Ramen reminds me of my college days. My roommate and I would share a sodium and chemical goldmine of cup-o-soup. Back then I hardly cared about the food I ate, but a part of me still retains fondness for those curly noodles. If you haven’t noticed, ramen is making a comeback, but in a healthy way. Though traditionally made with wheat flour, Lotus Foods has created a great line of products so we can relive our youth and feel nourished.
Lotus Foods Rice Ramen comes in 3 flavors of individual servings with miso soup or simply noodles:
- Millet and rice: brown rice flour, millet, and white rice flour
- Jade Pearl™: brown rice flour, white rice flour, and bamboo extract
- Forbidden®: black, brown, and white rice flour
All of Lotus Foods Rice Ramen products are organic, vegan, gluten-free, and non-GMO. Lotus Foods started in 1995 and is based in California. The company focuses on sustainable global agriculture with an emphasis on traditional heirloom rice varieties. They produce a large variety of exotic rice, ramen, and heat and eat rice bowls. You can find their products at Whole Foods, Amazon, and on their website.
I really love that they provide the option of their ready-to-go individual rice ramen miso soup packs or just noodles, so you can make your dish of choice. All three flavor varieties have a unique taste and slightly different texture, while maintaining their curly noodle shape.
The ready-to-go individual ramen miso soup packs contain 25-33% less sodium versus typical wheat-based ramen soup packs. They also contain real ingredients, including miso powder (soybeans, rice, salt), spices, herbs and dried seaweed or vegetables. No unknown ingredients or preservatives. They have a nice miso flavor with the ability to take on add-ins like veggies and meat/seafood. They cook quickly (a few minutes in boiling water) and satisfy my need for a quick bowl of comforting noodles.
The rice ramen packs with just noodles come with 4 ramen cakes and are prepared the same way as the soup packs. However, you are in control of the flavors. I am a sucker for miso soup, but I am eager to try these rice ramen noodles in other dishes. Below I have added my quick and easy miso soup with mushrooms and scallions. I like brown rice miso, but you can use any miso paste variety of choice. Miso is a fermented food, so it’s a great digestive aid and it restores probiotics in the small intestine, among a variety of other health benefits. Just be careful of the sodium content, as it can creep up there.
I hope Lotus Foods Rice Ramen brings you back to younger days while giving you assurance that you are eating a healthy gluten-free food. Not much can be as comforting as grabbing a mound of curly noodles with chopsticks and gobbling them up!
Disclaimer: I am not paid or compensated in any way to review gluten-free products. I only review products that I love, use in my daily life, and feel that others can benefit from too. I cannot guarantee that you will think these products are awesome too, but it is highly unlikely.
- 1 cake of Lotus Foods Millet and Brown Rice Ramen
- 3 Tbsp brown rice miso paste (or any miso paste of choice). This is my taste preference, but you can adjust miso content based on your own tastes.
- ½ cup thin sliced mushrooms (any variety, but I like baby portobellos)
- 1-2 scallions sliced into ¼ inch slices
- Prepare rice ramen per package directions.
- When noodles are soft, add miso and mushrooms and cook for an additional minute or until miso is dissolved.
- Top soup with scallions and enjoy!