HEYROO must have somehow been in direct contact with our crab creators while inventing this cup of noodles. This is definitely one of HEYROO’s best, if not, the best cup of noodles in their lineup. I’m not sure what kind of divine crustacea intervention happened here, but whatever it was, HEYROO actually made a tasty cup of instant noodles this time around. HEYROO’s Sok-Cho Red Snow Crab Cup Noodle is a crabby delight that you won’t want to miss.
Flavor:
Chunks of crab! These noodles have nice pieces of fake crab meat that taste kind of similar to Keulaemi (a Korean brand of faux crab meat). If that wasn’t enough to shock you, there’s actually a lot of other ingredients in here as well. There were: generous pieces of miyeok (laver), carrot, green pepper, red pepper, leek, and some spring onion. I think this might be the most substantial cup of noodles that HEYROO has ever released. The flavor of the broth is subtly spicy with a salty and savory flavor. You can definitely taste the MSG, but regardless, the flavor is actually quite rich and delicious.
Spiciness:
I really like the spiciness level of HEYROO’s “Crab Cup.” It’s a healthy, mild-medium heat that mostly comes from Korean red chili pepper powder. I could feel my stress melt away as I slurped down the spicy broth. It even made me sweat a bit! It’s a rather gentle spiciness, so I couldn’t feel it in my brain or stomach, but entirely within my mouth.
Smell:
I can mostly smell crab meat mixed with ramen noodles, so exactly what you would expect. Other than that, I can smell the aroma of the savory broth, which has a bit of a red chili pepper powder odor to it. I can’t really pick up on any other smells. If I really stick my nose down into the cup, the smell of laver comes out of hiding.
Noodles:
I can’t believe my eyes… Lots and lots of noodles! While these are your typical ramen noodles, there’s probably a portion and a half in this cup, compared to what you’re used to getting in other packages of noodles. This cup will fill you up! The texture of the noodles came out a little soft, but I think it worked quite well with the other seafood flavors and the spicy broth.
Overall:
I’m eating my words right now for what I said about HEYROO’s other ramen offerings. These noodles are the best of HEYROO. I honestly didn’t think they had it in them to create a decent cup of noodles, but these are pretty dang good. They’re super simple to make, have a generous portion size, and feature a delicious crabby flavor. I was surprised that these noodles included large pieces of fake crab meat and a plethora of other ingredients, including miyeok (laver). The spiciness is just right too. It was just hot enough to get some euphoria and release some stress, without becoming a meltdown in my gut. It’s crazy for me to say this, but I think I can recommend these noodles to anyone who enjoys a simple, spicy cup of instant noodles with a side of crab.
What kind of spice level or type of spice helps you decompress? Is this just a Korean thing or do you find that a decent level of spiciness makes you feel better? Let me know what you think in the comments!
If you’re interested in hearing more about instant ramen, check out my on-going series, Noodle Story: An Exploration of Korean Instant Noodles, here on Medium.
