Shin Ramyun 辛Unofficial fan page

신라면 / Nongshim, since October 1, 1986

Spicy enough
to make
a grown man cry.

A fan page for the red-and-black pack of instant noodles that started as a spicy beef-and-cabbage stew and ended up in more than 100 countries.

A steaming bowl of spicy red Shin Ramyun noodle soup with a soft egg and green onion
One pack, one pot, four and a half minutes.
1986
Launched by Nongshim
28 billion
Packs sold worldwide by 2015
100+
Countries it ships to
~25%
Of Korea's instant noodle market

Six from the lineup

  1. 1986Shin OriginalBeef & chili broth辛辛辛GlobalThe OG
  2. 2011Shin BlackExtra beef stock packet辛辛GlobalPremium
  3. 2019Super SpicyOriginal, turned up辛辛辛辛SelectA dare
  4. 2019Non-friedClassic broth, lighter noodle辛辛Select~½ calories
  5. 2023Shin GoldChicken broth辛USCozy
  6. 2023Shin GreenTofu & mushroom辛辛USVeggie

*Heat is one fan's opinion, not an official rating. Also out there: a kimchi version (2007), Shin Red (2020), and a shrimp flavor sold only in China and Singapore.

Four facts from the pot

  1. 01

    It started as a stew

    Nongshim's R&D team took its cue from sogogi jangguk, a traditional Korean stew of beef and cabbage in a spicy broth.

  2. 02

    The name is the flavor

    The big 辛 on the pack is Hanja for "spicy," so Shin Ramyun simply means spicy ramyun. It also happens to match founder Shin Choon-ho's surname.

  3. 03

    Chewier since 2014

    In August 2014 Nongshim reworked the noodle recipe across its range for a chewier bite, and refreshed the packaging while it was at it.

  4. 04

    Japan has a word for it

    Fans in Japan call the taste "umakara": spicy, yet tasty. It's about as good a two-word review as a noodle can get.

Someone at a dark desk lifting steaming noodles from a bowl under a red lamp
Late night, one bowl, Awkward 6 finger hold, zero regrets.
A stack of red and black Shin Ramyun packs on a black and red surface
Red and black, recognizable from the far end of the aisle.

The story

Nongshim put Shin Ramyun on shelves on October 1, 1986. By 1988 the company held more than half of Korea's ramyun market, and Shin is still the country's best-selling instant noodle.

The slogan, 사나이 울리는 신라면, translates to "Shin Ramyun can make a man cry." The faces on the ads have included Psy and footballers Park Ji-sung and Son Heung-min.

In Japan, a Shin Ramyun Kitchen Car has toured since 2013 and passed 100,000 km by 2016. In China, Nongshim has sponsored the Nongshim Cup baduk championship since 1999.

Someone lifting spicy noodles with chopsticks from a black bowl at a red counter
Best eaten hot, at a counter, with nowhere else to be.

Quick facts

Made in
South Korea, the United States
and China
Ships to
More than 100 countries
Shin Ramyun Day
April 10, in Japan, since 2010. Four sounds like "hot."
In the pack
Noodles, soup base powder, vegetable flakes. US packets weigh 120 g.

Three things in every pack

Open the bag and there are only three parts. What you do with them is the whole hobby.

01

The noodle block

Precooked and ready in minutes. Retuned in 2014 for more chew, which is why it holds up in a stew or straight out of the bag.

02

The soup base

The red powder where the heat lives. Use all of it for the full experience, or half if you'd like to taste the rest of your evening.

03

The vegetable flakes

A small packet of dried vegetables that bloom back to life in the broth. Easy to forget, noticeable when you do.

Ways to eat it

The pack gives you instructions. The internet gives you options. A few favorites, from purist to chaotic.

  1. Classic550 ml water, everything inThe baseline, as intended4½ min
  2. Egg dropCrack an egg in near the endSilky broth, softer heat+1 min
  3. Cheese on topOne slice, don't stirCreamy, less sting+30 sec
  4. ChapaguriCook with Chapagetti, drain most waterSweet-spicy black bean noodles5 min
  5. Raw snackCrush in the bag, add a pinch of powder, shakeCrunchy, salty, dangerous0 min
  6. Army stewSpam, sausage, kimchi, rice cakesA pot for the whole table20 min

Watch: how people eat it

Four favorite ways to make it, straight from the internet's kitchens.

The original, cooked right

Back to basics: water, noodles, soup base, flakes. The way the pack intends.

8 ways to eat Shin Ramyun

One pack, eight directions. Starts at 3:36, where it gets good.

Kimchi stew with Shin

Noodles dropped into a bubbling kimchi jjigae. Starts right at the good part.

Chapaguri (ram-don)

Shin Ramyun plus Chapagetti, the mash-up made famous by the film Parasite.

Slurping questions

How spicy is it, really?
A solid kick, not a stunt. Spicy is literally the name. If it isn't enough, Nongshim added a Super Spicy version in 2019.
What does 辛 mean?
"Spicy," in Hanja. It is also the surname of Nongshim's founder, Shin Choon-ho, which is a very convenient coincidence.
Is Shin Black worth it?
Not really. The 2011 upgrade adds a beef-stock packet, and the broth turns so rich and milky it's basically ramyun in a cardigan. The original makes grown men cry. Black just makes them sleepy.
Is there a lighter one?
A non-fried version arrived in 2019 with about half the calories. In the US, Shin Green swaps in tofu and mushroom.