Nong Shim Neoguri

Made By:  Nong Shim America
Tools Required:  Hot Water, Saucepan & Range, Bowl
515 calories per package

Rating:  :)

(available online through Amazon.com)

So a few weeks ago, I got a comment suggesting that I try Nong Shim's Neoguri.  It took me a couple of weeks to actually make a trip to the one local grocery that carries it, and then another week or so to get around to having noodles for lunch again.  Today is the day, though!

Inside the package, we have our disc of noodles, which appear to be quite a bit plumper than usual, even compared to other Nong Shim products like Shin Ramyun.  The package did describe them as "Udon Type Noodles," so they might turn out a bit different.  There is also a packet of dried veggies and a packet of powdered seasoning.  We are supposed to boil 19-1/2 ounces of water (apparently 20 ounces would be too much), then add the noodles, veggies, and soup base and cook for five minutes.  Due to the soup base being added during cooking, these will boil over much more easily than most instant ramen, so you should keep an eye on them during cooking.  Once the five minutes are up, we pour the finished soup into our bowl and get ready to eat!

The broth is quite spicy, which is to be expected from a Nong Shim product; it is comparable to their Shin Ramyun.  The flavor is described as a spicy seafood (as opposed to the spicy beef flavor in Shin Ramyun), but any seafood flavor here is unfortunately far too delicate to stand up to the heat level--which is to say that the chili powder is really the only detectable flavor.  I don't mean to be too negative though; it's not bad, just not as interesting or as balanced as some of their other flavors.  The veggie packet seems to be mostly pieces of seaweed sheet, which adds color and a bit of texture, but the high point here is definitely the noodles; they are very thick and firm, but not sticky in the least.  It's a very pleasant mouthfeel, and turns out to be much closer to the advertised "Udon Type" noodle than I would have expected from a dried noodle product.

The noodles themselves are good enough to rescue this product from a negative rating, although I can't help thinking that I wish Nong Shim offered this style of noodles with a different, more multi-dimensional broth. :|