Tofu Noodles

[Teraesa22]

Anyone try these yet? I just picked some up at whole foods & they seem like they'd be great for asian stirfry..anyone have any recipes?

[Miss Needle]

The texture of the noodles are similar to those cellophane noodles they use in glass noodle Thai salads or the Korean dish jap chae. I think those recipes would be very appropriate to use with these noodles.

And as there is a kind of a funk to them, I think dishes with stronger flavors would be better than a delicately flavored dish.

[alkapal]

miss needle. thanks, i had earlier asked about jap chae.

[torty]

Something I recently picked up was to add then to a hot pan and dry them out. It changes the texture in a pleasant way away from the slippery to a more chewy but still very different from pasta. I do par boil them first.

[thejulia]

the blog, justbento.com did a post recently that included some stirfried shirataki noodles:
http://justbento.com/bento-no-43-a-low-calorie-high-fiber-tons-vegetables-adjustment-bento

another one from awhile back with korean flavors:
http://justbento.com/bento-no-3-spicy...

both look really good.

[kc72]

The Shirataki (House Foods) site has some recipes.

http://www.house-foods.com/yummy_reci...

[thejulia]

can ppl who've used them successfully in asian dishes actual include some basic recipes? i've bought them and used them before and never been completely happy with the result since they don't absorb flavors very well... i'd love a ramen style dish with strong flavors but haven't been able to come up with anything amazing.

[JungMann]

The recipe I turn to the most is shredding napa cabbage, carrots, celery, scallions, cucumber and boiled chicken and tossing that with the noodles with a combination of peanut sauce, fish sauce and sambal. On top I garnish with crushed peanuts, sliced chilies, cilantro and lime.

I just bought a packet that I am intending to toss with sesame oil, scallions, chilies, fried garlic and Sichuan peppercorn salt.

[thejulia]

woah, that looks good. i was sketching out a similar recipe in my head yesterday while reading the thread, that would have simply been napa, garlic, and resuscitated dried shrimplings (all minced up). but i like the cilantro, fish sauce, lime, peanut s. asian twist.

[alkapal]

thejulia, do you revive your shrimp if and when you make som tum?
do you toast them for any applications?

[thejulia]

this was posted a very long time ago, but i always resuscitate them in warm water. have never toasted them though. i use them in a chinese manner, not the thai.

[alkapal]

"this was posted a very long time ago"

thejulia, um, i'm a little confused, and i'm not sure i understand your point.

i posted my query to you about an hour after your july 22 post. is that what you were referring to -- or to some other thread on which you posted your "reconstitution" method?

i asked the july query because i had seen martin yan's show where he toasted dried shrimp before using them; that is why i asked if you toasted them. and, from your response, i guess you don't make som tum (using dried shrimp in thai manner).

thanks for your response.

i "revived" this thread by linking it to a new tofu noodle thread.

[Teraesa22]

Has anyone tried them as a substitue in italian dishes-like w/ a marinara sauce etc.. ?

[JungMann]

Yeah. It didn't work very well. It's not the right texture and there's a certain taste to them that tastes off with marinara. It works best with Asian flavors or at least spicy ones.

[Teraesa22]

I made a spicy pad thai with them tonithgt--freaking unbelievable...I rinsed then boiled them for a minute & they worked great. I have one package of the angelhair variety left so I guess I am going to try an italian sort of sauce with it, although I think you're right that they may not be as good w/that...oh well-I'm addicted. Maybe like a vodka sauce? I'm thinking the chili flake & cream may offset the texture/flavor a bit & am planning on making chicken& eggplant parm so maybe no one will notice...

[soypower]

I love tofu shirataki noodles...They helped me lose a ton of weight without feeling deprived...One of my favorite things is to toss them in a hot pot of kimchee jigae. Always boil and rinse first...I love them too because they never get overcooked and soft...

I prefer the fettucine style noodles in general, but the spaghetti style works better when making noodle soups...In fact, there were many times that I replaced ramen noodles with them...

[alkapal]

oh. my. goodness. these noodles (which now i MUST buy) have zero carbs? yowza!
http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/chewd...

what a boon for diabetics, too -- in addition to weight watchers.

i was hoping when i read "tofu noodles" that they would be a substitute for the fresh rice noodles (which i craaaaave) used in pad kee mao or pad see euw (sp).

so, i guess cellophane noodles are similar to shirataki/tofu noodles? they are made from mung bean, right? or yam (somehow)? so they have zero carbs? i love chap chae. is the classic way of preparing shirataki like that?

[Emme]

just beware that the texture will take some adjustment... they're much chewier than regular pasta, and it's not as easy to bite through them. i love them but not everyone does.

[gnomatic]

I ate plain shirataki noodles before (mom uses it in hot pot), so the the tofu shirataki noodles texture and cooking was no surprise to me.

I read some people's initial negative reaction to them, they usually just rinsed them under water. That doesn't do much to the noodles. It really needs to be boiled, it gets rid of the smell, also "hardens" the noodle, and become less slippery.

They do well as substitute for rice noodles in noodle soups (I use it often for wonton noodles). They have the advantage of not soaking up the liquid like rice noodles tends to do.

They don't work well as a replacement for any noodle dishes where absorption of flavoring is needed. In my experience, they are a poor substitute in stir fry noodle dishes (i.e. like dry beef chow fun).

I do like to with Japanese curry.

Hungry girl recommends them as a replacement for pasta...they just don't have the right texture or taste as a replacement...it's not even close. I think they are best for asian style dishes.

I lost a lot of weight eating them instead of rice noodles (I am a soup noodle addict).

[torty]

No- cellophane noodles have carbs. The tofu shirataki and regular shirataki are much more slippery and chewy. They are all about texture. In my experience they won't get that wok "char" that you want in pad see uew (sp?). They are just a nice way to add texture to soups and provide a no carb vehicle for some saucy preps.

Don't get me wrong- I really enjoy them, but they are in their own category. Don't expect them to act like other noodles. That said, I use them in several preps almost every week.

[veryveryrosalind]

They are low-calorie, but they don't seem to have much protein, which is disappointing--they don't make a complete meal stir-fried with veggies. I really like them though.

[The Dairy Queen]

Really, not a lot of protein? THat is disappointing. I was thinking I could use them as "the protein" in vegetarian dishes. Not really, eh?

~TDQ

[westerley]

If you boil them for 1-2 minutes before using them, it really improves the end product. Gets rid of that slightly funky smell and makes the texture better. Love the shirataki noodles!

[JungMann]

I am a big fan of shirataki. They're great subbing for soba, tossed with ma po sauce, in soups and in Thai noodle salad.

[HLing]

if they are what i think they are, the classic way to prepare it is to blanch them, toss with thinly shreded celery and carrots (if you use Chinese celery it will be stronger in flavor) that have been lightly marinated with salt, then drizzle some sesame oil and serve chilled.

[HLing]

hmm, om second thought maybe they're not what i thought they were...should habe known, since thed ones I'm thinking of aren't even that readily available in chinese grocery stores, so why would it be available in whole foods.

Sorry, I don't use the Shirataki noodles. i was referring to the bean threads made from cut bean curd sheets.

[Emme]

they're awesome, just be sure to rinse them well, to get off the liquid and its smell.

i grill veggies then stirfry them with the noodles.

i make pasta salad with them too.

great in a miso egg white drop soup.

you will have to get used to the texture tho