I’ve been wanting to try these shirataki noodles for a while as a pasta substitute.  The noodles have only 3 grams of carbohydrate and 20 calories in each 4 ounce serving.  The brand I used is made from tofu and yam flour.  I’ve been eating low carb for about two months now and I was having a bit of a pasta craving.  I purchased the package a couple of weeks ago but I was a bit nervous because of something written on the label in the directions that frightened me “Drain and rinse thoroughly. Parboil for 2-3 minutes to reduce the authentic aroma”.  REDUCE THE AUTHENTIC AROMA?  ummm, that made me nervous.  I finally got up the nerve to try it and, yes there is a bit of a faint fishy smell to the noodles, but it’s not bad.  After rinsing, parboiling, draining and drying I didn’t smell anything.  I tasted one plain and it had no taste at all, which is a good thing I think.  

A carbonara style dish is what I had been craving so I crisped up some bacon, sauteed spinach in the rendered bacon fat, tossed in the noodles, stirred in an egg and mixed in some Parmesan cheese.  With a little black pepper it was pretty tasty.  The noodles have a slightly different texture from wheat pasta but it was not unpleasant.  I’d make it again.  I found the brand pictured above at my local grocery store but you can also order it and other brands of shirataki noodles from Amazon.com.  Next time I make this I’m going to try the Miracle Noodle brand, with less than 1 gram of carbs per 3 ounce serving.  I’ll let you know how they are.  Here’s a great recipe for Miracle Noodle Shirataki Noodles with sauteed Greens

Here’s the recipe for Shirataki noodle carbonara, makes 2 servings

7-8 ounces of Shirataki noodles

4 ounces bacon

3 ounces of spinach

1 egg

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

fresh cracked black pepper

Rinse the shirataki noodles and par-boil them for 2-3 minutes (or follow the preparation directions on the package) Drain the noodles well.

Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch slices and cook over medium heat to render the far out, remove the bacon from the pan and reserve.  Saute the spinach in the bacon fat, add the noodles and stir.  Remove the pan from the heat and add in the beaten egg and Parmesan cheese.  Season with fresh cracked black pepper and top with reserved cooked bacon.