Grocery Review: Shirataki Noodles, Part 3
Apr. 7th, 2010 09:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hrjAs soon as I set to slicing the shirataki block, I knew that the idea of turning it into something lasagna-like was hopelessly doomed. As a solid block, the stuff is tough, rubbery, and extremely difficult to slice thinly. But I decided to see the experiment through and layered the slices (ca. 1x1.5 inches by however thin I managed to get them) with commercial marinara sauce, ricotta, and grated mozzerella, with some mixed "Italian seasoning" sprinkled over each layer. I microwaved it rather than baking since I hadn't started cooking until 8pm and was starving. Rather than anything coherently casserole-like, it ended up being slippery slices of shirataki floating around in cheesy sauce. Quite tasty, but not the intended physical form. In these larger slabs, the resemblance of the shirataki to slices of octopus or squid is even greater than in noodle form. (Keep in mind that I love squid.) I think I'll stick to the smaller noodles.
I've set the last experimental form (the gray-flecked thin noodles w/o tofu) to marinating in a balsamic-soy salad dressing again, since that worked very nicely with the first batch. I skipped the boiling step since I don't think it makes much difference -- just drain and rinse. And this time I chopped the noodles into shorter lengths so they'll integrate more with the rest of the salad ingredients.
I think I really must try a pad thai dish using them, now that I've gotten the idea stuck in my head.
Overall conclusions of the experiment: I can see this ingredient being useful as a "bulk filler" for those who want a low-calorie stomach filler but don't care for vegetables. (As long as you don't to irrationally crazy with high-calorie sauces.) But that doesn't really apply to me, since I love vegetables. And there's the issue that, in addition to lacking calories, it lacks pretty much any nutritional value at all (no vitamins or minerals). As others have noted, it doesn't entirely satisfy as a traditional pasta substitute, although it could grow on you. And as an additive to dishes with a variety of ingredients (e.g., a noodle bowl) it could add some useful bulk without having the odd texture overwhelm the meal.
I could also see it inspiring some really ... interesting ... illusion food, given the physical properties. (You could carve the solid blocks into shapes or containers or mock body parts or ....)
I've set the last experimental form (the gray-flecked thin noodles w/o tofu) to marinating in a balsamic-soy salad dressing again, since that worked very nicely with the first batch. I skipped the boiling step since I don't think it makes much difference -- just drain and rinse. And this time I chopped the noodles into shorter lengths so they'll integrate more with the rest of the salad ingredients.
I think I really must try a pad thai dish using them, now that I've gotten the idea stuck in my head.
Overall conclusions of the experiment: I can see this ingredient being useful as a "bulk filler" for those who want a low-calorie stomach filler but don't care for vegetables. (As long as you don't to irrationally crazy with high-calorie sauces.) But that doesn't really apply to me, since I love vegetables. And there's the issue that, in addition to lacking calories, it lacks pretty much any nutritional value at all (no vitamins or minerals). As others have noted, it doesn't entirely satisfy as a traditional pasta substitute, although it could grow on you. And as an additive to dishes with a variety of ingredients (e.g., a noodle bowl) it could add some useful bulk without having the odd texture overwhelm the meal.
I could also see it inspiring some really ... interesting ... illusion food, given the physical properties. (You could carve the solid blocks into shapes or containers or mock body parts or ....)
