Nutritious and versatile!
Please note that this review was not paid for or sponsored by any third party. I purchased this product with my own money and the opinions in this review are strictly my own. I am not affiliated with Costco or any of its suppliers. I am just a fan of the company. I write these reviews to help my fellow shoppers.
Hello everyone! I’m here again from Costcuisine ! If you would like to to read more reviews on Costco food products such as this one follow me on Instagram or Facebook and also check out my blog Costcuisine where I review tons of Costco food products each week! Last week I reviewed Costco Kirkland Signature Cinnamon Raisin Bagels, Costco Kirkland Signature Stuffed Peppers and Costco Don Miguel Mexican Appetizer Variety Pack I also posted a recipe for my version of stuffed peppers that use Costco Kirkland Signature Ground Turkey!
Okay, so did anyone else bring the ramen packages to school when they were a kid and put the seasoning on the ramen, then eat it dry? That was a huge thing back when I was going to school. There were two kinds of kids, the ones who brought their own dry ramen with seasoning, and the ones who weren’t lucky enough to have ramen packages of their own, but would ask for some of the other kids’ ramen.
Anyway, aside from those fond childhood memories of ramen, I love most Asian-style food (especially soups and stir-fries). When I saw the Lotus Foods Organic Millet & Brown Rice Ramen at Costco, I immediately had a few ideas for different ways I could use it (none of which included eating it dry) and wanted to try it.
The rice ramen tastes great. The noodles are hearty and filling, but I think the best part about them is the texture. They’re not overly soft, gummy or mushy. I prefer the texture of these noodles to any other instant noodles I’ve tried. I can’t really say much about the flavor because there isn’t much flavor from the noodles themselves; they take on whatever flavor you add to them (through sauce, broth, etc.).
The whole bag cost $12.89 Canadian (full price), which means just over a dollar per cake of ramen. That doesn’t seem overly expensive for a whole grain, healthy vegan, gluten-free option.
The rice ramen comes packaged in a sturdy bag, and you get 12 rice ramen noodle cakes in the bag, they aren’t individually packaged. I was pleasantly surprised to find all of the cakes in my package fully intact and not broken. Still, I don’t love the packaging because once the bag is opened, you can’t reseal it. You could use either a clothes pin or a ziplock bag, but it would be nice if the package itself could be resealed. I guess rice ramen noodles aren’t something that will go stale easily though, so it’s not the end of the world. I was a little bit worried that the ramen rice cakes would be difficult to cook and might turn out gummy or sticky, but that wasn’t the case. I followed the package directions, and my noodles turned out well, I think it’s important to rinse the noodles after cooking them to remove some of the excess starch and prevent them from clumping together. With all of that being said, this is a cook-from-scratch item and not a convenience item. These are plain rice ramen noodles and they don’t come with any seasoning. On the bright side, this allows for creativity and makes the rice ramen noodles super versatile! You can pair them with any broth, sauce, vegetables or meat you like.
I love the nutritional information on this package! Seriously, two ingredients? How often do you see that? The ingredients are organic brown rice flour and organic millet. These are perfect for people who are gluten intolerant! One of the noodle cakes from the box of Lotus Foods Organic Millet & Brown Rice Ramen contains nine grams of protein, three grams of fat, three grams of fibre and 240 calories (as well as zero grams of sugar, which is another positive in the nutrition category). I always search for products that are high in protein because I find they tend to keep me full for longer, and in my opinion nine grams of protein is pretty good for a 240 calorie serving of noodles. One rice ramen noodle cake is also a good-sized serving; I only use two to make a large stir-fry for me and my husband and we find that to be plenty of noodles (although I add plenty of other ingredients too).
I probably won’t be buying the Lotus Foods Organic Millet & Brown Rice Ramen again anytime soon as I have a bunch left to use up still! Since you need to do some planning and shopping for extra ingredients to turn them into a meal, it might take me a while to use those up. I’ve enjoyed making a few different kinds of stir-fry with these noodles as the base and find them very versatile. The texture is palate-pleasing, which is the most important thing for a basic noodle. I’m thinking I’ll be adventurous and try making a soup with them next. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Taste: 8.5/10
Cost: 8/10
Convenience: 5/10
Nutrition: 9/10
I’m curious to know if you’ve tried this and if you have any recipes to share?!
Bought these .love them. They are staple in my nome now .cook just for myself they make quick lazy meals with some veg and meat in a bowl.
For those worried about it being mic… if you’re eating a rice based item you should look up the issues with us grown rice for comparison (hint: arsenic)
I bought them and really liked them for a quick soup with just chicken broth. Like Wordon above, I then noticed on the package they were actually produced in China. That has me holding back from buying them again. Wish I could find this product made here.
I wouldn’t buy this,how can you trust any food product made in China?
Use them often. I agree and am happy that they are only TWO ingredients! I have a big Japanese bowl. I cook these up as the base, plunk them in the bowl, add soy sauce and other seasonings, then put on whatever I have left in the fridge for a delicious bowl lunch or quick dinner (fine shredded cabbage, grated carrot, leftover butternut squash, some protein like chicken perhaps). I let the hot noodles “wilt” the cabbage. P.S. I use one of those “big bag” clips from the dollar store to keep it shut.
A great GF option. We use them for soups – taste is excellent. I agree that a resealable package would be better.
I find they are too soft and break too easily. I like my noodles long so I can eat them with chopsticks!! =( I was very sad that this didn’t work out for us. We LOVE Costco.
I buy it all the time. I make chicken broth with the Costco rotisserie chicken bones. I add some veggies. I also add some of the Costco rotisserie chicken pieces or perhaps the chicken or beef dumplings from Costco. The final touch is sriracha. A light but filling meal.