Nong Shim Champong Noodle Soup

Made By:  Nong Shim (Korea)
Tools Required:  Saucepan & Range, Water, Bowl & Utensils
520 calories per package

The only problem with going to the Asian grocery for a huge noodle restock is that it can be difficult to decide what I want to try first afterwards!  After a long period of indecisiveness, I went with this package of Champong flavor noodles from Nong Shim in Korea.  I admit, I am not completely familiar with what champong even is, but judging from the happy little squid mascot in the logo, I imagine I am in for a seafood flavor of some sort.

The package has a disc of noodles similar to the ones in Shin Ramyun, along with a packet of powdered soup base and another with a generous assortment of dehydrated goodies.  The directions tell us we are supposed to boil 1-1/2 cups of water, add both packets and the noodles, and cook for five minutes.  That's actually a fairly small amount of water for the size of the package--for comparison, Shin Ramyun calls for almost 2-1/2 cups--which is why the finished noodles seem to have very little broth, almost to the point that it doesn't really seem like a soup.

The seafood flavor is very deep and complex, with things like anchovy and bonito that can compete with the heat level.  It's probably about the same level of spiciness as most other Nong Shim Korean noodles, but the flavor is much more balanced and interesting than (for instance) the Neoguri I reviewed last week.  There are cabbage and seaweed flakes, a few bits of carrot, and three or four strips of some sort of very chewy seafood whose flavor reminded me of mussels.  The noodles aren't much of a surprise, being the same sort as in most of Nong Shim's other packet products, but they do absorb the flavor and pick up the broth well--I didn't even need to reach for my soup spoon until the very bottom of the bowl.

I am actually a little concerned that this review might not be completely unbiased, just because it has been so long since I've had imported instant noodles from the asian grocery; upon first taste, my reaction was, "Oh my gosh, I have missed this stuff."  Here's hoping that the rest of my selections are as good as this one! :D