Shirataki Pasta- AKA- Miracle Noodle

No but I read about them on HG and looked for them in the store (no success), so I'm anxious not only to know what people think but also where to find them!

I've had them before. My stepmom bought them from H-mart, a local Korean market in Northern VA. They have to be rinsed before cooking. They taste just like noodles to me. Kind of like spaghetti.

Can someone PLEASE walk me through preparing these *kitten*? I've tried three times and I've always wound up with a plate of jello-pasta that made me think I was eating fish guts...even with sauce.

I rinse them, microwave them, pat them with a paper towl, but it's always that gushy texture that destroys it for me. Any way to make them a tad less rubbery?

Can someone PLEASE walk me through preparing these *kitten*? I've tried three times and I've always wound up with a plate of jello-pasta that made me think I was eating fish guts...even with sauce.

I rinse them, microwave them, pat them with a paper towl, but it's always that gushy texture that destroys it for me. Any way to make them a tad less rubbery?

LeanLioness's SHIRATAKI 101:

1. Shirataki noodles are "Konjac" noodles -- same name for the same thing. Konjac is the name of the root the noodles are made from. Some shirataki noodles have tofu added (the tofu adds more of a softer, mushy "wheat" aspect to the noodles, IMO. These are probably closest to "real" pasta). The tofu addition ones you'll most likely find are a brand called House Foods Shirataki Noodles. These can be found in health and whole foods stores in the refrigerator section. They carry about 20 calories per serving, I believe. The non-tofu variety (sometimes called "miracle noodles") have about 5 calories per serving and are much chewier and "resistant". These are sometimes located in Asian grocers, but your best bet for these is online: the Konjac Foods or Miracle Noodles brands. The non-tofu variety claims a shelf-life of 1 year with no refrigeration.

2. The noodles are packed in a liquid. While there may be some debate here on the boards as to whether the noodles when first opened SMELL like fish, I don't believe anyone believes that after a rinsing they TASTE like fish, so you are safe there. (There is no fish in the noodles -- just pickling lime which is used to "gel" the noodles.)

3. Now, where you'll find the biggest debate is how best to prep the noodles for cooking: some parboil, some briefly stirfry, etc.

I make a noodles with cheese sauce practically everyday for lunch and here is what I think is easiest: I rinse several bags/servings of the non-tofu noodles at once in a colander, then cut them into smaller pieces as the noodles are insanely long, LOL!. Since I am using the noodles in a "wet" environment (cheese sauce) I am not too concerned that they get absolutely dry at this point so I drain them in the colander for a bit, then transfer to a large ziploc bag. Squeeze out some more moisture from the bag and then store the noodles in the fridge -- they last fine for over a week this way and I just remove servings as needed so I do not have to rinse and cut them each day.

I think nuking or cooking the non-tofu noodles makes them harder and chewier, so when I am ready to add them to my pre-made cheese sauce, I warm the sauce separately, take a serving of noodles and sit them in a bowl of very hot water to take the fridge chill off, then shake them about in a metal sieve for draining. Then simply add them to the hot cheese sauce and I'm all set.

Word of caution -- not sure if this is true for the tofu version, but the non-tofu shirataki noodles CANNOT be frozen, so don't make massive amounts of something. Freezing the noodles leaches ALL the water from them and they wind up like rubber bands -- impossible to even chew.

Another tip: you can also use a salad spinner for the initial rinse/drain if your noodles are bigger than the holes in your particular spinner.

Konjac Noodles 101 is now complete

I'm going to try these, my biggest downfall is pasta, and I just can't seem to stay away from it, this may be new fav!

Can someone PLEASE walk me through preparing these *kitten*? I've tried three times and I've always wound up with a plate of jello-pasta that made me think I was eating fish guts...even with sauce.

I rinse them, microwave them, pat them with a paper towl, but it's always that gushy texture that destroys it for me. Any way to make them a tad less rubbery?

I've had the same problems with them. The texture is nasty and they taste like fish.

bumping