trashy korean

[melonpan]

bought these at san diego... havent seen them in los angeles yet, but im not the most observant person, so its possible that its always been around under my nose.

these are green foods brand ("pu reum chan" brand) jeukseok jab chae or "quick jap chae" and it comes in three flavours: (from left) traditional, spicy and jjajang.

each package is $1.59.

to my credit, i have not been eating ramen and the ilk that often lately (maybe its been a month or two? ha!) and so ive got a backload of stuff i want to try before i get to these, but i am extremely curious how these taste.

i dont know how many of you have made japchae (잡채), but those of you who have, im sure you know what a pain in the ass it is. all that prep work... ugh. maybe this is not true if you really like to cook, but i guess you can count me as one of those who just love to eat and eat but dislike cooking (most of the time).

but anyhow... can this stuff be any good? these package foods have a tendency to just let you down.... but at $1.59 its worth a gamble, no?

[eunny jang]

Blech, from the picture on the package at least, you'd have to add so much fresh stuff (sauteed vegetables, meat) you might as well go ahead and just make jja jang myun or jap chae from scratch.

Why do the net weights on the similarly-sized bags differ?

[jschyun]

I've never tried this brand, but I've had instant chiachiang from a ramen-like packet before. I forget the brand name. Actually, it's not bad (esp for the desperate). I think it's worth it for $.89 (I think that's what it costs).

Yeah, chapchae is so labor intensive. I rarely if ever make it, but when I do make it, it's gone fast. More normally, I sneak down to the market and buy some from the deli section.

[jschyun]

Actually, I have a co-worker who loves the kimchi ramen in the bowl and I used to get the big box of 24 and trade him for a spicy sour thai soup noodle bowl. Also, there's a spicy ramen in the bowl that he likes but I forget what the actual name of it is and he doesn't remember either.

[tryska]

my coworkers and i do that too.

well actually one coworker of mine got a case of 24 from the asian store, and one dya in a pinch because i had no food and couldn't leave he gave me one. this particular brand that does hot and spicy bowls i LOVED because they had real mushroom and chive bits. i was impressed. and it was nice and spicy. and i was raving about them.

so my other coworker - not particularly adventurous, got in on the act and he found some ramen bowls at wal-mart. he found the kimchi flavor and loved it. which surprised us, actually. we werne't expecting that at all.

[mongo_jones]

I've never tried this brand, but I've had instant chiachiang from a ramen-like packet before. I forget the brand name. Actually, it's not bad (esp for the desperate). I think it's worth it for $.89 (I think that's what it costs).

Yeah, chapchae is so labor intensive. I rarely if ever make it, but when I do make it, it's gone fast. More normally, I sneak down to the market and buy some from the deli section.

fortunately for me, mrs. jones scorns such practices. unfortunately for me, this means i only get chapchae twice a month (if i'm lucky). some relevant noodles and oyster mushrooms were purchased today, however, so things may be looking up.

[melonpan]

i dont usually buy korean gum. i actually hate korean gum. this is because i dont like the texture (usually too soft and not chewy enough) and the flavors disappear too quickly for my taste.

i dont like gum in general.

but i do like korean gum flavors. i just wish that the flavors were packaged in a higher quality chew...

i have three favorites (if i had to chew korean gum that is): coffee and these two:

<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041016ggeom.jpg"></center>

the top one is ginsaeng (ginseng or insam), and the bottom one is acacia flower flavored.

most american friends of mine can live with the coffee, but dont like the ginseng one (too weird) and the hate the acacia one ("tastes like soap or perfume!")...

[Jason Perlow]

By far my favorite is the "oh my god this shit is spicy as hell" Nongshim Shin Ramyun Cup, which is probably laced with like a kilo of MSG per serving:

It comes in a package that is decorated like a containment vessel for one of Kim Jong-Il's science projects (click on red cup-o-soup product on the extreme lower left)

http://eng.nongshim.com/eng/pro/nood_deft_lst.jsp

Apparently its the top selling Ramen product in Korea and does very well in Japan and Taiwan as well.

[torakris]

By far my favorite is the "oh my god this shit is spicy as hell" Nongshim Shin Ramyun Cup, which is probably laced with like a kilo of MSG per serving:

It comes in a package that is decorated like a containment vessel  for one of Kim Jong-Il's science projects (click on red cup-o-soup product on the extreme lower left)

http://eng.nongshim.com/eng/pro/nood_deft_lst.jsp

Apparently its the top selling Ramen product in Korea and does very well in Japan and Taiwan as well.

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That Korean ramen is everywhere in Japan, every store even convenience stores carry it, and for a reason, it is wonderful!!

[eunny jang]

Does anyone else remember a small cookie that came packaged in a box with a miniscule little plastic kit of some sort? The cookies were really plain, button-shaped rice flour things, but the kit was awesome - tiny mechanical gears, levers, spinning things - and if you bought enough packages you could link them all together and make a whole working model of some mechanical thing. I don't remember if it was a Japanese or Korean product, but I do remember that they mysteriously dissapeared from the Lotte shelves just as I was nearing completion on a carousel. No one has ever known what I'm talking about with them...am I nuts?

[Laksa]

By far my favorite is the "oh my god this shit is spicy as hell" Nongshim Shin Ramyun Cup, which is probably laced with like a kilo of MSG per serving:

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Nongshim Shin Ramyun was my go-to spicy instant ramen in college. It's more spicy than a lot of South East Asian instant noodles. Each packet is large enough that I don't need to cook two at a time to satisfy my hunger, like what I do with SE Asian stuff.

I usually have to boil the crap out of the packet noodles for close to 8 minutes -- an eternity in instant ramen cookery -- to get the get them soft enough to my liking. So I wonder what texture you will get from the ramen when you just pour hot water into the cup. Pretty chewy noodles?

Shin Ramyun is also the only instant ramen whose every last drop of soup I will happily suck down. Even with the knowledge gained from past experience, that for the next two hours, I will need to drink three gallons of water to quench the thirst that inevitably follows.

[Carlovski]

I have been singing the praises of Nong Shim instant noodles for many years.

The ones we get in the UK may be slightly different - The Hot and spicy one is my favourite, although the Kimchi one isn't bad. They also do a chicken one which is ok, but smells pretty bad. I always have a couple in my drawer at work for if I don't fancy nipping out at lunchtime.

The swirly patterned rubbery fish fakes are a bit weird though, and I could probably do without the strange ear plug like eggy ones too.

[Hest88]

Mmmm, I love the Nong Shim noodles on a cold day. Okay, I love them on a hot too! I *am* trying to cut back, but I admit we buy them by the box.

I usually have to boil the crap out of the packet noodles for close to 8 minutes -- an eternity in instant ramen cookery -- to get the get them soft enough to my liking. So I wonder what texture you will get from the ramen when you just pour hot water into the cup. Pretty chewy noodles?

The noodles from the packet ones are udon-like, but the instant ones are thin so they can cook with just boiling water.

Edited October 19, 2004 by Hest88 (log)

[Hest88]

I do have a favorite Korean sweet, though. It's the popped millet things, shaped like little logs. They're coated with something sweet and very hard and crunchy. I find them addictive, partly because they're never too sweet--just honey-like enough to keep me munching.

[melonpan]

<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041027garlic.jpg"></center>

<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041027garlic2.jpg"></center>

this snack i bought because it sounded so weird. i am sure that this garlic snack sounds weird to most koreans too (the name in korean translates exactly to "garlic snack").

got it anyway and i was kind of surprised by how trashy good this is.

the little bags they come in are distinctive plastic foil. the photo doesnt show this very well, since its so reflective.

anyhow the garlic snacks look and feel a lot like banana chips. they are light and sound kind of hollow. i think these have been deep fried.

when you pop them into your mouth, the first thing that you taste is the salt. its not too salty. salty in a good way. not much garlic flavor at all until you bite into it. the garlic slices are very crunchy and yes, quite garlicky. as you chew up the garlic, then the sweetness comes to play. its really quite sweet. almost to the point where its not good. but to me they did not cross that line. i think the snack would have worked with much less sugar.

a good anju (snack with alcohol). maybe theyd be good in a bowl of bun or even regular salads. good in some western style soups too, i would imagine.

[Louisa Chu]

Shin Ramyun is my favourite for spiciness and flavour - but only direct from South Korea - otherwise the ones sold in the US and especially in Europe are dumbed down in heat. And they don't show on the English version of their site the jumbo size cup o noodles - I think double size. But there are new Chinese instant soup noodles that are much better for noodle quality.

[eunny jang]

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Wow! These look really good!

As far as sweets go, I am very partial to (warning; terrible transliteration ahead) ppeungtigi!

Edited October 28, 2004 by eunny jang (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Shin Ramyun is my favourite for spiciness and flavour - but only direct from South Korea - otherwise the ones sold in the US and especially in Europe are dumbed down in heat. And they don't show on the English version of their site the jumbo size cup o noodles - I think double size. But there are new Chinese instant soup noodles that are much better for noodle quality.

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I don't think the ones I get are dumbed down at all. I get them from a huge Korean grocery store, and there isn't a ounce of English labelling on them. They are spicy as hell.

[touaregsand]

By far my favorite is the "oh my god this shit is spicy as hell" Nongshim Shin Ramyun Cup, which is probably laced with like a kilo of MSG per serving:

It comes in a package that is decorated like a containment vessel  for one of Kim Jong-Il's science projects (click on red cup-o-soup product on the extreme lower left)

http://eng.nongshim.com/eng/pro/nood_deft_lst.jsp

Apparently its the top selling Ramen product in Korea and does very well in Japan and Taiwan as well.

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That brand is the most popular in Korea. And I also see it everywhere in LA even at Mexican markets and catering trucks that cater to a hispanic crowd.

[Soup]

I do have a favorite Korean sweet, though. It's the popped millet things, shaped like little logs. They're coated with something sweet and very hard and crunchy. I find them addictive, partly because they're never too sweet--just honey-like enough to keep me munching.

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I know this is going to be a bad guess but is it Yut? I'm not sure how its made but I remember that there are a lot of different versions. My favorite one is more sticky soft brown color version made with ginger. I have had it in over 35 years. I have recently notice yut being sold at the local K G-store.

Soup

[JasonTrue]

I think almost all kinds of candy in Korean are something-something-yeott. There are also things ending in jeom and things ending in gwa (yakgwa, etc.). But the ones described are probably a kind of yeott.

My Korean culinary vocabulary is, alas, still pretty limited, so I'm not sure I can remember the name of the type you're referring to, but I am sure these are basically coated with a sugar confection made from maltose or corn syrup and honey or sugar.

I do have a favorite Korean sweet, though. It's the popped millet things, shaped like little logs. They're coated with something sweet and very hard and crunchy. I find them addictive, partly because they're never too sweet--just honey-like enough to keep me munching.

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I know this is going to be a bad guess but is it Yut? I'm not sure how its made but I remember that there are a lot of different versions. My favorite one is more sticky soft brown color version made with ginger. I have had it in over 35 years. I have recently notice yut being sold at the local K G-store.

Soup

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[touaregsand]

I would describe yeot as a taffy of sorts. Some are soft and chewy others are hard and can be cracked. They are based on syrups.

Yakgwa is a deepfried cookie.

Dasik is made from grains or seeds or a combination

Jeon-gwa is made of ginseng, quince, ginger, lotus root, steamed rice, and jujube cooked in honey.

Gwapyeon- Mashed berries that have been preserved in honey.

Ganjeong- rice flour and alcohol, dried, fried and coated with honey.

Come to think of these are probably what some of those plastic food towers are called.

[Soup]

Yakgwa is a deepfried cookie.

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I remember taking yakgwa from my grandfather secret stash when I was no more than four and eating it in my fort (i.e., under his desk). I picked some up at the korean G-store last year and it wasn't that great. Perhap my test have changed.

I also remember non sweet snacks, beside yut and Yakwa. Anyone ever have Bondaegee. I think it is silk larve with a soy type sauce. Have never seen it in this country but I had it in korea last time I was there. I also had small snails they sold in foam cups. It cost me couple of hunderd won. YUM.

[touaregsand]

Yakgwa was never good we just didn't know better.

I loved that stuff when I was little. It was considered sort of expensive and a special treat. But then I tried chocolate chip cookies...

I've had Bondaegee. In Korea they sell them in cans as well. I'm not sure if it's available in the States. My brother eats those things like potato chips.

[halalsushi]

I ate this really spicy, instant Korean-style ramen for lunch recently by a company called Nong Shim. When the soup base is steaming hot and very spicy, it tastes like your mouth has been set on fire. It was really that hot!