To give you all some context, I’m a crazy instant ramen fan! I love trying anything I can get my hands on (except maybe the super spicy stuff… never quite got used to the heat!) I love going to Asian grocery stores and picking out new instant ramen, soba, or anything really.
One day, I was casually strolling in the Adonis with my partner and was instantly (get it, cause it’s instant ramen?) drawn to two ramen packets. Purple Ramen. Green Ramen. Were these novelty ramen that I would regret getting? Tasteless noodles with pretty packaging and hype? I sacrificed the exorbitant price of 2.99$ per packet so I could find out. As I held them in my hands, I noticed the packaging was thicker than that which I was used to for ramen, a higher quality feel.
Both of the ramen packets are vegan. To be able to properly taste them, we cooked them both as instructed and added nothing to them so they would each individually shine as is. Two cups of boiling water each and four minutes of simmering later, we were about to have our answer. Even our kitten seemed curious as to what our tastebuds were about to unfold.
Forbidden Rice Ramen White Miso Soup by Lotus Foods (ie. Purple Ramen)
Of course, the word forbidden along with the purple colour of the ramen was what drew me to this packet, enough to try it. But, was I about to become a loyal customer of the brand? The taste test would answer that.
Once cooked, the noodles had a very Halloween-y feel to them. The dark purple noodles, mixed in with pieces of orange carrots were definitely appealing to the eye. The noodles themselves had a different taste to them and felt very dough-like. Was noodle texture exchanged for novelty? Other rice ramen I’ve tried didn’t have the distinct rubbery feel this one clearly did. In the flavour department, however, the noodles were lacking. The soup felt watered down and not concentrated enough. I’d rate these noodles a 4/10 considering flavour, texture and looks.
Jade Pearl Rice Ramen Wakame Miso Soup by Lotus Foods (ie. Green Ramen)
Questions that needed to be answered with this ramen packet were clear to me: How flavourful is the ramen? Is the wakame overpowering?
The Jade Pearl Rice Ramen was chewier than its purple counterpart which I definitely appreciated. Although, in the flavour department, it was hard to distinguish the purple from the green ramen, sadly. With not much of a difference between both, that answered the wakame question. Not overpowering, and barely present taste-wise.
Final Thoughts On Colourful Instant Ramen
I wish there was more depth of flavour with these instant ramen by Lotus Foods. The idea of colourful ramen is a brilliant one and for the price asked, if the flavours were to follow the colour hype, it would definitely be worth it. Presently and until the flavour changes, I don’t think these ramen will last long on the market unless the point of their existence is to cater to gluten-free and vegan foodies. Even then, better options are surely out there.
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