Flavour: Champong
Format: brick-in-packet
Packets: two
Identifiables: noodle disc, spice, veggie bits
Sodium: 2.18 grams
I had my wisdom teeth out on Monday. Most people are surprised to hear that I was out and about yesterday, and have experienced almost zero pain during recovery. I credit my surgeon, who gave me a sheet of instructions for how to take care of myself in the days after surgery. The directions are simple: eat a soft diet, take anti-inflammatory drugs with food, get plenty of liquids, rinse regularly with salt water. Ramen is soft, it's food, it's mostly broth, and it's salty... why, a ramen review is practically what the doctor ordered! I'm simply taking good care of myself, and of course, my faithful readers.Nong Shim's oddly-named "Champong" enticed me with a warm, earth-toned package and pictures of seafood. Inside the main package, I found one of their trademark size-of-one's-torso noodle discs (I keep wanting to heft it overhead while the TRON theme plays) and two pleasantly-decorated packets. I set five-hundred-fifty millilitres of water to boiling in "Ben" and considered the packaging. I noticed that the specific bits in the "dehydrated flakes" package were specifically named. Anyone who has read with awe the ingredients on a bottle of V-8 vegetable juice ("watercress?") will appreciate the fact that I looked through the seven listed items and boggled as pumpkin. Pumpkin? In my ramen? Sure, works for me.
The astute will have already noticed that I'm not using IKEA chopsticks today. In fact, these are cheap dollar-store chopsticks... and yes, that's a scorch mark on one of them. Don't ask how that happened. I'm just wondering where the heck all my IKEA chopsticks went. I miss the nubs!
When it came time to put all the various instant noodle stuff into the pot, I noticed a pronounced smoky seafood scent from the spice packet. This only redoubled my eagerness. After four minutes of gentle boiling, I poured the bright red-orange soup into the bowl, snapped a hasty photo, and started in on the stuff. I swear, it's not just a factor of having been on so much soft food and having to take it easy for a couple days; this stuff is really, really good, all spicy and seafoody and rich. It's perhaps just a bit too salty, but worth it for the flavour. I have to say, I'm fairly impressed.
Of course, I'd hate to think about that that cartoon squid on the package would look like if I were on the really good pain medications.
Numbers: packaging 3, preparation 2, heat 4, flavour 4, overall 4
Music: The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin - Suddenly Everything Has Changed
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7 comments:
Sounds pretty good. I'm usually not a fan of seafood ramen, but I might give this a shot if I can find it.
You are still in a room full of tentacles.
Creature:
See, I loves me some seafood, so it was a no-brainer. In fact, when I have to choose between the standard flavours of Maruchan or Top Ramen – chicken, beef, shrimp, "oriental" – it'll usually be shrimp first.
Samantha:
I always will have been there right now. Furthermore, I will be rolling the dice.
So just how did that burn mark get there?
(somebody had to ask.)
Ahhhh, Nong Shim, ramen of champions. I've got a bag of their "Chapaghetti" in my kitchen, but there's no external indications of spice level, and since I tend to like my noodles on the milder side, I wonder if you've got any experience/a package of it to review.
Steve:
That burn mark got there because I managed to set the chopstick too close to a stove burner once. Okay, by "too close" I mean "directly on". It didn't light on fire, but only because I noticed fairly quick what had happened. These are the risks of cooking. Don't try this at home, kids.
Boss Goji:
Chapagetti, I don't think I have, but I think I've seen it before. As I recall it's another ja jang myun implementation. If the picture looks like noodles with a brown ichor and probably mixed veggies, then you have a winner; it's one of my favourite dishes, and I'll be curious to hear what you think of it.
That's it? No epic ninja battles, no saving the universe with just a chopstick and the power of friendship?
Weak.
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