Chapaguri was popularised in the 2019 film ‘Parasite’ and gained popularity as a favourite Korean food recipe worldwide. It’s a dish that combines Nongshim’s Chapagetti, a ramen noodle dish in a black bean sauce served dry (not in soup), and Neoguri, an udon-type noodle in a spicy seafood soup. Following the film, Nongshim released their own combined version of the Chapaguri Ram-don.

Each package contained a dried noodle cake, a soup base sachet, a kelp flake sachet and chilli seasoning oil. The noodles are prepared by cooking all the components in 350 mL on the stove for 4 minutes.

A rich black bean and seafood aroma came from the noodles after preparation. Upon tasting, the noodles were thick and chewy with a hearty flavour combination of Chapagetti’s black soybean paste (from the soup base pouch) and Neoguri’s spicy seafood flavour (from the seasoning oil pouch). The spiciness was notable but manageable, coming through as a mild burn in the back of the throat. The rehydrated seaweed added an enjoyable ‘crisp’ texture, as did the tiny flecks of rehydrated beef, while the fishcakes in the shape of the Neoguri racoon were generous and adorable. Overall, these were very enjoyable instant noodles and we’re sad they’re not a permanent addition to the lineup.

This Nongshim Chapaguri Ram-don contained 5 x 140 g packages. It was produced in South Korea and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2022.