Fun fact: "ramdon" is a made-up word. It's actually called "chapaguri."
If you've been blessed enough to see Parasite, then I probably don't need to explain to you how amazing this Best Picture winner is.
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And if you HAVEN'T seen it yet —fix that...STAT!
Now, being Korean, I was very proud of Parasite's success, but I was also very intrigued by some of the layered details in the film. And one of the biggest things that stood out to me was the entire "ramdon" scene.
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It's a truly hilarious, sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat sequence.
And much like the Kim family's mother (Chung-sook), I thought, "What the hell is ramdon?!"
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I admittedly do not speak Korean fluently (or, TBH, well at all), but I knew the dish I was looking at on-screen wasn't a combination of just plain ol' ramen and udon noodles as the translated name would have you believe. After a quick Google search, I learned "ramdon" was a name made up by the film's translator Darcy Paquet. Apparently, the real name was too "hard" to translate for English subtitles.
The dish that they make in Parasite is ACTUALLY called "jjapaguri" or "chapaguri." It's a popular Korean "quick food" made from combining instant noodles from the brand names "Chapagetti" and "Neoguri."
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In fact, if you re-watch the movie you can literally hear the characters saying "chapaguri."
However, unlike the film, chapaguri does not typically have steak added to it.
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According to the LA Times, "Bong said he came up with the steak-on-a-pile-of-instant noodles as a way of showing how the wealthy housewife wanted to please her young son but how she also regarded jjapaguri as food for commoners." So, yeah, you could say chapaguri is like a metaphor for the entire movie. LAYERS, people!
I have eaten a lot of Chapagetti in my life, but I've never had chapaguri. So, I decided to make it...Parasite style! And you can, too. It's so easy, here's all you need:
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— 1 package of Chapagetti
— 1 package of Neoguri, "Spicy Seafood" flavor
— Steak (8 oz)
— Salt and Pepper
If you don't have a Korean grocery store nearby, don't worry. I'll include links at the end where you can buy Chapagetti and Neoguri.
Here's how you make chapaguri —aka "ramdon" from Parasite:
1. Chop steak into 1/2-inch cubes.
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I used tenderloin (because why not go all the way), but in the movie the mother requests sirloin.
2. Season steak with salt and pepper.
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In the film, of course, there's no time to season the meat. But I suggest you do IRL.
3. Remove Chapagetti and Neoguri noodles from packaging.
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You'll notice the Neoguri noodles are a LITTLE thicker than the Chapagetti ones, hence giving them the "udon type" noodles name.
Here's what's in each seasoning packet, in case you're wondering:
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(L to R): Chapagetti —soup base, vegetable oil, dehydrated vegetable mix; Neoguri — soup base, dehydrated vegetable mix
4. Fill a large pot with water, bring to a boil, then add noodles.
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Make sure there's enough water to submerge BOTH packages of noodles to fully cook them.
5. Cook steak until medium to medium well.
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In the movie, the steak is cooked to medium well. If you prefer your steak more rare, though, go for it!
6. After the noodles have fully cooked, drain, leaving about half a cup of water in the pot. Then, add all the seasonings from all the packets.
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I opted to use chopsticks for this part because that's how Chung-sook did it in the movie.
7. Add steak and mix well.
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Not so easy to do when you're using just chopsticks, TBH.
8. Gloriously pour into a large-ass bowl.
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*Korean chef kiss*
9. Enjoy!
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See, I told you it was SUPER easy.
So, what did I think about trying chapaguri for the first time? It was delicious as heck!
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Being a lifelong fan of Chapagetti, I knew I'd like at least HALF of this dish. Turns out, I liked all of it. The spicy seafood flavor from the Neoguri was no joke. You could definitely taste the fishyness, and that was a slightly weird (but not necessarily bad) combination with the steak. Like, that's definitely not two flavors you'd normally pair together in one dish. I'd definitely eat this again, although I'd also be curious to try it with another protein like chicken or tofu. It was easy to make, obviously cheap (minus the steak), and very yummy...what's not to like?!
If you don't have a Korean grocery store nearby, you can get Chapagetti and Neoguri from Amazon.
