Shin Ramyun่พ› ยท A fan site

Nongshim ยท Since October 1, 1986

Spicy enough
to make a grown man
cry. Worth it anyway.

Shin Ramyun is South Korea's best-selling instant noodle, a beefy, chili-red broth in a four-minute packet, now exported to more than 100 countries.

A bowl of red, spicy ramyun from above with an egg, scallions, mushrooms and beef, chopsticks alongside on a black and red table
่พ› (shin) means "spicy." The name is the whole review.
1986
First packet sold
100+
Countries it's exported to
28 billion
Units sold by 2015
120 g
One US packet

The lineup

  1. 1986Shin RamyunThe original spicy beef brothWorldwidePacket, cup๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
  2. 2007Shin KimchiKimchi-flavored brothSelectPacket๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
  3. 2011Shin BlackExtra packet of beef soup stockWorldwidePacket, cup๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
  4. 2019Shin Red "Super Spicy"Turned the heat up furtherSelectPacket๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
  5. 2019Non-fried ShinNoodles that skip the fryerSelectPacket๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ
  6. 2023Shin Gold & Shin GreenChicken; tofu and mushroomUSAPacket๐ŸŒถ

Ways to eat it

The packet has instructions. Almost nobody follows them all the way. A few favorite detours, on video.

01

Eight ways to eat it

One packet, eight different bowls. A quick tour of how people dress it up, and down.

02

Chapa Shin

Chapagetti meets Shin: black-bean noodles and spicy noodles cooked together into one saucy, fiery bowl.

03

In a kimchi stew

Shin noodles dropped into a bubbling kimchi jjigae. Sour, spicy, and a full meal.

04

The original way

Just the packet, cooked as intended. The baseline to know before you start improvising.

Four things to know

  1. 01

    The name is a warning

    "Shin" is the Korean reading of the Hanja ่พ›, meaning spicy. The character is printed big on every red-and-black packet.

  2. 02

    It started as a stew

    Nongshim's R&D team took its cue from sogogi jangguk, a spicy Korean cabbage-and-beef stew, and packed it into a noodle.

  3. 03

    Three parts in the packet

    A block of precooked noodles, a sachet of soup base and a sachet of dried vegetable flakes. That's it, and it's enough.

  4. 04

    Chewier since 2014

    In August 2014 Nongshim reworked the noodle block across the line for a chewier bite, and refreshed the packaging with it.

An egg being cracked into a pan of simmering spicy ramyun, with bowls of green onion and mushroom beside it
Egg goes in for the last minute. Don't stir if you want it soft.
Flat lay of a round noodle block, a red soup sachet, a flakes sachet, green onion, a halved egg, mushrooms and a red chili
Noodles, soup, flakes. The whole kit.

The story

On October 1, 1986, Nongshim put a spicy beef ramyun on Korean shelves. It became the country's best-selling instant noodle and has stayed there.

It's made in South Korea, the United States and China, and shipped to more than 100 countries. By 2015 it had sold 28 billion units.

The Korean ads long ran on one line, ์‚ฌ๋‚˜์ด ์šธ๋ฆฌ๋Š” ์‹ ๋ผ๋ฉด: "Shin Ramyun makes a man cry." Footballers Park Ji-sung and Son Heung-min and the singer Psy have all fronted it.

Two people sharing two bowls of spicy ramyun with a small dish of kimchi on a black and red table
Better shared. Kimchi on the side, always.

Around the world

South Korea
Home turf. Still the best-selling instant noodle in the country.
Japan
April 10 has been Shin Ramyun Day since 2010, and a kitchen car tours the country handing out tastings.
China
Made locally, and home to a shrimp flavor you'll only find there and in Singapore.
United States
Made locally too. The widest lineup: packets, cups, bowls, plus Shin Gold and Shin Green.

What's in every pack

Open any packet of Shin Ramyun and you get the same three things. Together they make the whole bowl.

01

The noodle block

Precooked, wavy wheat noodles pressed into a block. Reworked in 2014 for a chewier bite that holds up in hot broth.

02

The soup base

The red sachet. A spicy beef-flavored powder inspired by sogogi jangguk, and where all the heat comes from. Use less to tame it.

03

The vegetable flakes

The second sachet. Dried vegetables that plump up in the boiling water and add a little color and texture.

How to cook it

The stovetop method for one packet. Check your packet for the exact numbers, since sizes vary by country.

  1. BoilAbout 550 ml of waterEnough broth without watering it down~3 min
  2. SeasonSoup base and flakes inThe flakes need time to plump upโ€”
  3. NoodlesDrop the block in wholeLoosen with chopsticks after a minute4ยฝ min
  4. LiftPull noodles up into the air a few timesCools them fast so they stay chewyDuring
  5. Add-insEgg, cheese, scallionLast minute, so nothing overcooks1 min
  6. ServeStraight from the potUsing the lid as a plate is traditionNow

Noodle questions

What does "Shin" mean?
Spicy. It's the Korean reading of the Hanja ่พ›, the big character on the front of the packet.
What's special about Shin Black?
An extra sachet of beef soup stock for a richer, rounder broth. It launched in 2011 and costs a little more.
Is there a vegetarian one?
Shin Green, launched in the US in 2023, is tofu and mushroom flavor. Check the label for ingredients where you live.
Is it too spicy?
Use half the soup base, add an egg or a slice of cheese, or both. You can always add more heat back in.