7-level spicy noodles: What's left of a trend?

The spicy noodle dish that is taking Vietnamese teenagers' culinary life by storm is actually not remarkable, and can even be harmful.

Spicy is an indispensable flavor in cuisine, stimulating the taste buds, making people eat more deliciously. In cold countries like Korea, eating spicy food and preparing spicy dishes also has the effect of warming the body, fighting against the cold climate.

Korean spicy noodles have been in Vietnam for nearly a year now and have quickly become a hit among young people, first in Ho Chi Minh City, then in Hanoi and several other cities. Spicy noodle shops have sprung up like mushrooms. The two spicy noodle brands that are dominating Vietnam are Sasin and Naga, which are also the names of the two types of chili peppers advertised as “the spiciest in the world”. The chili pepper used in Sasin spicy noodles is Carolina Reaper, a spice that is said to be spicier than the pepper spray used by American police. According to the Scoville scale, this chili pepper has a spiciness of 1.5 million to 2.2 million scovilles, while pepper spray is at 2 million. The Naga Viper chili pepper used for Naga noodles is a hybrid of three extremely spicy chili peppers.

A bowl of level 5 spicy octopus noodles.

Apart from its unbeatable spiciness, this noodle dish has nothing special that makes people fall in love with it like kimbap, kimchi soup or grilled octopus...

The noodles used to make the spicy noodles are simply thick, chewy instant noodles produced in Vietnam using Korean technology, and can be easily purchased at supermarkets for about 60,000 VND for 10 packs. A bowl of Korean spicy noodles usually uses one pack of noodles.

The broth of Korean spicy noodles has absolutely no special flavor, only a sour and spicy flavor similar to kimchi soup, but it is not as sweet and rich. Compared to the broth of Chinese noodles, Japanese Udon or Ramen, or even the broth of Vietnamese beef, kidney, and chicken noodle shops, the broth of Korean spicy noodles is far inferior in terms of processing and flavor.

The ingredients used to make the noodle filling such as octopus, freshwater prawn, squid, beef, sausage, beef balls, fish balls are also normal. The quality of freshness depends on the restaurant's choice, however it is difficult to distinguish whether they are of high quality or not because the diner's taste buds are defeated by the spiciness.

In general, a bowl of Korean spicy noodles is not difficult to prepare because the recipe for this dish is very simple: sour kimchi broth, thick instant noodles, pre-made filling ingredients, a little purple cabbage, shredded carrots and Saga or Sasin chili in powder form or whole dried form.

It is difficult to rate this as a delicious, attractive dish because you will have to fight with the terrible spiciness of the bowl of noodles. All your senses when eating are just how to finish eating, to reduce the spiciness that is tormenting your tongue, throat, stomach... Your face will be red, sweat will pour out, tears and snot will run down, the meal will be interrupted continuously to drink water or find a way to reduce the spiciness. How can you enjoy the delicious taste of the bowl of chewy, crunchy noodles, the rich seafood, the beef skillfully combined with the sour taste of kimchi...

The spiciness of the noodle bowl is divided into 7 levels: level 1 is equivalent to 3 times spiciness than Chinsu chili sauce or 9 teaspoons of chili powder, each level is 3 teaspoons of chili, up to level 7 is 3 whole super spicy dried Sasin or Naga chili peppers; this is what stimulates and attracts diners to Korean spicy noodles. There are also levels 0 and 0.5 and this level also makes people who can eat spicy food still frown. The average price of each dish is from about 40 to 70 thousand VND.

When eating Korean spicy noodles, most diners want to test their ability to eat spicy food, trying to overcome all the challenges set by the restaurant to convey the message: No matter how much you think, it's just normal. On the other hand, even among customers, there are challenges to each other, proving that they can eat spicier food than their friends...

The popularity of Korean spicy noodles can be explained by the influence of culinary trends originating from the wave of Korean cinema and K-Pop, plus the novelty and challenge. The wisdom of those who brought Korean spicy noodles to Vietnam is the understanding of the "Korean-loving" psychology of Vietnamese people and the competitive nature of young people. Thanks to that, they promote the unique features of Korean cuisine, while still making good money.

However, here is a piece of advice for Vietnamese diners. Don't risk trying Korean spicy noodles if you have problems with your stomach and digestive tract. Because when you eat too much spicy food, your body can't handle it, which can lead to digestive disorders or stomach problems. And prepare lots of handkerchiefs when eating spicy noodles, because you will cry more tears and runny nose because of the chili than because of the leukemia of an actress in a beautiful love story of a Korean movie./.

According to the newspaper