Lotus Foods has become famous for their "Rice
is life". It is not just your average white rice as the production
of this staple has been taught in many parts of the world to produce the most
healthy grains.
Caryl Levine and Ken Lee are the owners of this
amazing company that started when they tasted a black rice in China now
referred to as Forbidden Rice. That was back in 1995. “Water smart
and women strong way of growing rice” is their goal. “Almost 4 billion people eat rice daily to
survive,” Caryl said. “Yet, growing rice
uses more fresh water than any human activity. If we’re going to grow and eat
that much rice around the world, we’re going to have to grow it more
sustainably. We have been teaching farmers how to grow using 50% less water,
50% less seed and without chemicals. The result is that they are getting double
and triple the yield.”
In 2005 Cornell University contacted both Caryl and
Ken and introduced them to farmers who use the System of Rice Intensification
(SRI). SRI versus the conventional ort.
"In conventional farming the fields are flooded and the seeds are 30-40
days old,” Caryl tells us. “While in SRI farming the fields are kept moist like
watering a garden and taking water on and off. The seeds in comparison are only
about 8-10 days old. These younger seeds are very small and they are planted
farther apart from each other. This allows the plant to produce more
photosynthesis allowing stronger root growth. When roots grow stronger there is
more organic matter in the soil allowing plenty of rice kernels to grow. Lotus
Foods wants to support farmers who use the SRI and there is a chance we can
change the world by the way we do business. How many companies can do that?”
They then began marketing a variety of organic rice
that includes the following: Brown Jasmine Rice is a long aromatic,
whole grain rice grown on small farms in Cambodia whose family members belong
to organic rice cooperatives and use SRI farming practices (what we call More
Crop per Drop™). While many people associate brown rice with tough and chewy
grains, our Brown Jasmine Rice is exceptionally soft, making it an ideal
replacement for white rice in any dish
.
Jade Pearl Rice is an organically grown sushi-style rice infused with
wild-crafted bamboo extract. Lotus Foods has been purchasing this short grain
rice from certified organic family farms in northeast China for 15 years. These
organic farming methods eliminate synthetic fertilizers and pesticides from the
environment and help preserve the region’s fertile soils. When cooked, Jade
Pearl Rice produces the aroma of a
bamboo forest, a light vanilla taste and a perfectly sticky yet fluffy texture.
Red Rice - This long grain Red Rice retains its entire bran layer where all
of the grain’s nutrients are stored. It cooks in only 30 minutes, producing a slightly nutty flavor and a toothsome yet
tender grain. Our Organic Red Rice is sourced from the Koloharena
Cooperative in Madagascar
Volcano Rice is a colorful blend of prized traditional brown and red
heirloom rice grown on West Java’s mineral-rich volcanic soil. Fragrant and nutrient-dense, Volcano
Rice cooks in only 30 minutes producing moist
and tender grains with an aromatic hint of vanilla. It’s an excellent
choice for any dish where you would use a wild rice or whole grain blend
Ramen noodles being so popular, Lotus Foods came up with ones made from a
variety of their rice and other healthy grains. You can choose to purchase them
in the form of simply “cakes” or with seasoning packages such as miso soup and
vegetable broth.
Next came the rice bowls. Heat
it up and add whatever you desire as the rice is already cooked. It’s a large portion. Add eggs
for a breakfast dish or a side dish to a meal.
Instant soups in a cup. These
new rice ramen noodle soup cups made with whole grain brown rice ramen noodles
and are ready-to-eat in just 3 minutes with hot water. Never any artificial
flavors, colors or preservatives. It’s also Non-GMO Project Verified, vegan and
certified gluten-free.
There are five choices that come with the seasoning
packets: I am including the ingredients
as well. Garlicky veggie rice with freeze dried chunky veggies (Organic brown rice
flour, spinach, mushrooms, carrots, salt, garlic slices, yeast extract, sugar,
guar gum, garlic powder, pepper powder, Vitamin E as antioxidant); Hot and sour
with freeze dried chunky veggies (Organic brown rice flour, mushrooms, vinegar
(rice, wheat bran, wheat, barley, peas) day lily, dried tofu, bamboo shoot,
salt, guar gum, chili, yeast extract, sugar, citric acid, spices, Vitamin E as
antioxidant. Contains soy and wheat); Masala Curry (Organic Brown rice flour,
dried vegetables (tomato, green bell pepper, carrot, scallion), salt, tamari
powder (soybeans, sea salt), onion powder, sugar, turmeric powder, yeast
extract, spices, garlic powder, ginger powder); Red miso (Organic brown rice
flour, red miso powder (cultured soybeans, rice, salt), tamari powder
(soybeans, sea salt), salt, onion powder, wakame, garlic powder, ginger powder,
sugar, dried parsley, chili flakes, chili powder: and Tom Yom (Organic brown
rice flour, lime powder, salt, onion powder, mushroom powder, dried carrot,
lemongrass powder, ginger powder, chili powder, garlic powder, sugar, dried
mushroom, yeast extract, citric acid, scallion flakes, dried tomato, cilantro
flakes).
For extra protein, I like to stir in an egg since the
water reaches a boiling point. Leftover
chicken is a great added ingredient or ground beef first cooked to eliminate
the far. Crab meat is an easy topper as
well. It also depends upon which soup
you are choosing.
Looking to prepare Pad Thai? How about ones made from brown rice, added moringa
powder, forbidden or simply traditional?
Snacking is great with their
rice crackers that are made from organic rice, baked rather than fried. No
artificial flavors or colors. Three
kinds: Shoyu Arari, the least “spicy”; Sweet and Savory Thai Arari, still not
spicy; and Sriracha Arara, just the name tells you! These are all great to add to a salad as
croutons, make a trail mix, or even use as soup crackers. I ground down a bunch
and added it to a tuna fish salad for both the flavor and crunch.
Where can you buy Lotus
Foods? I would imagine that for the best
and freshest…go to their website of www.lotusfoods.com
