Most likely unfamiliar to most people living in the west, YouUs Gonghwachun Yusanseul Ramen is a cup of noodles with its design influenced by a Korean-Chinese stir-fried seafood dish containing, not one, but three main ingredients. YouUs must have miscounted, because there’s actually six ingredients, plus noodles that make up this instant delight. Which of those are the main ingredients you ask? Well, that’s entirely up for debate. This cup of noodles has shrooms, red crab, eggs, and other ingredients that take the three away from the “san” in yusanseul. I don’t know what the Chinese word for six is, but maybe that’s how these noodles should have been named! If you’re feeling like crabber today or born a cancer by nature (wait… that’s cannibalism), then you’re in luck, because YouUs Gonghwachun Yusanseul Ramen is aboard this crab vessel awaiting a review!
Flavor:
I normally say that the noodles are THICK, but this time, it’s the soup. Yusanseul Ramen has the starchiest, well-thickened up broth I have ever seen in a cup of noodles. It’s more like porridge than ramen! It makes these noodles quite a filling snack. There’s also a lot of different types of ingredients, but the amount of them is hit or miss. I could easily find the shiitake mushrooms, squid, bok choy, and carrots. However, the other ingredients were difficult scarce throughout. I barely managed to find the tiny pieces of egg that was mentioned on the packaging. Also, there is supposed to be “red crab” in these noodles, but I’m highly skeptical about that. Your brain is also sure to excite (Yes, I meant what I said there), because these noodles are loaded with MSG and salt. The thick broth has a savory, umami flavor followed by a healthy blast of sodium. I almost forgot to mention the strong seafood flavor found in these noodles. I’m not really sure which ingredients are the ones giving it the flavor, but it definitely fits with what YouUs is trying to accomplish with a seafood-based Korean-Chinese dish.
Spiciness:
Nil. Zilch. Not at all. There’s not even a dash of black pepper in these noodles from YouUs. These noodles are basically for everyone. For what it lacks in spiciness, it makes up for it with salt and MSG.
Smell:
I don’t know of a better way to put it, but these noodles smell, “Chinese-y.” I’m not sure how to describe the aroma, but it does have the smell of sesame, even though I don’t think Yusanseul Ramen contains any at all. The smell is mysterious. I can pick up on the faint aroma of noodles, but even more bizarre is that these seafood noodles smell nothing of seafood. And I mean ZERO smell.
Noodles:
These noodles are definitely not basic B-words. They remind me of the type of noodles you get at Chinese Restaurants here in South Korea. The noodles are a bit thicker and look almost handmade like you would find in jjajangmyeon or jjambbong. A better description of these noodles is a combination or jjajangmyeon noodles and ramen noodles. The thickness of the noodles remains the same, but the texture is a bit different. The noodles are soft and taste similar to basic ramen noodles, yet these are missing the wave to them.
Overall:
YouUs Gonghwachun Yusanseul Ramen can be enjoyed by everyone. These aren’t spicy at all. I just worry that these noodles might be a little boring for some who crave the heat. Yusanseul Ramen might be a bit unidimensional for those people. However, if seafood doesn’t deter you, you will probably enjoy these as a hearty snack. The broth is super thick and pasty, so it will fill you up! Staying in line with other offerings from YouUs, you can expect to get a lot of noodles in a cup. They never tend to skimp. Compared to other cups of instant noodles, the seafood is plentiful, even if some of the secondary ingredients are lacking. These might be one of the best noodles for seafood lovers on the market!
Have you ever caught and eaten some red crab? Would you prefer to have a filet mignon or some steamed crab? Let me know 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.
