This time, I’m going to document my thoughts on Buldak Bokkeumtangmyeon, a soup version of Samyang’s popular Buldak Bokkeummyun, which has almost single-handedly kept Samyang thriving recently.
I think Buldak Bokkeummyun is what really started the current spicy ramyeon trend, though personally, it was too spicy for me to eat regularly.
Buldak Bokkeummyun is known for its stir-fried style without broth and has a sweet flavor. Since this ramyeon has “Dakbokkeumtang” in its name, I was curious if it would actually taste like real spicy chicken stew, rather than just a stir-fried version, and that’s why I decided to buy it with high expectations.
Let’s get started with the review.
Introduction to Samyang Buldak Bokkeumtangmyeon
Apparently, this ramyeon was previously released for a limited time.
After the limited release ended, demand for a comeback led to its re-release as a part of the Buldak Bokkeummyun official lineup.
The cooking example picture on the front of the package shows a typical dakbokkeumtang with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and green onions.
As someone who enjoys and loves dakbokkeumtang, I felt even more excited after seeing the example image.
If I had just thought of it as a soup version of Buldak Bokkeummyun, I probably wouldn’t have bought it.
Stir-fried ramyeon tends to have a sweetness to it, and while I think the Buldak Bokkeummyun sauce is a delicious stir-fry sauce, I wasn’t sure if it would work well for a soup.
I’ve always found the spiciness of Buldak Bokkeummyun to be very artificial and overwhelming, similar to the capsicum sauce you often find on chicken skewers.
Personally, I think that’s part of the secret to its success. It’s hard for a spicy chicken skewer-flavored stir-fried ramyeon not to be tasty, after all.
And I do think that flavor suits chicken skewers and stir-fried ramyeon well.
But what if that sauce were made into a soup?
Dakbokkeumtang also tends to be sweeter compared to other soups, but imagining that sticky, sweet chicken skewer sauce as a soup base doesn’t sound appealing at all.
To reiterate, if the cooking example didn’t show dakbokkeumtang, I definitely wouldn’t have bought this product.
Components and Cooking Instructions
When looking at the components, one unique feature is that it includes a liquid soup packet like the original Buldak Bokkeummyun, along with a powder soup instead of flakes.
The noodles are much thicker than those used in most jjajang ramyeons.
I poured the packets onto plates to examine them. The liquid sauce was thick and dark red, and it made me wonder if they just used the original Buldak Bokkeummyun sauce.
Instead of flakes, there was a powder soup packet, and when I opened it, I found white powder along with seaweed flakes and sesame seeds—just like what you see in Buldak Bokkeummyun—and even dried green onions.
I was too curious, so I tasted a bit of the powder, and it tasted like chicken stock.
There are cooking instructions on the back of the package, but honestly, they seemed a bit strange.
The recommended method from Samyang is:
Add the liquid sauce to 500 ml of boiling water.
When the water starts boiling, add the noodles and cook for 5 minutes, then add the powder soup and stir well.
I mean, the liquid sauce isn’t frozen, and the water will still be boiling after adding it, so why does it say to add the noodles when the water starts boiling again?
It almost felt like the instructions had been copy-pasted from somewhere.
Still, I wanted to see how the intended flavor would turn out, so I followed the instructions precisely, measuring the water and timing everything carefully.
Flavor and Aroma
First of all, the Buldak Bokkeumtangmyeon broth had a strong aroma of garlic—cooked garlic, not raw.
The broth had a slightly sweet flavor reminiscent of the Buldak Bokkeummyun sauce, but it wasn’t as sweet.
However, it didn’t really taste like dakbokkeumtang; instead, it tasted very much like Buldak Bokkeummyun with broth added.
The umami flavor wasn’t overpowering, and I could mostly taste the soy sauce.
Just like Buldak Bokkeummyun, you could see the roasted sesame seeds and seaweed flakes in the broth, and you could also faintly catch their aroma.
The noodles were the widest and thickest I’ve had among ramyeons so far.
I wondered if they wanted to recreate the feeling of eating knife-cut noodles (kalguksu) in dakbokkeumtang.
The texture was really good, and it paired well with the broth, so I liked it.
As for the spiciness, it had the same character as the capsicum-based Buldak sauce I mentioned earlier.
The heat was sharper and more menthol-like, with a stinging sensation.
If you look at my previous ramyeon reviews, you’ll see that I’ve reviewed many ramyeons with much higher Scoville heat units than this one.
Buldak Bokkeumtangmyeon stands out among them with a distinctly sharp and piercing heat, similar to Buldak Bokkeummyun.
Ingredients and Nutritional Information
The ingredients and nutritional information for Buldak Bokkeumtangmyeon are as follows:
Ingredients
Noodles: Wheat flour (Australia), palm oil (Malaysia), refined salt, Migam SU, onion extract, noodle additive (alkaline agent), guar gum, green tea flavor oil, vitamin B2, citric acid, modified starch 1, modified starch 2, tocopherol WS.
Liquid Sauce: Gochujang (chili seasoning [China], brown rice [imported]), white sugar, umami base, Samyang soy sauce, purified water, flavor base S, soybean oil, onion, refined salt, starch syrup, garlic, flavor enhancer, hydrolyzed rice powder, chili powder, flavor-enhancing base powder, chili extract, modified starch 2, paprika extract, black pepper powder, lactic acid bacteria fermented powder, dried green onion powder, steviol glycosides.
Powder Soup: Chicken flavor powder, garlic powder, dried green onion, potato starch, roasted sesame, roasted seaweed flakes, white sugar, soybean oil, xanthan gum, seasoned dried red chili, flavor seasoning powder.
Nutritional Information
(Total content 145g, 470 kcal)
Sodium 1850 mg, Carbohydrates 83g, Sugars 9g, Fat 11g, Trans fat 0g, Saturated fat 8g, Cholesterol 0mg, Protein 10g.
Conclusion on Samyang Buldak Bokkeumtangmyeon
So that wraps up my review of Samyang Buldak Bokkeumtangmyeon.
Personally, it didn’t quite match the flavor of dakbokkeumtang that I was hoping for; it felt more like a version of Buldak Bokkeummyun made with broth.
But that’s just my personal taste. I think there’s a reason why it’s popular.
For those who particularly love Buldak Bokkeummyun and want to try a broth version of the same sauce, I’d recommend giving it a try.
That’s all for this review!
Bye-bye~