Shirataki noodles! I was skeptical at first: "No carbs? No fat? No protein? What are they made out of? They can't possibly taste good!". So what are they?

They are made from a Japanese tuber called konjac, and they are virtually all fiber, including a soluble fiber called glucomannan. This fiber absorbs water in your gut, swelling to make a gel. This makes the stomach feel full, and slows down carbohydrate absorption from other foods. I leave the medical stuff for discussion with your doctor (wink, wink), but trust me, this can have some profound consequences. If you have problems with digestion, I urge you to talk to your doctor first, as this is a hefty load of fiber for one meal.

Anyway, I got a small package from my local Asian-leaning market (Central Market). These noodles are packaged wet, and in the refrigerated case. This means that they are packed in a sealed plastic bag, in water. They are white, and, well, noodly. (FSM fans: His Noodly Appendage comes in many forms)

I figured that they would do best in a soup, so that's what I did. I've seen recipes on the net for stir-fries. When opened, there is an odd smell to them, but it went away with the recommended three rinsings. In retrospect, I'd cut these noodles into shorter lengths before adding them to the soup, but they were fine as is - tangled up, but fine. The noodles themselves are pretty tasteless, but they do fine when added to other foods (they absorb the flavors of other foods pretty well).

My Shiratake soup

Put 2-4 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil in a large pan.

Add:
3-4 cut up scallions (greens included) (I used the garlic sprouts from my garden). Sautee till the greens are a bit darker.

Then add: 6 to 8 thinly sliced mushrooms, continue sauteeing. You may want to drizzle some more sesame oil on them.

Then add: 1 quart chicken or veggie broth (I like the Imagine brand at the store). Bring to a boil.

Then add: Two cleaned and sliced up baby bok choy, simmer for a minute. Finally, add the 3x rinsed shirataki. Simmer for 1 minute.

Serve. You can shake some toasted sesame seeds on top, if you want.

We finished the whole pot, just two of us, last night. Normally, noodle soup wouldn't leave me feeling like I'd had enough food, but this really did the job. I'm still not hungry as of this morning.

Happy eating!