Surasang 88 Seoul – Hot Chile Lime Topokki Snack

Bitter: 🟡○○○○

Salty: 🟡🟡🟡○○

Sour/Tangy:🟡🟡🟡○○

Sweet: 🟡🟡🟡○○

Umami: 🟡🟡🟡○○

Heat: 🟡🟡○○○○○○○○

Quick Flavor Notes: Habanero, lime, sweet, funky

Recommended: Yes

Texture: Crunchy

Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Palm Oil, Sugar, Hot Chili & Lime Seasoning (Soybean, Wheat, Barley), Corn Syrup, Rice Flour, Habanero Seasoning (Soybean, Wheat, Barley), Capsaicin Sauce, Glucose, Salt, Ammonium Hydrogen Carbonate, Red Pepper Paste Powder (Wheat), Oleoresin Paprika, Sodium Bicarbonate, Parsley Flakes, Artificial Flavor (Cracker), Disodium 5′-Ribonucleotide,

Surasang began as a small Korean restaurant in the 1980s and has grown from there to one of the largest global global exporters of both traditional Korean foods as well as innovative and inventive snacks based on Korean street food. In particular their ’88 Seoul line of foods which includes instant tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes typically cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce), rapokki (a combination of instant ramen and tteokbokki) and these Topokki snacks, which are fried chip-like snacks made into the shape of tteokbokki and flavored with sevreal famous tteokbokki flavors. I’ve enjoyed the original and the Rose Tteokbokki flavors in the past (and need to get to reviewing them) though this is my first trying the Chile Lime which I believe is a new flavor.

While traditional tteokbokki is made from rice cakes and is in a sauce made from gochujang (a sweet and spicy fermented Korean chile paste) as well as gochugaru (Korean chile powder) with soy sauce and other sweeteners added, these use primarily wheat flour (though rice flour is also present) and a different seasoning blend. I believe the ingredients list is lacking some details are the “chile lime seasoning” lists only soybean, wheat, and barley parenthetically and nothing that would actually taste like chile nor lime. Similarly the “habanero seasoning” lists soybean, wheat and barley and not anything related to a habanero. It could be they’re listing only potential allergens and not the full ingredients that go into the seasoning. In addition to the chile lime seasoning and the habanero seasoning these also contain “capsaicin sauce” which appears to be a condiment popular in Korea consisting of chile pepper extract suspended in a syrup with a bit of vinegar and fruit extracts as well. There’s also red pepper paste listed, which I believe to be gochujang, as well as other sugars and leavening agents. Some sugar, artificial flavor, and Disodium 5′-ribonucleotide which is a blend of disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate round things out.

The flavor of Surasang 88 Seoul Hot Chile Lime Topokki is interesting. The habanero flavor from the habanero seasoning absolutely comes through as does a citrusy hint from lime. At the same time there’s that traditional tteokbokki flavor underneath with the sweetness and the gochujang flavor. It’s as if someone combined takis, tajin, and tteokbokki and then made them extra crispy. Even the aroma has hint of habanero, lime, and a bit of gochujang funk. Texturally they’re crunchy and do have more of a wheat than rice flavor so certainly more chip than tteokbokki. The shape with the ridges also reminds me a lot of fried rigatoni though those ridges are also great at holding the seasoning in and somehow also help keep you fingers cleaner. There’s also a decent amount of heat from an off-the-shelf snack, similar to what you’d get from hot cheetos or some of the various takis flavors. The citrus lime element isn’t as strong as some products that load up with citric acid but there’s enough tang to keep them interesting. I also appreciate the level of umami in these, they keep you wanting to go back for more.

I’m happy to recommend Surasang 88 Seoul Hot Chile Lime Topokki. They’re a unique snack with a great flavor and a nice change of pace if you’re used to some of the common spicy grocery store snacks. I also have to say that the bag art is quite attractive and eye catching. While I haven’t officially reviewed them yet the original flavor and the Rose Tteokbokki flavor are absolutely worth seeking out as well.