Japanese-style tamagoyaki when soaked, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was wrong—it’s actually supposed to be broken up to resemble egg drop soup haha. The sesame flavor is very fragrant, and there are actual sesame seeds too. This is also a noodle I’d repurchase because it’s quite unique and really pretty tasty too!! So, five stars!!

11. 후기 (As the name suggests: instant noodles + rice)

Recommendation: ★★★☆☆

This is kind of like a uniquely Korean thing—they really love eating noodles + rice. You’ll see lots of restaurant menus with “some rice + some noodles.” Although I couldn’t accept the existence of such an instant noodle at first, I figured, hey, I’m in Korea now—how bad can a “noodle-rice combo” be? It’s not like it’s some terrifying food like silkworm pupae, so I definitely had to try it to get the full experience!!

The rice is kind of like a rice cracker-like food. I initially thought it would have a texture like biscuits falling into soup (you know that soggy, mushy feeling), but it actually wasn’t like that at all!! And when it soaked, it really did have the texture of “rice,” which I found super amazing!! I’m giving it three stars because although the idea is fresh, the taste isn’t particularly special, so unless you’re trying something new, you probably won’t want to eat it again after one try—you can just add rice to your instant noodles and cook it to get the same result XDDDD

12. 라라국수 (Straightforwardly: La Ramen + Rice)

Recommendation: ★★★☆☆

Not recommended to eat it dry. I’ve tried both dry and cooked versions myself, and the dry version is basically a disaster—it’s kinda mushy and tasteless. So it’s better to cook it to really enjoy the flavor!! The noodles are super chewy and springy, like al dente noodles!! There’s also a subtle smoky flavor to them, which isn’t bad. The price is also reasonable, usually around 1,000 KRW.

Translate the instructions at the back~~

Boil 350cc of water, add the noodles and soy sauce packet, cook for two minutes then turn off the heat, then add the vegetable packet and it’s done~~

13. 라볶이 (Spicy Stir-Fried Instant Noodles - Spicy Rice Cake Sauce + Instant Noodles)

Recommendation: ★★★☆☆

I was initially attracted by how cute the packaging was, and the sauce inside is actually just like the stir-fried rice cake sauce you get outside!! It’s slightly sweet and spicy (mildly spicy) and is actually pretty tasty. But personally I don’t think it has much of a standout quality, so it’s one of those instant noodles I probably wouldn’t rebuy.

14. 관층공 (Spicy Seafood Soup Noodles)

Recommendation: ★★☆☆☆

Flat noodles, but surprisingly they’re not at all chewy!! (Did I soak them too long??) The flavor also didn’t really suit my taste—it just tasted like spicy!! Spicy!! Spicy!! (what a description lol), and it felt like it numbed my tongue. Compared to other seafood soup noodles (the “층공” series), this is probably the most disappointing instant noodle for me V绠..... So I can only give it two stars XDDDD

15. 통통후 오이소저격 (Chubby Noodles - Super Spicy Flavor)

Recommendation: ★★★★☆

I feel like it’s a bit similar to 너구리 (the raccoon instant noodles introduced earlier), but I personally think it’s tastier than the raccoon one!! I cooked it for quite a while but the noodles were still not soft or mushy at all—they had a really chewy texture. The flavor is slightly spicy, not so spicy that it’s unbearable, but that little bit of spice does elevate the taste. I personally really recommend it~

16. Zhan Fu Hu (Authentic Ramen Original Flavor / The red-packaged version is spicy)

Rating: ★★★★☆

Although there are original and spicy versions, I find even the original has a bit of a kick to it. It’s a safe choice among instant noodles — most people should find it quite palatable, especially since the broth is genuinely delicious.

17. EXO x Emart Jajangmyeon

Rating: ★★★★★

It wins just by opening the package. They use a sauce packet that resembles those found in premium meal kits, and it’s generously portioned at a full 100g — very thoughtful. The flavor is slightly sweet and savory, with a mild spice that doesn’t overwhelm but actually enhances the taste. There are small pieces of potato and minced meat inside. The price is reasonable, and the value is amazing. Even without the EXO branding, I think this is an instant noodle totally worth buying.

18. SuperJunior x Emart Spicy Soup Noodles

Rating: ★★★★☆

This one absolutely made me cry from the spiciness. At first, the smell suggested it would be super hot, but the first sip of the broth didn’t seem too bad — not very spicy. But then the afterburn hit, and that’s when I realized how intense it was, haha. It’s spicy enough that drinking too fast could make you choke, but it’s honestly really tasty — so spicy you just want to finish every last drop of the broth. Highly recommended — perfect for giving to friends who are fans.

19. SuperJunior x Emart Spicy Jajangmyeon

Rating: ★★★★★

You also need to soak it, drain the water, and then add the powder (in case you misinterpret the photo). The jajang powder, which looks almost like cocoa, needs a bit more water left in the bowl to mix evenly. This one is also pretty tasty — although the cover has chili images, I personally didn’t find it overwhelmingly spicy or tongue-numbing. I finished it in no time. Highly recommended — great for giving to fans.

20. Chan? Ju Ku Hu (Pizza-flavored Mixed Noodles)

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Just like the others, you need to cook the noodles first, drain the water, and then add the powder. Surprisingly, the taste really has a strong cheesy flavor. I think it's because the seasoning powder includes cheese powder — if you didn’t look at the ingredients, you might think you’re eating pasta. Unfortunately, I feel the overall flavor is a bit lacking; it has aroma but the taste is somewhat too mild for my preference. Still, it’s quite unique.

21. Shao Shao Gang Cai Stir-Fried Jajangmyeon

Rating: ★★★★★

Why is this called stir-fried jajangmyeon? Because I initially thought, like other jajangmyeon, you’d just cook the noodles and mix in the sauce or powder. But after reading the cooking instructions on the back of the package, I realized the sauce actually needs to be “stir-fried”! So I’m just going to call it stir-fried jajangmyeon.

This one is really delicious. I personally think it’s extremely similar to restaurant-style jajangmyeon. At first glance, the dark color made me think it would be super salty, and I was worried I had put too much sauce — but it’s not overly salty at all, and the noodles have great chewiness. In the jajangmyeon category, I’d rank this #1!!!

Cooking Method:

Boil 500ml of water, add the noodles and vegetable packet. When nearly cooked, drain the water (leave about 100ml of water in the pot), then add the sauce packet and stir-fry for about 1 minute and 30 seconds → Done

FB:Hi, I’m Jh