Thursday, January 13, 2011

Tofu Shirataki Noodles Adventure #1



I have been hearing about these noodles for a long time now and I have also been avoiding these noodles for a long time too!  You might wonder why I have been avoiding noodles that have this kind of nutritional information and the reason is that I have heard mostly terrible things about them.  So many people on the Weight Watchers Vegetarian Message Board said they were horrible.  I trust their opinions, so I didn’t even mess with it.  But then I started receiving the Hungry Girl newsletters and recipes and they LOVE the noodles, so I started THINKING about giving them a try.  But what sealed the deal was when my friend Megabeth, tried them and said that she liked them.  Then I knew they were worth trying.  So I pulled out the Hungry Girl recipe for Lo Mein that I had saved, and decided to give it a go. 

I would recommend following the Hungry Girl directions for the noodles.  I think a big part of the problem that people have with the noodles is the way they smell.  When you purchase them, they are in water like a cube of tofu is.  The noodles can smell a little fishy if you do not wash them.  So I followed the Hungry Girl directions and I rinsed them very well and then I dried them between two towels.  They were just fine.  In fact, I really enjoyed them and I definitely plan to cook with them again. 






Tofu Shirataki Lo Mein

 Ingredients:
One 10 - 16 oz. bag frozen Chinese-style stir-fry mixed veggies (with broccoli, water chestnuts, etc.)
1 cup of edamame (You could also use tofu or another vegan protein)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 container mushrooms
1 cup broccoli
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup reduced sodium or light soy sauce
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. vegan veg broth powder
2 no-calorie sweetener (Truvia)-You could also use agave nectar or regular sugar

Directions:
Rinse and drain Tofu Shirataki noodles VERY well. Dry them thoroughly, and run a knife or kitchen shears through them a few times (so noodles aren't as long). Set aside. To make sauce, combine soy sauce, cornstarch, veg broth powder, and sweetener with 1/2 cup of hot water. Stir well and set aside. Bring a large pan or a wok sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat. Add all the veggies (the frozen and the fresh ones). Stirring frequently, cook for 5 - 7 minutes (until frozen veggies are heated and all other veggies are cooked). Pour sauce into pan/wok, stir well, and continue to cook until sauce has thickened. Lastly, add in the noodles, and cook until entire dish is thoroughly mixed and heated.

Final thoughts on this recipe:  If I made it again, I would probably use more cornstarch because the sauce didn’t really thicken up much.  I would also add more spice to the sauce mixture.  Other than the veg broth powder and the soy sauce, there wasn’t much “pazazz” to the lo mein.  I would want it to be a little more flavorful.  With that being said though, the noodles turned out great.  I really liked them.  I think with a little tweaking, this recipe would be excellent. 



10 comments:

  1. Thanks for the shout out! I'm going to try this recipe too. :)

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  2. You definitely should, Beth! I would just experiment more with asian spices to make it more exciting.

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  3. These Shirataki Noodles really are great! They seem to work best with stir-fry's and soups, however, if you are willing to reach a little, you can use them in many Italian dishes from spaghetti to lasagna. Also, feel free to use any of our photos or recipes, but please add a reference to our site, AsianFoodGrocer.com

    Thank you :)

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  4. Do you know if Whole Foods carries these noodles?

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  5. Sorry about that, Asian Food Grocer! I usually add a link to where I find the pictures, but I totally forgot! Thanks!

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  6. Jenny-Whole Foods should carry them. I am almost certain they do. There are a few different brands out there so it might not be the same brand I used but probably the same nutritional info.

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  7. wow! def. want to try this - how many did it serve? need to find these!

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  8. Sarah-I think it could probably serve about 3-4 very big servings. Depending on if it's the entire meal or if you have other stuff to go with it would determine how many servings it could be. We made it the entire meal and each bowl had about 2 cups-that was quite a bit. You could easily do 1 cup servings to make it stretch out further. I am getting ready to make a thai peanut variation this week!

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  9. I use Shirataki noodles all the time and love them. Mostly in asian type foods , but sometimes in Italian style dishes as well.Thanks for the recipe.

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