Ottogi mayo jjajang bokki noodle cup

This was one of the several instant noodle pots I crammed in my suitcase and brought home from our recent visit to South Korea. I make no secret of the fact I think Korean instant ramyun is superior to any other instant noodles and this brand, Ottogi, rarely disappoints. So can you imagine my horror when this mayo jjajang-bokki noodle cup did in fact, disappoint?

• What I was expecting – thick and creamy black bean sauce which stick to the noodles and make them extra yummy.
• What I got – watery, separated broth which failed to add any flavour to the noodles at all.

Jajangmyeon in its more traditional form is a really popular takeaway dish in South Korea. With its roots of savoury Chinese black bean sauce and usually thick chewy noodles, it’s a comforting and tasty bowl of food. This was not that. The noodles were your bog standard thin and springy egg noodles and the sauce wasn’t nearly thick enough to really coat them. I know an instant cup like this is never going to compare but I at least hoped that the fresh mayo would give it a creamy edge. Instead, it was greasy and tasted almost split (despite being in date… yes I checked).

Constructing the dish

This one is a little more complicated than your standard instant noodle + sachet of seasoning.

1.  Add the powder to the noodles and cover with 460ml of boiling water (to the marked line). Do not remove the lid completely – I made this mistake and it made draining the noodles a lot more difficult! 
2. Let it stand for 4 mins, with the lid covered back over. Then using the little marked arrow area, remove the tab and pour the water out of the holes, leaving a little (3 tbsp ish) in the bottom.
3. Add the powdered soup seasoning and mayonnaise and mix well.

The above picture shows the finished thing. The lumps of rehydrated soya ‘meat’ were spongey and water logged and the sauce was too thin to coat the noodles. If was to make this again, I’d pour out all the liquid despite it saying to leave a little in. Or, better still, go for a bowl of Samyang Chacharoni ramen instead.

Scores on the doors