Shiritaki "miracle", "smart" "konjac" noodles, who loves them?
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I just bought the Thrive brand this week from Thrive Market (online). I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread, cuz I had no idea how to fix them.0
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I have a package of pasta zero in the fridge. The package is about 2.5 servings.. do you portion it out or eat it all? I'm still planning what I'll do with it. I'm the sole low carber in the house.0
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Yup, very filling! I use them, though find them a bit bland. The sauce is the key. Shirataki is made from the konjac root, and it is the same stuff as in those glucomannan weightloss supplements, which I tried once and found to be not good for my gut... left me bloated. But the noodles don't do that--find it hard to overeat them. I have seen them sold here in Japan in "ramen" sets with sauce, at 3x the price of plain.
Found an interesting study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3892933/
The mechanisms that mediate the weight reduction effects of glucomannan are thought to be similar to those of other water-soluble, fermentable fibers. With its low energy density and bulking properties, glucomannan seems to promote weight loss by displacing the energy of other nutrients and producing satiety and satiation as it absorbs water and expands in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, glucomannan seems to reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by stimulating fecal excretion of cholesterol and bile acids and decreasing intestinal absorption of cholesterol [7–9]. Also, glucomannan may improve glycemic parameters by inhibiting appetite and slowing intestinal absorption due to increased viscosity [10–13]. Glucomannan is generally well tolerated and has a favorable safety profile.
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Shannonigans84 wrote: »I have a package of pasta zero in the fridge. The package is about 2.5 servings.. do you portion it out or eat it all? I'm still planning what I'll do with it. I'm the sole low carber in the house.
Here in Canada the tofu or konjac packages contain 2 4oz servings so it's really easy to have two separate kinds of meals on two nights - just eat half a packet, Italian style one meal, then Asian meal next. If it doesn't feel like enough food, I'd add real food with nutrients like more protein or a few more veggies.0 -
I get the “better than xxxxx” brand. Fill in xxxxx with pasta, rice or noodle. They travel well and are super easy to cook. They are not as off putting (stinky) as other brands I’ve tried. I like to use the rice one as a side dish sometimes. That handsome man I married says they are weird but not terrible. Lol1
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Our asian market has pre-made shirataki ramen meals too. Tasty, but highly processed.Yup, very filling! I use them, though find them a bit bland. The sauce is the key. Shirataki is made from the konjac root, and it is the same stuff as in those glucomannan weightloss supplements, which I tried once and found to be not good for my gut... left me bloated. But the noodles don't do that--find it hard to overeat them. I have seen them sold here in Japan in "ramen" sets with sauce, at 3x the price of plain.
Found an interesting study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3892933/
The mechanisms that mediate the weight reduction effects of glucomannan are thought to be similar to those of other water-soluble, fermentable fibers. With its low energy density and bulking properties, glucomannan seems to promote weight loss by displacing the energy of other nutrients and producing satiety and satiation as it absorbs water and expands in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, glucomannan seems to reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels by stimulating fecal excretion of cholesterol and bile acids and decreasing intestinal absorption of cholesterol [7–9]. Also, glucomannan may improve glycemic parameters by inhibiting appetite and slowing intestinal absorption due to increased viscosity [10–13]. Glucomannan is generally well tolerated and has a favorable safety profile.
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One other LAZY thing I do: I get the indian sauce two pack from Costco and stir fry the noodles, with veggies, tofu and one of the sauces. Too high in carbs for many on here, but might fit for some. (Higher in sugar than I usually eat, but like I said: for lazy days.)
http://www.mayakaimal.com/refrigerated#.WpAZpGaZPGI1 -
I buy mine at www.lowcarbgrocery.com
http://www.thelowcarbgrocery.com/catalog/nupasta-low-calorie-high-fibre-konjac-pasta-g-420.html?prod_id=61581 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »with something...cold?
Oh sorry. No they don't come cold packed. I don't think they need to be refrigerated until after they are cooked.
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »with something...cold?
Oh sorry. No they don't come cold packed. I don't think they need to be refrigerated until after they are cooked.
Interesting. They are always sold in cold sections. Good to know!0 -
I've found them both on the shelf and in the fridge sections of stores. I've never noticed if there is a difference in treatment if they are tofu (20 cal/3 carbs minus 2 fibre = 1g) or konjac (0-0-0), @Sabine_Stroehm??0
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I tried, and kinda never really liked them, the texture just doesn't feel yummy to me. Will maybe try panfrying as some suggest here at one point.0
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I enjoy them in stir-fry. I rinse them, throw them in the microwave a minute, and then into the pan as the last step. I keep meaning to make them in a soup but I have not yet. I have actually never used them like traditional pasta with marinara, alfredo, or pesto. I just somehow think they would stand out too much in those dishes.1
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We've used the konjac ones quite a bit. The brand we get here is called NuPasta. It took a couple tries to get used to the texture but after that it was fine. We do the angel hair in stir-fry on occasion, and the linguine shape either as a side (fried with oil/butter/garlic/seasoning) or as a main, with some meat, fat, and some veg, like broccoli and a bit of onion.
They're expensive though so it's more of a rare treat than a regular thing.0 -
Steph_Maks wrote: »We've used the konjac ones quite a bit. The brand we get here is called NuPasta. It took a couple tries to get used to the texture but after that it was fine. We do the angel hair in stir-fry on occasion, and the linguine shape either as a side (fried with oil/butter/garlic/seasoning) or as a main, with some meat, fat, and some veg, like broccoli and a bit of onion.
They're expensive though so it's more of a rare treat than a regular thing.
I get them for $1.25 a bag, so that's not so bad here.0 -
1.99 for the tofu shirtaki, 4.00 for the konjac ones here. I usually buy the tofu ones for obvious reasons... I'll willingly pay 1/2 as much for only 1 carb instead of zero carb, lol.0
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canadjineh wrote: »1.99 for the tofu shirtaki, 4.00 for the konjac ones here. I usually buy the tofu ones for obvious reasons... I'll willingly pay 1/2 as much for only 1 carb instead of zero carb, lol.
Ouch! I definitely prefer my $1.25 a bag!0 -
We've made ramen with them and chicken marsala. I did not notice any off smell about them, I guess it's subjective. I did follow the girlfriends instructions, rinse a few times, and them pan fry in a dry pan to remove the excess water. She bought them on Amazon. They tend to absorb whatever flavor you're cooking with. And while they aren't a direct replacement for real pasta, they do allow for alternatives when you have a craving for a pasta type dish. Nothing I would want to eat every week, but as an every now and then they worked just fine.0
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For those who find the texture odd, I just tried these: https://www.amazon.com/shirataki-gluten-noodles-spinach-200gX6packs/dp/B06Y5JDMYX
Much better al dente texture. Today I did dry fried noodles, then added pesto, tomatoes and spinach. YUM.1 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »canadjineh wrote: »1.99 for the tofu shirtaki, 4.00 for the konjac ones here. I usually buy the tofu ones for obvious reasons... I'll willingly pay 1/2 as much for only 1 carb instead of zero carb, lol.
Ouch! I definitely prefer my $1.25 a bag!
Yeah, I think the local grocery stores/health food stores mark those ones up a bit more because the 0/0/0 is soooo popular these days (and I live in a fairly health and sport conscious community). Whatever the market will bear, right?
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So I did buy two packages in the refrigerated section. I had one for the first time and it was OK but not the tofu but the other kind. And I still have the other one in the fridge. Can it be frozen so it doesn’t go bad?0
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I have never had them go bad, even after months and months in the refrigerator...never tried freezing them.1
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Ahh good to know. Must be some powerful stuff in that liquid. Lol.
Any side effects?0 -
I too have eaten shirataki a few months past the sell-by date, with no problems.
I just watched an NHK World program on konnyaku and shirataki -- one small maker is selling "no stink" shirataki to Italian restaurants in Italy, so the world is catching on. The video was only shown on the news, so no link to it, but I found this article on the same website about konnyaku: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/food/articles/116.html1 -
I've seen two types of shirataki noodles in stores: ones that have tofu in them, which must be refrigerated, and those that don't, that are shelf-stable. I agree that rinsing, boiling, draining and then dry-frying them, before adding other ingredients, is the way to go. alternatively, you could prep them without dry frying them, dry them with a paper towel and toss them with an Asian peanut- or sesame butter sauce.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1099/9762/files/Miracle-Noodle-Cookbook-and-Diet-Plan.pdf?141461732733531385931 -
I've never boiled them. The instructions I got originally a few years ago were just to throw them in a sieve, rinse them very well then just throw them in with your sauce or run very hot tap water over them to heat and eat.1
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I too only rinse and dry fry. That has always worked for me.
One other use I did recently was with taco meat. I used to eat taco salad with tortilla chips. Clearly that is not on the menu anymore. By mixing in the miracle rice instead of the chips, it gave it that extra bulk and helped soak up most of the delicious juices from the meat.3 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »For those who find the texture odd, I just tried these: https://www.amazon.com/shirataki-gluten-noodles-spinach-200gX6packs/dp/B06Y5JDMYX
Much better al dente texture. Today I did dry fried noodles, then added pesto, tomatoes and spinach. YUM.
Ah... Amazon lists these as coming in a box of 6 (12 servings) for ... US$97.00. That's $8/serving! Did you find yours at a local grocery for a cheaper price?
I'm going to try your combo of noodles, pesto, & spinach as I have all of these items right now!! (maybe tomatoes... it's hard to find a decent (let alone good) tomato in Winter... best bet is cherry tomatoes...
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So I finally found and tasted this shirataki konjac noodle. The kind I found is Nasoya Pasta Zero. I've read so much about how bad shirataki noodles smell, I was shocked to cut open the bag to only a very, very faint odor. Nearly none really. I'm sitting at my desk with the empty, non rinsed bag and have taken a whiff a couple of times and...nothing.
They really have no taste. They are slightly chewy. I like them better than all of the bean noodles I have tried (adzuki, mung, etc). Calories, carbs, taste, texture are all superior. Thumbs up.
I rinsed them and did the "dry fry" thing but I'm not so sure it would have been necessary. a 2/3 cup serving (113 grams) has 15 calories, 4 carbs, 2 fiber. $2.49/bag. 2 servings per package. Found them in Publix in the chilled produce area. Packaging indicates these need refrigerated.
https://www.foodservicedirect.com/product.cfm/p/21197568/Zero-Shirataki-Spaghetti-Pasta.htm?gclid=CjwKCAiArOnUBRBJEiwAX0rG_XUTCjQzlCEpkzYbuydP6aWvA_GETwtDBf8TyZPtlB2Beblb_9y1WxoCc7wQAvD_BwE2
