Jjapaguri / Ram-Don

I have been meaning to try the infamous noodle dish from Parasite, ram-don for the longest time but I could not get the ingredients needed when I want to make them. After what seemed like months when I finally landed on the Neoguiri and Chapagetti both available at a Korean Mart. I also saved a few bucks knowing that both were sold at Php50 a piece! Mall prices are double which is crazy if you think about it. 

I was planning this for a few weeks now and I already secured the cheapest beef cuts as this would be the first time I will handle beef. Yes! Believe it or not, I have been cooking and baking but I have never ever handled beef ever! So I got myself half a kilo of beef and use the remaining cuts for some beef and broccoli or some beef steak. Who knows?

Going back to the ram-don, I checked online and noticed that it was a bit straightforward. The movie called for some cubed steak. Let's be real - who will buy steak just to add it to this? Well, the Park family might have dispensible steak lying around but not for common folk like us. Get the cheapest beef cuts you can buy.

Also, isn't it a bit funny how it took me until the second month of quarantine to start experimenting again? Anyway, who hasn't?


What you need:
Neoguri (one in red) is a spicy seafood noodle with dried seaweed and chili powder
Chapagetti (one that looks like pale gold) is a black bean noodle, includes oil and veggie pack
Beef cubes

Beef Marinade:
Salt
Pepper
2 tbsp of Mirin - by preference
Added a few drops of sesame oil - by preference



How to cook: Optional - you can marinade your beef cuts with mirin, sesame oil with salt and pepper. I did this 15minutes before starting to cook the noodles. You can opt-out from marinading the beef if you are crunched for time.
  1. Boil 5 cups of water and dunk the noodles.
  2. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  3. While boiling the noodles - cook the beef cuts on a separate pan. Make sure all sides are cooked.
  4. Drain water and leave at least 6 tbsp of noodle water.
  5. Add the seasoning packets but you can opt to add a small amount of the red packet from the Neoguri (its the red packet) if you have a sensitivity to spice. You can add more later when you feel you need more kick.
  6. Mix well until all seasoning has been incorporated. 
  7. Add beef cubes and serve while hot.
  8. Best eaten with a tall glass of your favorite soda.


Verdict:

My god was it good! The noodles were just how I wanted it to be, cooked yet chewy, and had a good bite to it. I specifically enjoyed the taste. Sweet, savory, and the beef truly add texture and protein to a somewhat boring dish. I would have opted to add more texture like snap peas or something with a crunch maybe next time. You can add more spice if you still have something left from the red Neoguri packet. I only added 1/4 of the packet and it still had a kick to it. Not shown on the photo was a side of kimchi and a cold glass of Coke.

How are you coping with quarantine? Stay safe out there. Stay indoors too and please for the love/hate of Covid, wash your hands, will ya?

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