Pepper is having a good time surfing the waves of Jjamppong on his green chili pepper surfboard. He or she seems like the adventurous type and not one to shy away from something extreme, like this cup of noodles. Samyang’s Hot Pepper Jjamppong is as delicious as it is spicy. Don’t be fooled by the kitty’s harmless expression. These noodles hit hard with their additional dried Cheongyang Gochu (green chili pepper) flakes and seafood flavor.
Flavor:
One thing Samyang definitely got right with this cup of ramen is the deep seafood flavor. The broth was absolutely delicious, which is important in any bowl of jjamppong. That wasn’t the only player in this cup of noodles though. The Cheongyang Gochu (green chili pepper) has just as strong of a presence in this cup of noodles as the seafood flavor. These two components work well together to create a tasty cup of noodles.
Spiciness:
These noodles were pretty darn spicy for me. Even having conquered the Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen Series by Samyang, I still felt the heat with this cup of ramen. This one made my nose run, while my face glazed with sweat. Luckily, the flavor still remained balanced. The dried green chili pepper flakes didn’t overpower the seafood flavor of the broth. Although, they do add one heck of an extra punch of spiciness. The heat doesn’t build over time with the green chili pepper, but it does light your mouth and lips up quite a bit.
Smell:
As you can guess by now, these noodles have a delightfully deep, spicy seafood smell. It’s eerily similar to a spicy Neoguri Ramen odor. There’s also a smell of BBQ or charcoal that accompanies the rich seafood smell, which adds another layer to this cup of noodles.
Noodles:
The noodles were a bit of a let down in this cup. They didn’t hold up well and went soft very quickly. In their defense, they did soak up that tasty liquid well, which added to the enjoyment of every bite. They were just a bit too soft more liking… As for the size and thickness, these look like your standard ramen noodles. I would have preferred to have thicker noodles that you would typically get at a restaurant serving this dish.
Overall Impression:
A very delicious cup of instant noodles. The spicy seafood broth is really the savior here. With its rich seafood flavor and hurricane of Cheongyang Gochu spiciness, these noodles are hard not to love. Couple this with some cute kitty artwork on the label and they become a strong competitor to the new Kakao Friends ramen I reviewed recently, even though Samyang did play it a bit safe. If you enjoy the spiciness and unique flavor of green chili peppers in your noodles, then you can’t go wrong with Samyang Hot Pepper Jjamppong.
Have you ever had Korean Jjamppong at a restaurant before here in Korea or elsewhere? Do you like your noodles with seafood broth? Let me know down 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.
Note: This article may contain affiliate links that support the author’s ramen purchases for these how-to guides and reviews.
