A Parent of Ram-Don (II) – Neoguri

 



In Parasite, the Academy and Oscar Award-winning film created by South Korean movie director Bong Joon-ho, a signature noodle dish called Chapaguri was introduced and became popular not only among Koreans but also among viewers from many different countries.

Chapaguri now has an English name – Ram-Don – a dish that is even being served as a part of menu in some Korean restaurants in America. Ram-Don can actually be cooked fairly easily by combining two Korean ramen products: Chapagetti and Neoguri (both from the same manufacturer, Nongshim).

This article would like to briefly introduce one of Ram-Don’s parents – Neoguri.

First released in the Korean market in 1982, Neoguri is one of the longest-living ramen brand of manufacturer Nongshim. It only took two months after release to score over 20 hundred million won (1.6 million US$) in revenue, and in the following year 1983, it went over 150 hundred million won (12 million US$). Today, Neoguri has grown into a bestselling ramen product with more than 1200 hundred won (one hundred million US$) of annual sales.

Neoguri was Korea’s first ever manufactured instant ramen with the concept of “udon noodle.” Since during the time of its release udon noodle wasn’t a dish that could be easily enjoyed at home, Neoguri immediately gained skyrocketing popularity as one of Nongshim’s best and most innovative ramen products.

The unique taste of Neoguri is a combination of udon soup, which is loved especially by Korean and Japanese people during rainy or cold days, and Koreans’ favorite deep but not excessive peppery flavor. Nongshim also put in a piece of dried kelp or “dasima,” which is often used as stock base in Korean cuisine, to allow us to add refreshing depth to Neoguri’s soup. The noodle is also udon-style noodle that is thick and chewy! In a way, we can say that Neoguri is one of the high-end instant ramen products in terms of quality.

I recommend cooking Neoguri with small amount of sliced scallion, narutomaki, shiitake mushroom, and a drop of egg. It also goes well with shellfish or clam just like it is shown on the package picture.

A Parent of Ram-Don (I) – Chapagetti



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