Happy Pho Gluten Free Brown Rice Pho Noodles and Giveaway!



So what’s in this box made of recycled paper and soy ink? Brown rice noodles and a spice packet. On the surface, this is just like any other instant noodle found in the Asian markets. But in reality the rice noodles are from whole grain brown (more fiber and nutrients) and organic green tea. Who would have thought that goes in pho noodles?

Shall well compare this to a bag of Vifon instant pho we bought for the purposes of this post? Spice ingredients: Salt, sugar, refined palm oil, MSG, disodium 5-guanylate, disodium 5-inosinate, textured wheat gluten, green onion, eryngiym, pho spices, artificial beef flavor, nature color, caramel. For a rundown on several varieties of instant pho, check out Loving pho site.

Unlike other brands of instant noodles where you just pour in hot water and eat, Happy Pho does require and encourages you to “cook,” by seasoning the broth to your tastes and adding different ingredients such as tofu, mushroom, spinach, etc.
Each box is a healthy serving for 2 adults. We made this according to instructions bringing 4 cups of water and spice to boil, then adding additional shiitake mushrooms, noodles, and simmering it till just soft. The instructions call for adding salt to taste–we added about 2 ts of salt and also about 1/2 ts of sugar. We had the usual accompaniments of bean sprouts, basil, thinly sliced beef for bo tai, and Sriracha and hoisin sauce.

So the verdict? It was good! Something you can keep in the cupboard for a quick and easy meal. The size and texture of the brown rice noodles was good and spot on. Clearly healthier and better than the instant noodles/ramen that we used to eat in college. The spice packet is simply just the whole ground spices so you have the freedom to season to your taste. Does this broth have the beefy flavors of the restaurant or home made pho with overnight simmering of beef bones? Of course not–but it’s not meant to. The clean familiar fragrances of star anise and cinnamon is pronounced and makes for a satisfying bowl of noodles dressed with your favorite vegetables and/or meats. You can also use different canned chicken, beef, or vegetal broths as a base or an organic bouillion such as Rapunzels bouillon.
This is not a paid endorsement and we only post about products we like and think our readers might be interested in. Happy Pho is sold on Amazon
and in many markets in Northern California. Thao and Karen are generous to do a give away of all of their flavors including shiittake
, garlic goodness
, and zesty ginger
for one lucky reader to try!
You can enter multiple ways or do all 4. Contest ends in 1 week, August 6 at midnight pacific time and a winner will be chosen by random.org:
1. Like Star Anise Foods on Facebook and leave a seperate comment here saying you did so.
2. Like Ravenous Couple on Facebook and leave a seperate comment here saying you did so.
3. Subscribe to our blog either by email or RSS reader and leave a seperate comment saying you did so.
4. Tweet about this givaway with this statement: [ Win some Happy Pho, a healthy gluten free brown rice noodles http://bit.ly/dekXcR @staranisefoods @ravenouscouple ] and leave a seperate comment here saying you’ve done so