shirataki noodles

Some people love them, some people hate them. For me, it's all in the preparation and usage. I also only use the linguini or spaghetti sized noodles. The macaroni and fettuccine sized ones just never have the right texture to me. They have an odd softness with a bit of chewy bite inside of them. And not in a good, real pasta al dente kind of way.

Prep steps:
1. open bag and pour into strainer over sink
2. rinse noodles thoroughly under cold water
3. dump strained noodles in bowl and microwave for one minute
4. dump back into strainer
5. shake off excess water
6. Tear off three select a size paper towels or two full sized paper towels (depending on which kind you use)
7. Fold towels in half and dump noodles into paper towels and wrap tightly
8. squeeze noodles in towels against the side of the strainer to get out as much liquid as possible
9. dump them back into the strainer and use kitchen shears to cut the noodles into small pieces
10. set them aside

Cooking - in general, these noodles don't do well with regular pasta sauces, the texture just doesn't work with them. I prefer to use them in more Asian-style dishes.

My usual meal with them involves cutting up a ton of veggies and 5-6oz of protein (shrimp or chicken usually). I start with onions and garlic in the pan to get them browning, then I add stuff like eggplant and peppers after that. Once they have started to soften and cook, I add the noodles, bell peppers, and any sauces or seasonings at that time. I toss everything together until the veggies are pretty much cooked, then I throw in the protein and some snow peas and continue cooking until the meat is cooked all the way through. Sometimes, for fun, I throw an egg in there when I put the meat in and scramble it into the noodles.

The extra cooking time on the noodles really helps the texture and makes them much more pleasing to eat.

I tried these and didn't mind them. Used them like I would pasta and used a couple different sauces on them. Don't freeze them, it changed the texture and they were disgusting. When I first opened the bag almost gagged because of the fish smell but once they were rinsed of it didn't bother me.

sounds like quite a hassle in cooking them!!

Total noodle prep usually takes me about two minutes, and that's including the minute in the microwave. So it's not really that bad, it just looks like a lot when it's all laid out like that.

And I find them to be fairly filling, a good base/filler for a lunch or dinner to make a really big plate of food for not a lot of calories.

They aren't chewy if you cook them right.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/667310-let-s-talk-about-shirataki-noodles-the-continuation?hl=shirataki+the+continuation

Lot's of info....

I use the NoOodles brand, and I love them!! I rinse them out with a colander, and add them to sauteed vegetables, tofu, or meat. I usually try to keep Asian flavors with the NoOodles as they resemble rice noodles or vermicelli. I love them in soup too! Heat them up in the pan with your other food you're mixing in after rinsing, they firm up and taste like what you cook them in.

I find they're no more involved to prepare than regular noodles; no boiling required! You peel some veggies, you prep some meats, these are no different! Anyway I like them but you have to try for yourself!

For those who didn't like with pasta sauce - do NOT prepare them in a microwave! They cook faster, get a much better texture, and don't require all that blotting & draining nonsense when you dry fry & then they get the right flavors, too.

I use them all the time. The "fish" smell is from the lime water they are stored in. It rinses off on seconds & disappears.

The tricks to FAST & successful prep are:
1. Rinse in collander quickly. Cut with scissors (just chop into bowl nothing fancy, but some strands are crazy long)
2. Dry fry in a pan (use nonstick spray but not oil). The excess water disappears & they firm up texture. Only takes like 30 seconds to a minute.
3. Now add to the pan whatever you want them to taste like. They absorb the flavor of what you cook them with. Doesn't take long, like a minute or two. I add my pasta sauce in this way. The trick in the dry fry & then heat in pan/fry. That is why some folks think they taste better in Asian stir fry dishes than pasta. They don't realize that it wad the cooking method that altered the noodles.

It is fast and I consider them a 5 minute meal.

P.s. To test the theory re picking up flavor, I have even just made them with garlic & butter. They tasted like garlic & butter.

Moral of story: dry fry/pan fry... Do NOT microwave

i had asian seasoned steak on my noodles and loved them!