Korean instant noodles guide: best ramyeon, spice levels and how to upgrade them

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Koreans eat more instant noodles per person than almost anyone, and ramyeon (라면) is a whole food culture of its own: late-night snacks, hiking food, the meal after a night out, and the dish everyone has a personal recipe for. Here is a guide to the well-known packets and how Koreans actually cook them.

The well-known brands and styles

Shin Ramyun (Nongshim): the best-known Korean ramyeon worldwide. A beefy, spicy red broth with chewy noodles. The benchmark for "properly spicy but everyday".
Jin Ramen (Ottogi): sold in mild and spicy versions. The mild one is a good start if you are unsure about heat.
Neoguri (Nongshim): thick, udon-style noodles in a seafood broth, often with a small piece of kelp in the packet. Spicy and mild versions exist.
Chapagetti (Nongshim): not a soup at all. You drain most of the water and stir in black bean sauce powder, a quick version of jjajangmyeon.
Jjapaguri: Chapagetti and Neoguri cooked together, made famous abroad by the film Parasite, where it is topped with steak.
Buldak Bokkeum Myeon (Samyang): stir-fried noodles with a very hot sauce. The original is far spicier than most soup ramyeon, and there are many flavours, some milder (such as carbonara) and some hotter.
Ansungtangmyun (Nongshim) and Samyang Ramen: older, milder, soy and beef style broths that many Koreans grew up on.
Jjamppong-style ramyeon: spicy seafood broth imitating the Korean-Chinese noodle soup.

Spice levels, roughly

From gentle to fierce: Jin Ramen mild and Ansungtangmyun, then Jin Ramen spicy and Neoguri, then Shin Ramyun, then Buldak. Spice tolerance is personal, and recipes and formulations can differ by country, so if you are new to chilli, start with less of the seasoning packet and add more.

How Koreans upgrade ramyeon

Egg: crack it in for the last minute, then either leave it whole for a runny yolk or stir it through for a silky broth.
Green onion (pa): a handful of sliced spring onion makes a cheap packet taste like a restaurant bowl.
Cheese: a single slice of processed cheese melted on top softens the heat. Very popular with Shin Ramyun and Buldak.
Kimchi: cooked in, or eaten alongside. Almost compulsory.
Tteok and dumplings: rice cakes or frozen mandu turn it into a fuller meal.
Spam or sausage: a shortcut towards budae jjigae, army stew.
Rice in the leftover soup: the best part for many Koreans. Add a scoop of cooked rice to the last of the broth and eat it with a spoon.

Cooking tips

Follow the water amount on the packet, usually around 500 to 550 ml for a standard Korean packet. Too much water is the most common mistake and gives a weak broth.
Bring the water to a full boil before adding noodles and seasoning. Many Koreans add the soup powder and flakes with the noodles, not after.
Lift and drop the noodles with chopsticks a few times while they cook. Letting air hit them is said to keep them chewy; at the very least it stops them clumping.
Take them off a little early. Noodles keep softening in the hot broth.
For stir-fried types like Buldak, keep back a few spoonfuls of the cooking water before draining, then stir the sauce in over low heat.
Use a pot, not a bowl. A small pot (the classic is a thin yellow aluminium one) heats fast and is what many Koreans eat straight out of.

At a convenience store in Korea

Korean convenience stores sell cup ramyeon with hot water machines and seating, and many people pair a cup with a triangle kimbap or a cheese stick. Some stores and riverside parks have ramyeon machines that cook a packet for you in a paper bowl.

A note on salt

Instant noodle seasoning packets are high in sodium. If you eat ramyeon often, using half the packet, adding vegetables and not drinking all the soup are easy changes. Check the nutrition label on your packet. Which ramyeon is your go-to, and what do you add? Share your recipe or ask about a brand in the comments.