Shirataki Noodles?

azkabanned
azkabanned Posts: 79 Member
in Food and Nutrition
All I know are the advantages of Japanese shirataki noodles (zero calorie, lots of fibre), but do any health conscious MFPers know if they’re secretly bad for you?

They’re very tempting if I can go nuts on the noods and not worry about calories
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Replies

  • hookahbinx
    hookahbinx Posts: 74 Member
    Taste like fish
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    edited January 2018
    There's a long history of their consumption, so if you like them, it seems unlikely that they will be harmful. That said, it's almost all fiber, with almost no nutrition so don't displace sources of nutrition with konjac root. Nutritionally, veggie spirals are better, but I prefer shirataki personally.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    They have the texture of plastic and no overriding good flavour. Hard pass for me.
  • Resistive
    Resistive Posts: 212 Member
    hookahbinx wrote: »
    Taste like fish

    So perfect for Vietnamese noodle bowls then ;)
  • Clawsal
    Clawsal Posts: 255 Member
    They taste good to me when prepared correctly. Unfortunately I can't digest them and feel bloated and nauseous a few hours after eating them.
  • fuzzylop72
    fuzzylop72 Posts: 651 Member
    Part of the problem is the major brand form them into pasta-replacement forms, leading people to think that it's a good substitute for wheat pasta for spaghetti or something similar, and honestly it isn't -- the texture is too different. It works pretty well in a stir fry though, especially if you pan fry them.
  • azkabanned
    azkabanned Posts: 79 Member
    edited January 2018
    MsHarryWinston wrote: »
    I love them, you just have to prepare them properly. It’s basically just straight fiber. Perfectly healthy for you. It just seems new and amazing to Western culture. Amazing in Asian style noodle dishes. People get really disappointed that they don’t taste like flour style pasta but that’s just not really how they’re meant to be used best. Pad Thai sauce, peanut sauce, etc is where they really rock.

    Have a feeling it’d be really good in a cold Korean spicy noodle dish. Or in a sesame sauce with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Mmmmmm. Or a substitute for soba in a soup.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    If they were "secretly bad for you", it wouldn't stay a "secret" for long.
  • MikaMojito
    MikaMojito Posts: 680 Member
    I like them. I cook stir-fry once a week or so and I put in chicken and loads of veg but I like to add noodles for bulk. The first time I ate them I guess I didn't chew properly and I felt horrible afterwards but since then I've cooked with them a lot of times and it had no ill effects.
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    I've used them here and there in Asian dishes. If you prepare them correctly they are ok, but if you are looking to replace pasta with these, then they disappoint. I've never heard anything about them being secretly (or not secretly) unhealthy. And considering the definition of healthy is different for everyone, sounds like a bunch of woo.
  • charlesmetz1983
    charlesmetz1983 Posts: 2 Member
    Tonights dinner. Stir fried Shirataki noodles with tuna poke and avocado. Big filling dinner for 540 cals
  • bootyrubsandtacos
    bootyrubsandtacos Posts: 775 Member
    They’re definitely an acquired taste. I’ve only tried tofu shirataki noodles. They have a little more substance then the regular shirataki noodles. I think they’re delicious in a stir fry. With tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese? No so much.
  • fancyface1955
    fancyface1955 Posts: 90 Member
    i really enjoy them as a stir fry too. they do smell weird when you first take them out of the package. you definitly need to rinse them off first. i cook them in the pan with shrimp or chicken ans some stirfry vegetables.Add a little oil and some terriaki sauce and it's a fantastic dinner. The store by me had them as spaghetti noodles and fetucinni.
  • tasha_998
    tasha_998 Posts: 12 Member
    I love them . . . in yosenabe and sukiyaki. Not sure if I would use them as a substitute for western noodles, as they have a unique texture.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I was in the store holding a package of shiritake noodles when I recalled someone saying what a horrible taste experience it was. I lost my grip.
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
    The "real" shiritaki (Konjac) are ok. The tofu ones have a more rubbery texture that I guess is more "noodle" like.
    Either type needs to be rinse really well in cold water and drained to remove the flavour of the packaging liquid.
    Then I dry fry them to remove excess moisture and then add in the seasonings/sauces. I only use them for Asian inspired dishes. I can't imagine eating them with tomato or pesto.
  • Unknown
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  • tar2323
    tar2323 Posts: 141 Member
    I've used the konjac noodles twice now, both times in a stir fry. After following online advice, I rinsed them really well several times then put them in a hot pan to evaporate some of the moisture which adds to their rubber band texture. Then added them to spicy stir fries and they've bulked them out nicely without any odd flavour or texture. A win as far as I'm concerned.
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    You can easily make your own and they are fun and easy to do (and cheap):

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVsKmlMUZA8
  • azkabanned
    azkabanned Posts: 79 Member
    canyonGeek wrote: »
    These are the best ones I've ever tried. No rinsing, no dry frying, just 90 secs in the microwave. For real. They're even good with spicy tomato sauce and cheese, which the others are definitely not. My current favorite is Pad Thai style with peanut sauce. Awesome. Only drawback is they're not 0 cal / 0 carb. Still pretty low, though. (The extra 70 calories is why they chew more like pasta, less like rubber. Totally worth it.)

    Picture's not great. Just proof that I'm eating them : )

    o2dtl4vky2ep.png

    ETA: FWIW, I still eat the 0 cal ones sometimes. I rinse well, then boil, then dry fry and they turn out OK. I just don't think of them as "pasta" or "noodles". I think of them as fiber to bulk up a dish. And they're fine with veggies, chicken and a good sauce.

    Looks like a legit pad Thai! Just without the mountain of dried pork flakes on top.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    meowthhh wrote: »
    All I know are the advantages of Japanese shirataki noodles (zero calorie, lots of fibre), but do any health conscious MFPers know if they’re secretly bad for you?

    They’re very tempting if I can go nuts on the noods and not worry about calories

    @meowthhh my daughter introduced them to me when I first when low carb back in 2014.

    I hated them at first but the low carb part and not being highly process (basically one ingredient) I kept on until I figured out how to prep them to get away from the taste smell issue that I had with them.

    Now I take them out of the frig and wash them a few times in cold water (well water in our case) then I just heat the sauce and pour it on the cold noodles and suck them down.

    My go to fast keto food at the house are picked boiled eggs and StarKist Selects solid yellowfin tuna in extra virgin olive oil but I am a lazy old man that is not into food prep. :)

    Let us know if you master the prep part and how you do it.
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
    dcinthesummer wrote: »
    They are highly processed. I think they taste terrible to be honest. I would rather have a vegetable cutting a noodle shape then shirataki noodles. I was told that they are definitely not healthy and to avoid them

    You were told wrong. 3 ingredients go into making them , high fiber and a good source of calcium.
    FWIW, any food that requires preparation (i.e. slice/dice/mixing/cooking = processed).
  • NewMeSM75
    NewMeSM75 Posts: 971 Member
    I couldn't get past the rubber band texture
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    Steph38878 wrote: »
    I couldn't get past the rubber band texture

    It is just a mind over matter kind of thing. :)
  • azironasun
    azironasun Posts: 137 Member
    MsHarryWinston wrote: »
    I love them, you just have to prepare them properly. It’s basically just straight fiber. Perfectly healthy for you. It just seems new and amazing to Western culture. Amazing in Asian style noodle dishes. People get really disappointed that they don’t taste like flour style pasta but that’s just not really how they’re meant to be used best. Pad Thai sauce, peanut sauce, etc is where they really rock.

    They are TERRIFIC in Asian noodle dishes. I love Pad Thai and have recently started making it using shirataki noodles. It tastes great. The noodles pick up the flavor of whatever sauce you're using while providing virtually no calories. The key is in the preparation. Rinse the noodles thoroughly before using to eliminate as much of the 'fishy' taste as possible. I then put them in boiling water for about 4 minutes to finish them off before adding them to a dish. They let me enjoy Asian dishes while keeping the calories in check, so I can lose weight. I enjoy Shirataki Pad Thai at least once every other week.

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