Ryuji Compares Two Flavors of "Tangle," the Buzzworthy Protein Pasta from Korea, and Recreates It as an Oil-Free Garlic Shrimp Pasta

According to Ryuji, Tangle is a product from a Korean manufacturer, and people on X (formerly Twitter) have been saying it is "delicious." It is marketed as a protein pasta, with 16.5g of protein. It is not exactly a diet food, though: it comes in at around 370-something kcal, which Ryuji described as "about the same as a regular cup of instant ramen." The price is around 350 yen, which Ryuji summed up as "fairly expensive, but not outrageous." It comes in two flavors: mushroom cream and garlic shrimp.

The package says the product won an award of excellence at an international taste competition held in Belgium, and that it "recreates restaurant-quality flavor." Ryuji quipped, "Who gets to decide that?" and joked that they look at "everything that's trending in the world with a cynical eye." The staff added that the product does not claim to be healthy; it just says it is high in fiber and protein. The ingredients include non-fried noodles made with beans and other ingredients, and Ryuji noted that bean pasta is trendy right now. Partway through eating, Ryuji also realized it was made by the same company behind the super-spicy "Buldak" noodles, and revealed that they had previously done work for that company.

For the mushroom cream flavor, you add the flakes and sauce, pour hot water up to the line inside the container, and heat it in a 600W microwave for 4 minutes and 30 seconds. The amount of water is set at 225cc, and Ryuji recommended measuring it properly, saying, "There's a trap here, everyone." Ryuji also called the process of adding water and then waiting four and a half minutes "pretty annoying."

There was only a "token" amount of mushroom as a topping. According to the package, however, truffles, shiitake and button mushrooms are powdered and used in the sauce. When the powdered sauce is mixed in after heating, it combines with the remaining liquid to become creamy. Ryuji described the powder as "kind of like Pringles" and rated the aroma as "really good."

When the staff said it "seems like it'd be popular with women" and "maybe it went viral because it's health-conscious," Ryuji shared a personal theory: women don't like low-calorie foods so much as foods they "can make excuses for." The example Ryuji gave was mala tang. People tend to think glass noodles are fine, but glass noodles are carbohydrates and not low in calories. Pasta, too, is a lump of carbs and oil, and the cream in cream pasta is fat, Ryuji said. Even so, there is a feeling of "it's pasta, so it's fine," and Ryuji speculated that this is why a product like this, with a moderate calorie count and good taste, is catching on.

On tasting it, Ryuji's first words were "not really good." Ryuji also said it "tastes manufactured," and the staff agreed: "It's not good at all." On the other hand, Ryuji said that as a health food that provides protein and fiber with non-fried noodles, it might be on the tasty side for people who exercise and eat it in place of protein. If it meant being number one among health foods, that would make sense, was how Ryuji put it.

Ryuji seemed to find the noodles lacking in chewiness. Despite having previously promoted bean noodles, Ryuji said that "regular pasta is ten billion times better." Seeing that the ingredients included thickeners, the sweetener stevia, and glycerin, Ryuji also pointed out that truly health-conscious people probably would not eat something like this.

Ryuji also reflected on their own position. A middle-aged guy like Ryuji is not the target audience. Ryuji admitted with a laugh that an older man barging in while girls are having fun and saying "this stuff isn't good at all" might be "the worst possible move," and predicted criticism from women and the health-conscious crowd.

The conversation also turned to Ryuji's approach to food reviews. On X, someone said that "Ryuji only ever says 'delicious, delicious' in food videos," but in reality, Ryuji explained, the parts where something tasted bad get cut. Ryuji wants to support restaurants, so bad experiences there don't get shown. With commercial products, however, Ryuji is sometimes honest, citing as an example having said that HIKAKIN's ramen (Misokin) was not good. Ryuji finds it strange that HIKAKIN's fans didn't attack them for it. When the staff replied, "Maybe a lot of HIKAKIN's fans are big-hearted people," Ryuji responded, "HIKAKIN is a saint, so the fans are saints too," and wrapped up with self-deprecation: "The viewers on our channel are harsh because I have a bad personality." Ryuji added that, basically, they want to give praise.

The garlic shrimp flavor is prepared in a completely different way, heated in the microwave for 5 minutes and 30 seconds. The noodles are thicker than those in the mushroom cream flavor, and it comes with a red seasoning. Based on the aroma alone, Ryuji predicted, "This one's probably good."

On eating it, both Ryuji and the staff changed their tune: "Hey, this one's good." It is quite spicy, enough to make you break out in a sweat. Ryuji's take was that it combines soy-protein noodles with a plant-based powdered cream, and said, "With this one, I get why people stock up on it."

The final verdict: the mushroom cream flavor was "not good. The flavor isn't dialed in." The garlic shrimp flavor got an "A-plus." According to Ryuji, it is a spicy cheese garlic cream pasta, a flavor rarely encountered in Japan. Soybean noodles probably aren't sold in supermarkets, but if regular pasta is acceptable, Ryuji said it could be recreated "easily," and moved straight on to the recreation.

Since the original product takes a healthy approach, Ryuji decided to make the recreation healthy as well. When Ryuji usually makes garlic shrimp pasta, healthiness doesn't enter into it, but this time the plan was to "not use much oil." Ryuji decided to grate the garlic rather than sauté it, because sautéing would require oil. Ryuji said they wanted to use this dish to prove that a cream pasta can be both healthy and delicious.

Even at the point where Ryuji would normally add butter, none went in this time. The Tangle they had tasted wasn't particularly oily, so Ryuji judged that it would work without it. The plan was to let the cheese provide the richness.

Ryuji also said that "forcibly mashing together" review videos and cooking videos is their style. If it were just about eating, comedians would be more entertaining, but since Ryuji is at least a food professional, they like taking inspiration from products like this and turning it into a recipe.

The ingredients for one serving are as follows (based on the recipe in the video description and comments made during cooking).

• 100g of 1.8mm pasta
• 80g frozen shrimp (with a pinch of salt for thawing)
• 3 brown mushrooms (about 50g)
• 10g garlic (grated)
• 400cc water, 1/2 tsp ichimi chili pepper, 1 1/3 tsp chicken bouillon powder
• 120–130cc unsweetened soy milk
• 3 slices cheddar cheese, 1/3 tsp doubanjiang, garlic powder to taste, 2 pinches sugar, 1 pinch salt
• Dried parsley to taste

Ryuji chose mushrooms because the mushroom flavor came through well in Tangle. White mushrooms or other kinds work too, Ryuji said; brown ones were chosen partly for appearance. The shrimp are butterflied along the back and cut in half. If there is a vein, it is better to remove it. According to Ryuji, the dish still turns out reasonably well without shrimp, and it is also delicious with bacon.

Put 400cc of water, the ichimi chili pepper and the chicken bouillon powder into a frying pan. Chicken bouillon is used because the package listed "chicken extract." It also listed things like roasted garlic flavor powder, but Ryuji judged that a chicken-based seasoning would be enough. Add the thick 1.8mm pasta and cook over medium-high heat. The package says 11 minutes, but 10 minutes is fine. Since mushrooms release umami, Ryuji thinks it's better to add them early and cook them together. Cooking the pasta in its liquid is the key, Ryuji said, since it thickens the sauce at the end.

Partway through, the liquid ran out, so about 2 tablespoons of hot water were added. With about 2 minutes left and the liquid cooked off, add 130cc of unsweetened soy milk and the grated garlic, and reduce it with the soy milk until creamy. Ryuji explained that sweetened soy milk is flavored to make it closer to cow's milk and ends up oddly sweet, so unsweetened soy milk works best.

To finish, add the cheddar cheese. The color wasn't red enough, so 1/3 teaspoon of doubanjiang was added. Making it red helps it go viral on TikTok and gives it a rosé-like look, Ryuji said. Garlic powder is then added for a "double use" alongside the fresh garlic. Season with 2 pinches of sugar and 1 pinch of salt, sprinkle with dried parsley, and it's done. Ryuji joked that it's "65 times better than the original."

On tasting the recreation, both immediately said, "This is really good." The spiciness was about the same as the cup noodles from earlier, and the staff member was surprised by the sudden heat. Ryuji said, "I traced it perfectly," judging the flavor to be quite close. The staff member felt that the shrimp flavor was more infused in the recreation. The original might be disappointing for people who eat it expecting shrimp, so for shrimp lovers, the recreation is the way to go, the staff member said.

Ryuji said that Koreans are good at creating new flavors like this, and that they "absolutely love" this flavor itself. Since no oil is used, it is light, but it has enough richness, and there's no need for bacon either, Ryuji said. The spice level was just right for Ryuji, while one staff member struggled a bit but said, "I can eat it, it's good." For those concerned about the heat, Ryuji suggested starting with about 1/3 teaspoon of ichimi. Ryuji also stressed, however, that the savoriness of the chili pepper is key to this flavor.

As for calories, Ryuji estimated they shouldn't be that high, since the cream is made only from soy milk and cheese, and the mushrooms and shrimp have almost no calories. While the cheese does add fat, Ryuji encouraged even people concerned about fat intake to try it.

Finally, Ryuji said that anyone curious about Tangle should give it a try. Ryuji closed the video by saying that while the mushroom cream flavor was underwhelming, anyone who feels like making this garlic shrimp pasta should try the recipe.