I am a proud Meatless Monday blogger and an avid supporter of the Meatless Monday movement. I believe in eating healthy and this can be mainly achieved through a predominantly vegetarian diet. I also avoid gluten. So, when people from the Meatless Monday campaign reached out to me to try these new Gluten-free organic rice products from Lotus Foods, I willingly agreed.
Soon, I received a package from Lotus food that contained these three items and some literature regarding them:
1. Buckwheat Mushroom Rice Ramen
2. Jasmine organic brown Mekong flower Rice
3. Heirloom Forbidden Rice
I saved the instant rice for a rainy day when I will need cooked rice in a real hurry. I decided to make the noodles and the organic brown rice this weekend.
I have been eating rice noodles instead of wheat noodles for a while now. However, I haven't found the right one that would cook without turning into mush on me yet. I always have to be extra vigilant and make sure that I don't soak them for too long in the hot water. I have tried buckwheat noodles and didn't really care for the taste. These buckwheat-mushroom noodles were just perfect! I followed the instructions on the packet ( just like you would do when you make Ramen noodles) and made them. I didn't want it soup style, so I drained the water once the noodles were cooked. I like lots of vegetables in my meals, so I sautéed some vegetables and onions separately and mixed them with the drained noodles. I have added one chopped green chilli with the vegetables and used only the seasoning provided with the noodles. It was light, flavorful and delicious. I got two meals from one packet. The noodles remained al-dente. One could barely say that these are buckwheat-rice noodles! I would definitely make it again. This would be perfect for weeknight dinners when you don't want to slave in front of the stove. The whole dish was ready in 15 minutes.
As for the organic brown rice, I usually stay away from Brown Rice. I once brought a bag and struggled to finish it, the reason being that it takes forever for the brown rice to be cooked. It took me almost 1.5 hours to cook it to my desired consistency and yet, I found it to be chewy and nutty. I didn't care for it.
With this experience in mind, I was very apprehensive when I opened the bag of Lotus organic brown rice. The instructions on the package said to cook it for 30 minutes on low flame with 1 3/4 cup water for every cup of rice. It also said that 1 cup uncooked rice yields 3 cups cooked rice. I decided to cook just 1 cup of rice and see how it goes. Believe it or not, it was nicely cooked at exactly 30 minutes and the quantity of rice was thrice the amount I started with. I decided to make a quick Thai Salmon Basil fried rice .The end result was an absolutely delicious meal! The texture of the rice was just right. The testimony for this is my neighbor for whom, I took a little bit. While giving it to her, I explained the reason for the small quantity was because it is made with brown rice. She was happy that I gave her just a little bit as she does not like brown rice either. Later that night, she called me and told me that the fried rice was exceptionally good and wanted to know where I got the brown rice from!! So, the verdict is that this is one brown rice that I would gladly eat!
Disclaimer: I am not being paid to do this review.
Buckwheat-Mushroom Rice Ramen with Vegetables
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
Buckwheat-mushroom rice ramen ( from Lotus Foods) : 1 packet
Water: 2 cups
Onion: 1, small, sliced thin
Shredded carrot: 1/2cup
Shredded broccoli stems: 1/2 cup
Cauliflower florets: 1/4 cup
Green chilli: 1, chopped fine
Tender Green peas: 2 tbsp
Olive oil: 1 tsp
Salt: a pinch
Method:
In a frying pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Add chopped onions and sauté until it starts to sweat. Now add the green chilli bits, green peas and cauliflower florets. Cook it on low for 2 mins. Add in the shredded broccoli stem and shredded cabbage and sauté for a couple of mins. Add salt and mix.Do not add too much as the seasoning will have salt in it.
In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the noodles in, simmer and cook for 4 minutes.
Drain the noodles and add it to a different bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning on the noodles and mix well.
Put the cooked vegetables on top of the noodles and serve it or mix it with the noodles and serve it.
Serve hot.
Serve hot.
Enjoy.
Thai Salmon-Basil Fried Brown Rice.
Ingredients:
Lotus brand Jasmine Mekong Flower organic brown rice : 1 cup
Water: 1 3/4 cup
Salmon: 1 can ( I used organic pink Alaskan salmon).
Sesame oil: 1 tbsp ( any cooking oil can be used).
Onion: 1 small, chopped
Garlic: 7-8 cloves
Green chillies: 3 ( can adjust based on individual spice level)
Fresh Basil leaves: 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Bell pepper: 1 small, chopped fine.
Cauliflower florets: 1/2 cup
Fish sauce: 2 tbsp
Low Sodium Gluten free Soy Sauce: 1 tbsp
Sugar: a pinch
Chives: 1 tbsp , chopped for garnishing.
Salt: if needed, as per taste ( as both fish sauce and soy sauce are very salty).
Method:
In a saucepan, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Add the brown rice to it and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the flame to low , cover and cook for 30 mins. When the 30 mins are up, fluff the rice with a fork, keep it covered for another 15 mins.
Open the can of salmon, drain the salmon completely and keep aside.
Roughly grind/chop the green chillies and garlic using a food processor. Keep aside.
Heat sesame oil in a wok on high flame. Add the chopped onions. Sauté for a minute.
Add the chopped garlic-green chilli mix and sauté for 30 seconds.
Add 1 tbsp of chopped basil leaves.
Now add in the cauliflower florets and sauté for 2 mins.
Next, add the chopped bell peppers and sauté for a minute.
Add the salmon and mix well.
Add fish sauce, soy sauce, pinch of sugar and mix well. Let it cook for couple of minutes.
Now fold in the cooked brown rice. Mix thoroughly.
Garnish with chives.
Serve with cucumber/ tomato slices.
Both for the noodles and for the Salmon fried rice, I made use of the vegetables that I had in my refrigerator. Pretty much any combination of vegetables can be used for these dishes. You can add more or less veggies as you wish. There is no hard or fast rule.
I used canned salmon as I didn't have fresh salmon. Salmon fillets can be used for this dish. If using canned salmon, use salmon that is canned in water and is low in sodium. Of course, fresh fish fillets are the best.
Any carbohydrate rich dish can be made healthier by the addition of vegetables.
Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Phillips brooks.
Serve with cucumber/ tomato slices.
Cooking made easy:
Both for the noodles and for the Salmon fried rice, I made use of the vegetables that I had in my refrigerator. Pretty much any combination of vegetables can be used for these dishes. You can add more or less veggies as you wish. There is no hard or fast rule.
I used canned salmon as I didn't have fresh salmon. Salmon fillets can be used for this dish. If using canned salmon, use salmon that is canned in water and is low in sodium. Of course, fresh fish fillets are the best.
Tip for healthy living:
Any carbohydrate rich dish can be made healthier by the addition of vegetables.
Food for thought:
Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Phillips brooks.
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