Instant noodles have been around for decades. With the array of flavours available in the Malaysian market, recent trends saw a hike in demand for spicy noodles. The spicier the better, as different brands compete to see who can create the ultimate spicy noodle.
In search of the ultimate spicy noodles
A quick, easy and budgetfriendly instant noodle meal is common all across the globe. I, myself enjoy the delight it brings and the array of flavours we have in Malaysia. From local favourites to Korean and Indonesian, there is always a flavour for everyone.
In recent years, the market saw a hike in demand for spicy noodles. Numerous brands compete to produce the tastiest and spiciest instant noodles. The trend started when Korean noodle brand Samyang broke into the market and gained instant popularity with their spicy hot instant noodles. Although the purpose to create such flavour remains questionable, it became a trend nonetheless.
Many turned the Samyang noodles into a challenge and competition. Back when the brand was first introduced in Sarawak, many event organisers held eating competitions to see who can withstand the spiciness. Many social media influencers and YouTubers also had taken the challenge to try it.
Samyang soon expanded their range. Currently, they have nine flavours to cater different demands. The Korean instant noodle brand had officially developed a new trend tha t many brands would follow suit.
As an instant noodle lover, I had to hop on the bandwagon. Proven to be the spiciest noodle several years back, eating Samyang was a game changer for me. I had never tasted spiciness akin to it before.
Those who want to take on the challenge should prepare a carton of milk to help ease the burning sensation.
It was so spicy that the taste lingered on for five minutes even after I stopped eating. But, like many spicy food, the meal will give you a ‘detox’ the following day. One you never know you needed. You would spend a healthy amount of time in the toilet, but is it worth it? For those who love fiery food, you bet it is.
Though Samyang remains as the favourite of many, last year, Malaysian-owned Mamee brand released a flavour that they clamied to be the spiciest ever. To this day, their Ghostpepper Spicy Chicken Noodles has been dubbed the scariest of them all.
For the uninitiated, ghost pepper is a type of pepper that hit over a million units on the Scoville scale (units to measure spiciness). Researchers from the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Rd., Bangkok 4, Thailand in 1979 had determined that people can actually die from eating too much ghost pepper.
Based on the hype, ‘Mamee’ marketed their ghost pepper flavour as the spiciest and even launched their very own #canornotchallenge. They initially introduced it as cup noodles, but today, they made it available in packs too. They also released a ghost pepper-flavoured cola together with the noodles as an introductory pack.
When I first got my hands on the noodles, I was excited. Having trained my taste buds to withstand spicy noodles, frankly, I was looking forward to have a go and confirm what the
fuss is all about.
True enough, the experience brought me down to my knees. My eyes and nose were watering profusely, and it was also the first time that I could not finish my instant noodles. The noodles were black, and they smelled nice — like a piece of fried chicken bathe in chillies. The first bite caught me off guard, but the taste was good nonetheless.
The following bites, however, were downright scary and terrifying. It was incredibly spicy and hot. I was compelled to finish the serving to succesfully tackle the challenge, but I couldn’t. My next two days were spent in the toilet, ‘detoxing’.
My current favourite spicy instant noodles is the ‘Maggi’ Pedas Giler range. They come in two flavours — Tom Yum and Ayam Bakar — and I personally like the former. This has been my go-to spicy noodles whenever I crave it. The price is also more reasonable and affordable compared to Samyang.
The spiciness is there, but it is not unbearable as my taste bud has been normalised to it. My lips, however, would usually be a little swollen even after an hour. Although my tongue was trained to the spiciness, my stomach would usually be at the losing end.
For a while, Maggi’s Pedas Giler range also became an internet challenge for influencers, however, it could not compete with the popularity of Samyang. The latest spicy noodles that I tried was by Indonesian brand Mi Sedap called the Korean Spicy Chicken flavour. Inspired by Korean brands, Mi Sedap had infused both the people’s favourite mi goreng, together with the taste of Korea.
The noodles’ spice pack contains two blocks of chilli options — for spiciness level one and level two. Level one to enjoy the savoury spicy taste of the noodle and level two to unlock the supposedly ‘crazy’ level of spicy.
On my first try, I tried level one. The noodles tasted like your typical Mi Sedap Goreng, and it was certainly not a challenge. Next up, I tried the level two. Again, it was not a challenge and I concluded that it was either I was numb to both levels, or it is just not that spicy.
Overall, having tried four different types of spicy noodles, I have concluded that the Mamee Ghostpepper is the ultimate spicy noodle. For me, it defies all logic and common sense. As for the rest, the ‘Mi Sedap’ Korean spicy chicken was the least hot
and should make for a good entry-level spicy meal.
