I have been meaning to do a post about these noodles for a while, especially since quite a few of the Hungry Girl recipes use them. I actually went out and bought another package of these noodles last time I was at the grocery store, which was now the third time that I tried them out. I still couldn't handle the texture of them. I really do not like these noodles, and even after trying them in recipes on several completely separate occasions, I still cannot stand them.
I am not usually picky about the texture of my food. I grew up eating sushi, squid, octopus, and many other things with not-so-pleasant textures. However, I think I have a sort of attachment to my spaghetti noodles. Carbs are something that I have never been able to give up. One of the reasons why I have always preferred Weight Watchers over various low-carb diets is because of the fact that I can eat pasta, bread, rice, etc. The Shirataki noodles, while insanely low in calories and carbs, are just not the same as the noodles I am so fond of.
First of all, they smell oddly fishy when you open the bag. Yuck! Hungry Girl says to rinse them thoroughly and dry them thoroughly before using in a recipe, which gets rid of the smell. But still, the initial smell upon opening a bag is disgusting. Here is one of many Hungry Girl posts on these noodles.
The other problem I have is the texture, as I said earlier. They have this weird chewy texture to them - but not chewy as in gum or taffy candy. It is chewy as in it feels as though you are eating rubber bands. It is the most bizarre food texture I have ever eaten, and almost reminds me of the texture of squid in calamari, but in thin noodle form. Anyway, it does not make me feel as though I am eating regular pasta noodles, so I refuse to use them anymore as a substitution.
If a Hungry Girl recipe calls for these noodles, then I just substitute regular pasta noodles in the recipe and add the extra points. The main reason I bought another bag of these noodles was so I could figure out exactly how much of these noodles are in a bag. Turns out, there is a cup and a half of noodles in a bag of Shirataki noodles. After a little bit of trial and error, I discovered that 3 ounces of dry spaghetti noodles makes about a cup and a half of cooked noodles. Since a serving size of a Hungry Girl recipe using these noodles is usually for half of a bag (or 1 & 1/2 ounces dry pasta), this adds about 3 - 4 points+ to a serving of the recipe. To me, this is definitely worth the added points. If you at all have a problem with shirataki noodles, I suggest just substituting. You might discover an awesome recipe that you may have otherwise not tried.
So, in summary - one bag of Tofu Shirataki noodles = 3 oz dry pasta noodles, or 1 & 1/2 cups cooked noodles.
I don't mind the texture of these but only in certain recipes - I think they work better with Asian veggies and stir-fried a bit than with Italian sauces. Maybe it's because I love squid. :) haha
ReplyDeleteI tried the linguine style tofu noodles years ago and was terribly disappointed. The thought of having fettuccine Alfredo for so few points was very appealing but I could not eat it. I even wrote to Hungry Girl and said I hated the noodles and someone on her staff wrote back and asked if I had dried them and all that jazz.
ReplyDeleteAnother blogger (Karla at http://myweightin2010.blogspot.com/) was writing about the noodles and I asked her how she prepared them. She said she boiled them for a couple of minutes first. I bought a package of the noodles shaped like spaghetti and the directions on the package even tell you to boil them. I agree the smell when you open them is awful. Anyway, to cut this short, I made Hungry Girls So Low Mein With Chicken recipe using the noodles and it was good. Her recipe called for three bags of those noodles and I just made a third of the recipe but it was enough for two servings.
Today I read that they are coming out with a macaroni shaped noodle. I think I'll only use the skinny spaghetti ones. :)