![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hrjA post from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lifeofglamour (f-locked, hence no link) brought to my attention the potentially interesting item "Shirataki noodles". Cutting to the chase, these are more or less an edible hydrogel derived from glucomannen polysaccharide naturally occurring in the corms of the konjac (devil's tongue) plant. I'd noticed them previously in the Japanese foods section of Berkeley Bowl but hadn't realized their most interesting property: they are, for all practical purposes, a calorie-free pasta-like substance. So what the heck, why not give them a try?
I picked up four different versions and will be reviewing them in turn as I try them out. 1) plain white shirataki noodles of a spaghetti-like or rahmen-like form. 2) the same but the "gray flecked" form that evidently adds stuff to mimic the appearance of the original non-purified version of the product. 3) the plain white version but in a solid block. 4) a version with tofu blended in and shaped more like fettucini. In all cases, the eater is cautioned that the noodles themselves are essentially tasteless (when properly rinsed) but will pick up the flavors of sauces and other ingredients.
Tonight we try item #1 (plain white spaghetti-type). Following the instructions on the package, I drained the packing water then boiled them for a few minutes in fresh water then drained them again. About a third of the 8 oz package went into the dressing for tomorrow's lunch salad (equal parts balsamic and soy sauce) to be added to the salad. The rest went into tonight's standard bacon & greens stir fry (also contains onion and sliced tomato), but with a dollop of pesto added for additional flavor. I heated the noodles in the pesto separately then stirred the whole into the stir fry after all the greens were properly wilted.
Results: As warned, the noodles have an entirely different texture than any other noodle-like object. They're a bit rubbery (although easily chewable) and might benefit from being chopped into shorter lengths during cooking. They did pick up the pesto flavor thoroughly, promising hope for treating them with a variety of sauces. (Although the low-calorie advantage can be lost quickly if the sauce is used too generously.) The noodles tended to keep to themselves and not mix well with the greens, although chopping them shorter might help with that as well. I could see them working excellently in a pad thai type of dish or any other dish calling for bean threads, due to the similarity in texture.
Musings: I think the next experiment will try them as a side dish with a little sauce, rather than as an ingredient in a more complex dish. They might also work nicely in a noodle-bowl type approach.
lifeofglamour (f-locked, hence no link) brought to my attention the potentially interesting item "Shirataki noodles". Cutting to the chase, these are more or less an edible hydrogel derived from glucomannen polysaccharide naturally occurring in the corms of the konjac (devil's tongue) plant. I'd noticed them previously in the Japanese foods section of Berkeley Bowl but hadn't realized their most interesting property: they are, for all practical purposes, a calorie-free pasta-like substance. So what the heck, why not give them a try?I picked up four different versions and will be reviewing them in turn as I try them out. 1) plain white shirataki noodles of a spaghetti-like or rahmen-like form. 2) the same but the "gray flecked" form that evidently adds stuff to mimic the appearance of the original non-purified version of the product. 3) the plain white version but in a solid block. 4) a version with tofu blended in and shaped more like fettucini. In all cases, the eater is cautioned that the noodles themselves are essentially tasteless (when properly rinsed) but will pick up the flavors of sauces and other ingredients.
Tonight we try item #1 (plain white spaghetti-type). Following the instructions on the package, I drained the packing water then boiled them for a few minutes in fresh water then drained them again. About a third of the 8 oz package went into the dressing for tomorrow's lunch salad (equal parts balsamic and soy sauce) to be added to the salad. The rest went into tonight's standard bacon & greens stir fry (also contains onion and sliced tomato), but with a dollop of pesto added for additional flavor. I heated the noodles in the pesto separately then stirred the whole into the stir fry after all the greens were properly wilted.
Results: As warned, the noodles have an entirely different texture than any other noodle-like object. They're a bit rubbery (although easily chewable) and might benefit from being chopped into shorter lengths during cooking. They did pick up the pesto flavor thoroughly, promising hope for treating them with a variety of sauces. (Although the low-calorie advantage can be lost quickly if the sauce is used too generously.) The noodles tended to keep to themselves and not mix well with the greens, although chopping them shorter might help with that as well. I could see them working excellently in a pad thai type of dish or any other dish calling for bean threads, due to the similarity in texture.
Musings: I think the next experiment will try them as a side dish with a little sauce, rather than as an ingredient in a more complex dish. They might also work nicely in a noodle-bowl type approach.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-04-06 06:02 am (UTC)Coupla Data Points....
Date: 2010-04-06 11:21 am (UTC)The standard Japanese model is not, IMO, an effective substitute for Italian pasta. OTOH, it works very nicely for Asian dishes like Drunken Noodles and Ants on a Tree (for the latter, one needs to reduce the amount of liquid because shirataki doesn't absorb moisture like bean thread).
OTOOH, House Foods makes tofu shirataki noodles, which are slightly higher in carbs (for them wot cares), but have a less rubbery mouthfeel. We've been using them mostly as above (for one thing, they're easier to find than "regular" shirataki noodles), but not long ago we used the fettucine-sized ones in Carbonara--win!
no subject
Date: 2010-04-06 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-06 04:31 pm (UTC)removes sand from the belly
Date: 2010-04-06 07:47 pm (UTC)