Everything Shiratake...

[millergirl1976]

Originally Posted by omgtwins

Okay - found these at the commissary (7oz at 1.59)- so now, what to do?
I get they need to be rinsed THOROUGHLY but what kind of recipes are there for these?

My favorite use is in stirfry, and I dont dry fry them, I just rinse them thoroughly with hot water. The really take on the flavor of whatever you are serving them with. I also use them in soups. Read through this thread- there are really awesome suggestions.

[MsWoods]

Originally Posted by omgtwins

Okay - found these at the commissary (7oz at 1.59)- so now, what to do?
I get they need to be rinsed THOROUGHLY but what kind of recipes are there for these?

There are a lot of recipes in the first few pages of this thread if you go back and look. I use them like regular pasta noodles.

[omgtwins]

Read through a TON of pages - whew!
My one concern - they seem too good to be true ... are they Induction friendly?

[magtop]

I'm up late reading and working, and it's about five hours since dinner, and I was suddenly ravenous, but I really didn't want high carbs or calories. SHIRATAKI TO THE RESCUE! I had a container of my lovely simmered-and-soaked shirataki in the fridge, and I nuked them (I had heard they respond badly to the microwave, but I haven't had that problem at all), along with the half-cup or so of chicken broth they were bathing in. I drizzled a little soy sauce and a little sesame oil on top, and mixed in about half a chopped scallion. I have to tell you this was SERIOUSLY delicious, and for an Asian-food junkie like me, it was major comfort-food. It was a really big bowl of food for about 100 calories and 5 grams of carbs. I think it's my new best friend.

[fozzie99]

I nuke noodles all the time prepping them for frying.......like you, I love Asian food and particularly
"fried lice"

[clackley]

Originally Posted by omgtwins

Read through a TON of pages - whew!
My one concern - they seem too good to be true ... are they Induction friendly?

They are not on the list of induction foods so, no.

They are great but be sure to pick the ones that are 100% yam and NO tofu.

[metqa]

These are NOT like pasta. They are more like string noodles. I'm afraid that if you get it into your head that is is a wheat pasta substitute that your expectations will be dashed. they don't have the same taste or texture of any flour type pasta. They are slippery and have more bite resistance.

I never dry fry mine but I mostly use them in wet dishes. It's not the water but the lime used to set them that contributes to the smell that some people find objectionable. but unless you are eating them plain straight from the package you will likely be putting them into something that is strongly flavored so you will not likely notice the "smell". I suppose if you were going to serve them with a dry seasoning like dehydrated red bellpepper and basil flakes ( really good btw) you would dry fry them just to remove some of the moisture so the seasoning won't be washed away. I do that by pan frying it with a bit of butter just till it's heated thoroughly. but it seems an extra step to heat it to remove moisture when you going to put it into a pot of wet broth and soak it anyway.

Besides that, just think of any asian noodle bowl dish and this would be appropriate. Many folks do serve this with Italian sauces like tomato and pesto and cheese sauce, but just keep in mind, these are NOT wheat pasta and they won't hold the sauce like pasta does, so it will be a completely different experience. If you are prepared for that, you can enjoy something new and different.

[MsWoods]

Originally Posted by clackley

They are not on the list of induction foods so, no.

They are great but be sure to pick the ones that are 100% yam and NO tofu.

I realize they are not "technically" on the list of induction foods, however, they weren't around when Dr. A was writing the books lol. IMO they are a guilt free food. I count them as 0 everything and I've lost a ton of weight, I attribute in part to them.

I do think that people on induction are too new to appreciate them, though. You have to be without pasta for a while to really appreciate them for what they are. Metqa is right. They are NOT like wheat pasta. But after you go 3 years without real pasta, us long termers really like them

[magtop]

FWIW, I agree with Ms. Woods: These weren't around when the Good Doctor was writing, and they meet all the criteria for an Induction food.

I've tried and tried, and still haven't been really happy with using them in Western pasta dishes. They're not bad for bulking up a dish of, say, sauteed shrimp in garlic and olive oil, but it's not in any way a true Pasta Experience. On the other hand, I have been very happy using them in Asian dishes, where their texture -- not unlike cellophane noodles and not too different from rice noodles -- seems to make better sense.

[tofucheez]

not to be nit-picky, but they've been around a REALLY long time......just not as popular
in Western cultures until the last decade or so. Asian cultures have been enjoying them for a looong time.

[EllaP]

Originally Posted by tofucheez

not to be nit-picky, but they've been around a REALLY long time......just not as popular
in Western cultures until the last decade or so. Asian cultures have been enjoying them for a looong time.

Perhaps its the concept of negating calories and carbs because they are all fiber is what hasn't been around for long?

[clackley]

Originally Posted by MsWoods

I realize they are not "technically" on the list of induction foods, however, they weren't around when Dr. A was writing the books lol. IMO they are a guilt free food. I count them as 0 everything and I've lost a ton of weight, I attribute in part to them.

I do think that people on induction are too new to appreciate them, though. You have to be without pasta for a while to really appreciate them for what they are. Metqa is right. They are NOT like wheat pasta. But after you go 3 years without real pasta, us long termers really like them

Agreed!
I had a bag in my fridge for about a year and was too chicken to try them and ended up tossing it. Add another year and guess what? Total staple in my life now!!!

There is nothing in them to thwart induction - nothing.

Yes, they are not a new product and they were known back when Atkins was still alive but were not accessible to most people generally.

[magtop]

So tonight's installment of Adventures in Shirataki is a version of fried rice: I cut up a portion of soaked-and-simmered noodles into 1-inch pieces or so, sauteed a big handful of wild mushrooms in some coconut oil with a chopped scallion, added the noodles, and let them sloooooooooooolwy fry over a very low flame. When they were just about ready I tossed in a tiny amount of frozen peas (half an ounce, to be precise -- something like 1.5 grams of carbs, but ideal here, and how glad am I to have figured out that I can use high-carb ingredients, so long as I keep the amounts very small), and scrambled in two eggs. I drizzled a little oyster sauce on top, dusted with raw chopped scallion and cilantro, and oh BOY yum. I think my next stop is going to be shirataki pad thai.

[dipgal]

I use them for everything I ever used normal noodles for. Any ethnic dish..I even use the brand "miracle" which includes rice. I rinse in hot water and then use as normal. I have not tried a cold dish.. so that is next. I buy them as a mixed case. Google miracle noodles for options.

[magtop]

Tonight I tried the Nasoya Pasta Plus fettucine, which has either 1 gram of carb or 4 per serving (oh nonsense, who eats half of one of those tiny bags?), depending on whether they have or have not deducted the fiber. I like this, too. I did my usual OCD-style rinsing, and then, instead of simmering, I tried just frying them. They came out with a LITTLE too much bounce, still, for my liking, so I will try the rinse-simmer-store overnight-fry method. But I still scarfed them pretty darn happily, thinking they will make not at all a bad substitute for chow fun, which I miss mightily.

[Divabunny]

This seems to be the only way I like the noodles, as a replacement for ramen noodles. In any other type of dish, the rubbery texture is more than I can handle. I pan fry a bit after rinsing then add water, the seasoning packet and let it boil for a minute, then I slice up a Hebrew hot dog (have eaten it this way since I was a kid) and right before It's ready I drop a whole egg in and swirl it around. Top with green onions and Tabasco.

I'm using the nasoya plus noodles - they seem less rubbery to me

2013-01-17 18.30.20.jpg

[fozzie99]

you should try making your own....they are much less rubbery cheaper also.

[Truffles]

Originally Posted by Divabunny

This seems to be the only way I like the noodles, as a replacement for ramen noodles. In any other type of dish, the rubbery texture is more than I can handle. I pan fry a bit after rinsing then add water, the seasoning packet and let it boil for a minute, then I slice up a Hebrew hot dog (have eaten it this way since I was a kid) and right before It's ready I drop a whole egg in and swirl it around. Top with green onions and Tabasco.

I'm using the nasoya plus noodles - they seem less rubbery to me

Do you still buy ramen and just use the seasoning packet?? I LOVE the Pork one and wonder how many calories would be in the packet by itself??

[Divabunny]

Originally Posted by fozzie99

you should try making your own....they are much less rubbery cheaper also.

I will definitely do that! Especially since I just bought a big bag of powder, I live just a few miles from Konjac Foods so I went there and picked it up

For those that make your own would adding a bit of flour to the mix make the texture better or would that just not work? I don't mind adding a few carbs but I'd Love to be able to have something closer in texture to pasta for other types of dishes because I have portion control issues with dreamfields.

[Divabunny]

Originally Posted by Truffles

Do you still buy ramen and just use the seasoning packet?? I LOVE the Pork one and wonder how many calories would be in the packet by itself??

Yup! I use the beef flavor. I remember there being a discussion about carbs in the packet awhile back and I think the consensus was it was probably very little. I think calorie wise it's probably also very little, but I have no idea it's never stalled me or knocked me out of ketosis.

[Truffles]

Originally Posted by Divabunny

Yup! I use the beef flavor. I remember there being a discussion about carbs in the packet awhile back and I think the consensus was it was probably very little. I think calorie wise it's probably also very little, but I have no idea it's never stalled me or knocked me out of ketosis.

I have been thinking of doing that, glad you posted the idea on here! Very small amount of carbs/calories. I would count the packet as 10 just to be safe. 2 chicken bouillon are 10, so it would seem to be to be about the same!

I may have that for dinner tonight! With peas, soy sauce, and siracha (how I used to eat Ramen) I can't imagine the whole meal would be over 50 calories!!

[fozzie99]

I don't think the flour would have a chance to cook in the noodlesand wouldn't taste right. If you make your own noodles you need to make them by squirting the gel into boiling water not cook the gel and then cut it into pieces.

[millergirl1976]

Loving the Ramen idea!

[Truffles]

Made "ramen" today! Thanks so much for the tip! Dry fried, then added some garlic, peas, green onion, chicken and beef bouillon and siracha. Added some water at the end and topped with more green onion. Delish, and 50 calories!!
Thanks again for the idea, I eat lots of the noodles, but have never done it this way!

-oh, I also added about 3 sprays of I can't believe it's not butter spray after taking off the heat.

[millergirl1976]

Ok I am in love! I made ramen using a shrimp pack, and added a can of crab and some red onion. Yummy! And for 80 calories and 16 grams of protein? Even better!

[metqa]

I'm laughing cause I've been doing the 'ramen' thing for a long while now... i have a friend who likes to just eat the noodles for a snack so I have him save the seasoning packet for me. Sorry I didn't share sooner, i see everyone is discovering that also. i also pick up veggies from the Oriental Market , green onions, oyster mushrooms, seaweed and bamboo, to toss in and make it awesome. a bit of sliced pork and some toasted sesame makes it taste like you are dining out at an asian restaurant!

[LoosinItNow]

subscribing

[millergirl1976]

Originally Posted by metqa

I'm laughing cause I've been doing the 'ramen' thing for a long while now... i have a friend who likes to just eat the noodles for a snack so I have him save the seasoning packet for me. Sorry I didn't share sooner, i see everyone is discovering that also. i also pick up veggies from the Oriental Market , green onions, oyster mushrooms, seaweed and bamboo, to toss in and make it awesome. a bit of sliced pork and some toasted sesame makes it taste like you are dining out at an asian restaurant!

Well I couldn't be happier that I finally came on board with this trend. Post workout lunch is noodles, celery, peppers, can of TJ small shrimp, spinach, chile garlic paste, and shrimp seasoning. So delish!

[killacam2]

Shirataki Rice are absolutely amazing. I'm currently living off them. As opposed to buying the miracle rice online, I buy the konnyaku noodles from a local chinese store and cut them up. It takes about 15 minutes but is really quite easy (literally just keep running your knife through them..) so I do about 3/4 meals worth in an hour whilst watching TV.

Once I've done that I put them in an airtight container and immerse them in boiling water infused with a little bit of flavour - usually soya sauce and half a stock cube - then pop them in the fridge. I don't even think I need to do that etc so I might just put them in water and let them soak.

For a meal I just take out a certain amount from the container (I have a handy small collander which is just the right size) and add some frozen peas, frozen diced onion, preminced garlic and chilli and whatever else I feel into a dry non stick pan. After about five minutes I have guilt free fried rice which literally is indistinguishable. My housemates shared a bowlful yesterday (with some chilli) and couldn't believe it when I told them it wasn't rice.

ATM my favourite meal is Diet Coke chicken with "rice". Its lovely and is ridiculously easy to make. If anybody wants to know how to make it, heres the recipe:

2 Servings
400g Chicken
3 Tbsp Diced Onion
330ml can of Diet Coke/Zero/Pepsi Max
6 Tbsp of 1 Carb Ketchup
2 Tbsp Worcester Sauce
Red Chilli to taste
Garlic to taste
Chinese five spice (totally optional)
Low carb/calorie BBQ rub (I use the BBQ fajita seasoning)
A little bit of FryLight (I literally use two sprays)

I fry off the chicken pieces, the onion, the garlic and the red chilli. Here is where I add salt, pepper, the BBQ rub and any other spices I feel. Once it's browned off I add a can of Pepsi Max, the ketchup, the Worcester sauce and a drop of tobasco. Let it simmer for as long as it takes for the sauce to thicken.

Ends up at about 300 calories per serving for the chicken. I serve it with "rice" (usually just the plain konnyaku with a few peas) and leaves. Filling and delicious!

[killacam2]

Quick question. These are the noodles I buy...



On the back, the english printed sticker says the noodles are about 50kcal per packet. This makes no sense to me as the only ingredients listed are Water, Konnyaku and Calcium Hydroxide.

Should I count these as 50kcal?