Gluten Free Noodles: Five Grain Brand Guilin Rice Vermicelli - Product Review #40

Gluten Free Noodles: Five Grain Brand Guilin Rice Vermicell

PRODUCT NAME:                              Guilin Rice Vermicelli

BRAND:                                             Five Grain Brand

COST:                                               $0.59

SIZE:                                                 14oz      

COST PER OZ:                                  $0.04/oz

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:                 NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:                  N/A

ORGANIC:                                          NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:                  N/A

VEGAN:                                              YES

GLUTEN FREE FACILITY:                   UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:                    China

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging.  We cannot verify the accuracy of this information.  For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.            

REVIEW:
Looking at some of the other products we have reviewed in the past, you will see that we are a big fan of Asian rice noodles.  They are an affordable gluten free alternative to the fancier gluten free pastas.  That also might be because these noodles aren’t marketed as gluten free noodles.  Take a look at the ingredients, and all that is in the noodles is rice and water.  If you’re gluten intolerant and on a budget, I highly recommend trying these noodles if you have access to them.  Just look at the price…we got this 14oz package of Five Grains Brand Guilin Rice Vermicelli from Chinatown for only $0.59.  Try to find that in your local non-Asian supermarket… you won’t find anything that comes close. 

These particular noodles are Guilin Rice Vermicelli, which is a special type of noodle from Guilin, a city in China.  They are rich in history and have been around for over 2000 years.  It looks like they perfected the recipe too because they are some of the best noodles we have had, gluten free or not.  They come in different sizes, small to extra large, which references the diameter of the round noodles.  They are probably the closest you will get to regular spaghetti. 

The texture of these noodles is nice and firm.  A little uncommon for a rice noodle, but the people of Guilin, China have probably perfected the recipe for the noodle because don’t forget, these noodles have been in existence for over 2000 years.  One trick though when making though.  After boiling them up, put them in some cold water to prevent them from sticking together. 

Taste: Not much flavor as this is a typical rice noodle, but the texture is perfect.  It is nice and firm and doesn’t fall apart while cooking like many other rice noodles do. 

Labeling:  For an Asian noodle company, the labeling on this is actually pretty good…No typos and nice high quality image of the noodles on the front. 

Packaging:  Typical plastic packaging for noodles.  You won’t find double packaging here. 

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product…

RATING:

Texture:                5             

Taste:                     5             

Value:                    5

OVERALL:              5

Reviewed 120310 by CC

Gluten Free Cake: Cocounut Tree Brand Cassava Cake - Product Review #37

Gluten Free Cake: Cocounut Tree Brand Cassava Cake

PRODUCT NAME:                          Cassava Cake

BRAND:                                         Coconut Tree Brand

COST:                                           $6.99

SIZE:                                             35.3oz

COST PER OZ:                              $0.20

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:            NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             N/A

ORGANIC:                                     NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:             N/A

VEGAN:                                         UNKNOWN

WHEAT FREE FACILITY:                UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:               Vietnam

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.

REVIEW:

Cassava is very popular in Asian cuisine. One of the more popular items is the Cassava cake, which is a dessert dish made with cassava, coconut, sugar, water, and vanilla. It is very similar to a sticky rice cake, but is generally a little stickier and less grainy. This particular cassava cake came in a vacuum sealed plastic package. First think you will notice is that it is heavy, weighing in at 2.2 pounds. When we opened it, we noticed that it was pretty hard so we decided to steam it to soften it up. Thinking how I’ve seen cassava cakes made, I think we could have baked it too.

This cassava cake was a little different than the homemade cassava cakes I have had. It was a lot denser than all of the cassava cakes I have had. You don’t need too big of a piece because it is filling. I think I am the only one in the studio that has had homemade cassava cake, so it didn’t really live up to my expectations. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. Everyone else in the office seemed to love it and I can see why. Texture wise, it is nice; firm, but chewy and sweet too.

The nutrition facts also seem very reasonable. The entire cassava cake has 8 servings, and if you actually divide that out, you a good size piece. At only 74 calories a serving, 27mg of sodium, and 2g of sugar I think this can be considered a relatively healthy dessert for just about anyone to enjoy. A tip for the holidays…this is a great gluten free alternative for dessert. Just top with fruit and serve.

Taste: The cassava cake was pretty good for a prepackaged cake. The sugar content doesn’t seem to be outrageous, but I did find this cake a little on the artificially sweet side. It’s hard to explain it, but it seems like the cake was flavored with something other than sugar because there was a slight after taste to it. Texture wise, it was nice, but I would like to try and bake it next time to see if the outcome product is different. If you have had homemade cassava cake, you probably won’t like this as much, but if you haven’t, then you will probably love it.

Labeling: There isn’t really much labeling on this product. There are just 2 stickers on the package, one front for labeling purposes and one on the back for nutrition facts. I was reading the nutrition facts and I found a typo. Sodium in this cassava cake is only 27mg per serving, which technically qualifies as very-low sodium, but it says that it is 18% of the daily value. That is a typo because really it is less than 1% of the daily value

Packaging: Non recyclable plastic packaging, although for a product like this, it is necessary to keep it fresh.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product..

RATING:

Texture:             3
Taste:                 3
Value:                5
OVERALL:          3.7

Gluten Free Noodles: Dragon Fly Brand Rice Stick - Product Review #9

Gluten Free Noodles: Dragon Fly Brand Rice Stick

PRODUCT NAME:                  Rice Stick

BRAND:                                 Dragonfly Brand

COST:                                   $3.35

SIZE:                                     14oz

COST PER OZ:                       $0.23

CERTIFIED GLUTEN FREE:     NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:      N/A

ORGANIC:                              NO

CERTIFICATION AGENCY:       N/A

VEGAN:                                  NO

WHEAT FREE FACILITY:         UNKNOWN

LOCATION OF FACILITY:        Thailand

*These statements are based on the information printed on the product packaging. We cannot verify the accuracy of this information. For verification of the statements above, please contact the manufacturer.      


REVIEW:

Asian rice noodles are a hidden gem to gluten-free eaters.  They are typically cheap and you get a ton of noodles.  They come in various varieties and sizes.  Today we had the Dragonfly Brand Rice Stick in Size: XL and Size: M.  The size refers to the thickness of the noodles.  We found that both had pretty much the same flavor and texture.  We had these dry, but we can see the potential of these noodles in a nice soup.  They are very good at absorbing the flavor of whatever it is served with. 

Another thing to note with these noodles is the cooking.  It is very easy to cook these noodles.  All you need to do is soak them in warm to hot water for about 5-7 minutes depending on how firm you want them.  I would consider this energy conserving cooking as you do not need to keep the water boiling to get these noodles cooked. 

These noodles are perfect for pretty much everyone.  They are cheap…only $0.23/oz.  They are Gluten free…even though it doesn’t say it.  They are healthy…minimal sodium and only 200 calories per serving.  With a few packs of these, you can probably feed an entire army. 

Taste: The taste of these noodles by themselves are pretty bland, however it does a very good job at absorbing flavors.  The texture can be manipulated as well depending on how you plan to serve them.  If you want them a little chewy, undercook them, and if you want them soft, cook them for a little longer.  No matter if you prefer chewy or soft noodles, these are the answers. 

Labeling: Very simple labeling on this one with something written in what I assume is Thai, but whatever it says, we know we like the noodles. 

Packaging: The packaging is non recyclable plastic.

Reader’s Reviews: Please share with us your review of this company’s other products + where you purchased the product + how long you have been using this product. Please no review from the family + friends of the company producing the product..

RATING:

Texture:                 5                             

Taste:                     5

Value:                    5

OVERALL:              5