Nongshim, the nation’s leading food maker, has produced a diverse range of instant rice noodle products since 2010 when the company’s Noksan factory was completed in Busan.

Rice noodles, unlike flour-based noodles, make consumers feel full despite being low in calories. They are also a digestible, light food that can be enjoyed by all age groups.

The noodles, produced in the new factory line, are unprecedented, the company said. By applying Korea’s traditional food to instant noodles, Nongshim has introduced products such as Hearty Rice Noodle Soup and Hearty Rice Blackbean & Vegetable Noodle.

While existing rice ramyeon products’ noodles are up to 30 percent rice, Nongshim has been churning out rice-based noodles whose ingredients are 80 percent rice.

Nongshim spent more than 50 billion won ($44 million) on developing the rice noodles over the past years since late 2007. The goal was to develop the kind of smooth and chewy rice noodles favored by consumers in Northeast Asia.

And the secret behind the product is an ideal mix of Italian pasta production technology and Nongshim’s 45-years of expertise in instant noodles. To develop the rice noodles ― the first of their kind on the global market, the company poured 840 tons of rice into research and development.

The latest product, Hearty Rice Vegetable & Seafood Noodles, is the result of another year of research that included several visits to restaurants across the country famous for jjamppong or the Chinese-style hot noodles with seafood.

Along with the mussel-based sauce, pieces of seafood and vegetables such as squid, mushrooms and young pumpkin add jjamppong flavor to the soup, the company explained.

Among other things, a bowl of the product contains just 460-490 calories, just one-fifth of the daily recommendation for an adult, because the noodles are not fried in oil.

“Nongshim plans to develop Korean-style rice noodle products that would appeal to the general appetite of Korean consumers. By next year, we will launch an additional three to five products,” said Kim Kwang-hyun, a Nongshim official.

Aside from rice noodles, Nongshim runs diverse rice-based product lines including rice snacks. Sensing extra potential in the market, the company plans to beef up marketing campaigns to increase the share of rice products to 10 percent by 2012 in terms of revenue.

The company pins its hope on the diversity of rice products in expanding its market share. Various spices and ingredients will be added to produce more instant noodles and related products.

Nongshim’s emphasis on rice is also receiving positive reviews at a time when the Korean government is keen to promote the consumption of rice, which is a symbol of Korean food along with kimchi.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)