Japagetti 짜파게티

Packs and packs of Japagetti 짜파게티

How I cook it: (1) Boil the noodles and dried veggies in 600ml of water for 5 minutes; (2) While boiling, take 6-8 spoons (depends on how concentrated you want to taste the 'jjajang' / sauce) of hot water and use it to dissolve the black powder; (3) After dissolving the powder (now, you have the black sauce), mix the olive oil in; (4) Strain the noodles and veggies; (5) Put the noodles and sauce together, mix well.

Instant Black Noodles

Product Name: Japagetti 짜파게티... I think it's a combination of 짜장 (black fried sauce) + 스파게티(spaghetti)...but I dunno, it's ramen..maybe 짜장라면 isn't catchy and 짜장면 is the original or actual dish being imitated by this instant noodle.

Hole in the Pocket: Php 45-50

First Impression: The pack says 올리브 짜파게티 (Olive Japagetti) because it uses olive oil in its sauce. Nothing cute about it, but it has the aura of "Korean style Chinese food". And no, the actual Japagetti doesn't have that much vegetable or meat.

Taste buds say: Delicious especially when eaten with 김치 (kimchi) or 계란  튀긴 (fried egg). Some complain that it's too bitter or has a "burnt" taste, but I think that's because they make the mistake of not diluting / dissolving the black powder in 6-8 spoons of water, which makes the fried black bean sauce flavor way too concentrated. I have also seen how others add shrimp to Japagetti 짜파게티, it looks good so maybe I'll give it a try soon.

Reminds me of: Any dish cooked with squid's black ink and soy sauce.

K-rating: 4/5 ... tastes like 짜장 but not exactly 짜장면.