Samyang Buldak Chicken Stir Fried Ramen Korean Ramen (Original, 5 Pack)

Ok, where to begin? The packaging says it has under 10,000 SHU. This can't be true, as I regularly use 25K and 100K Cayenne. Maybe it is though, who knows.The packaging is simple - on the front is a very enraged fire chicken warning you what is to come. Inside are your typical cake of dried Ramen noodles and a small packet of what looks to be an oil of some kind. That's it. This is a no-frills nuclear hot ramen.I made this three ways:1) As directed on packaging - I left a few tbsp of water after draining the noodles, added the oil packet, tossed, and served. I took the first bite, noting it has a pepperiness to the chicken flavor that's pretty good. Not too hot yet. Take a bite. Ok I can feel it getting a bit warm. Take a bite. My heartrate is visibly up. Take a bite. It burns SO MUCH. At this point I'm cackling at how hot it is and the fact my entire mouth and lips are numb from the burning, and I can't stop drooling. At this point I realize finishing this will do a number on my already sensitive gut, despite the fact I want to finish because it actually tasted really good (when you can taste it, that is). It's very splishy-splashy since you mix a few tbsp of water with the oil, and I felt the oil didn't have good coverage on the noodles. Next comes attempt #2.2) Not reserving any water - Very similar to #1 except this time the oil is VERY well adhered to the noodle. Like #1 except even more intense.3) Half packet of oil, not reserving any water - Ok, I found the sweet spot. It was pleasantly spicy without being too spicy. I still had to take my time with it, but I was able to get through the entire packet and enjoy the experience. Was it still very, very hot? Yes. But this time it didn't render me a blathering mess, and I didn't hate myself the next day (too much), and I could really taste the peppery chicken flavor.In all 3 attempts, the noodles are pretty good and have a nice chew to them. Not your typical cheap thin ramen noodle.Also, to note, since I'm alive and writing this review, I did not do all 3 attempts in one sitting. These were spaced out about a week apart.If you like spicy ramen, and you can tolerate decently hot things, give these a try. They're actually really, really good, if you can handle the heat.

Well, I just HAD to try this after seeing many Youtube videos (buldak bokkeum myun or fire noodle callenge) of people trying this ramen. I can take spice pretty well, but even then I was a bit scared to try this assuming it's probably a sadistically hot inedible product aspiring fame through people's agony. With the cooked ramyun bowl in front of me, I breathed in deep, meditated a little, and then took the first bite. I must say I was both disappointed and relieved at the same time. It was not nearly as spicy as I had expected, and it was quite tasty! The sauce flavor is akin to the popular Korean dish Ddukbokki, except it's a little more savory (chicken?) and spicier. The sweetness tapers down the level of spice, and I finished the bowl without flinching although my nose pooled sweat long afterwards. As for a relevant gauge, if you enjoy and can eat Buffalo Wild's "hot" wings, then you won't have trouble finishing this. I also noticed that many people prep this noodle incorrectly and comment that it lacks flavor. The noodles won't lack flavor if you don't dilute it down by cooking it like other common ramen noodles. I noticed there's no English instruction on the received product anywhere, so I decided to post the translated cooking instruction:1. Boil 3 cups (or more) of water, and then cook the noodles for 5 minutes.2. Drain water (leave about 8 spoons worth), add the packaged liquid hot sauce, and then return to stove to stir the noodles at low heat for about 30 seconds.3. Turn off the stove, then mix in the dry sesame/seaweed package with the noodles.On step 1, I've boiled for 4.5 minutes instead for firmer noodles.Step 2 is important - you should pretty much drain off most of the water you see using your fork/chopsticks as strainer as you pour off excess water off your cooking pot, and you should have just enough water hidden in noodles for a saucy consistency, not liquidy. Stirring on heat with the hot paste incorporates the flavor and thickens the sauce. If you end up with too much juice, raise the heat a bit and evaporate off the water until the sauce thickens.When properly prepared, the sauce should be thick enough to coat the noodles and allow the sesame seeds to stick to the lifted noodles.I noticed that my received product's expiration date was less than 6 months away (8/30/2015). I will have no trouble finishing the noodles before the expiration, but it can be off-putting to buy any almost expired product. I'm not sure what the usual expiration is for the ramyun given the inclusion of the liquid paste, but the noodles didn't smell stale nor rancid as I could usually tell from almost stale ramyun noodles.All in all, this was very worth a try to resolve my curiosity after laughing so much at Youtube people's reactions, and I feel superior and stronger!oh~~ my stomach is starting to burn...Update: Curiosity got me to try the more convenient cup ramyun version of this (my packs were gone too soon!), and I prefer these cooking packets hands down. The cup noodles are much thinner and less chewy, and you don't get as savory deeper taste attained by cooking the liquid paste with noodles. The cup version's instruction tells you to drain off all water before adding the flavor packets, so you're definitely supposed to consume these with practically no liquid. The thicker noodles in the cooking packs need help to infuse the flavor in the step #2 above (the reason to leave some water to cook off), and you get 140g instead of 70g (small cup) or 105g (big cup) instant versions. Besides the packs being much more affordable, you get more of it along with much better taste when you prepare it properly. Time to order some more...

I love Buldak products, nothing beats their ramen. I love this ramen as it reminds me of your standard Mac n cheese. Suggest adding more cheese (softer ones like; mozzarella, American, cheddar mild) and mayo to give it an even better taste. I am a coward for hot sauces, so I use 1/4 of the package. IT IS SPICY, so beware if your tongue is not use to a strong kick with every slurp.

Ease to prepare and noodles quality is good and has good texture . I like the taste and it’s great that this product is Halal and finally I could find halal ramen/noodles

My normal spicy noodles are the Nongshim shin spicy noodles. They're not super hot, but if you made them 2x hotter, they might be too hot.The Samyang Buldak noodles are at least 2x more hot.I'm experienced with hot food. I order my Thai Pad Prik extra spicy. My Indian Vindaloo extra spicy. I like them both that way. I order 5 BW3 Blazin' wings every time I go to BW3, and I finish them (but I find them crazy hot and a bit un-enjoyable by the last wing).When prepared as per the directions, the sauce covering these noodles are as hot as anything I've ever eaten. By the end of the bowl, my brain was having a hard time concentrating on anything but the pain I was feeling. It was overpowering.The Good: The noodles are very good. Better than any other noodle soup I've had. They're thick, tasty, and have a really good texture. Just slightly chewy, but not rubbery. If you want hot, this has all the hot.The bad: Expensive. The flavor of the sauce is chemical over natural.

If you love heat, this one hits hard. Insanely spicy with rich flavor and chewy noodles. Great challenge food or just an intense snack. Add egg or cheese to tame the fire a bit!