As you know, I love discovering new food products. Grocery shopping is one of my favorite pastimes. I spotted these Shirataki noodles at Gourmet Garage and I’ve been experimenting with them for a few weeks now. I am becoming more of a Flexitarian these days and often times want to have a meal without any meat. These noodles are great for a vegetarian entree or can make a perfect side dish.
If you’re watching your carbs, this is the perfect pasta substitute. I decided to go Asian this time, using two recipes from my cookbook, but you can use Shirataki noodles with any variety of sauces. The best part is that they are made of naturally soluble fiber which means they are low carb, virtually calorie free, vegan, kosher, and gluten free!
Print Recipe
Shirataki Noodles in Peanut Sauce
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
- 8 asparagus spears, angle-cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2 Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 packages of Shirataki noodles (you can substitute with 9 oz of regular pasta)
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
- 2 Peanut Sauce
- 2/3 cup chopped scallions
- 3 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 3/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook uncovered about 4 minutes, until crisp-tender. Transfer the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water.
- Bring the pot of water back to a boil and add the asparagus. Cook 3 minutes until crisp-tender. Add to the bowl of ice water. When the vegetables are cool, drain them and pat dry.
- Bring a new pot of water to a boil and follow the cooking instructions on your noodle package. Cook just until al dente. Drain well and toss in a bowl with the sesame oil.
- Add the peanut dressing, broccoli, and asparagus to the bowl with the noodles. Toss well. This dish will keep well at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Spread the cabbage out on a serving platter and top with the noodles.
- Garnish with the scallions, peanuts, and cilantro.
Print Recipe
Peanut Dressing
Print Recipe
Cold Noodle & Vegetable Salad with Sesame-Soy Dressing
Ingredients
Cold Noodle Salad
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 pound fresh snow peas, trimmed and stringed
- 18 ounces thin fresh linguine noodles (such as Contadina brand linguine)
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons Asian dark sesame oil, from toasted seeds
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- ¾ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
- ½ pound cultivated cremini (brown) or white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
- ½ pound sunflower sprouts (also called sun sprouts, or substitute regular mung bean sprouts)
- 1 ½ cup thinly sliced green onion (1 large bunch with tender tops included)
- Sesame-Soy Dressing, recipe follows
Sesame-Soy Dressing
- ¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- ½ cup cup soy sauce, preferably tamari
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons Asian dark sesame oil, from toasted seeds
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed through a press
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup canola oil
Instructions
Cold Noodle Salad
- In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring them often, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the skillet and cool. The seeds can be toasted up to 3 days ahead. Store airtight, at room temperature.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 2 tablespoons salt. Add the snow peas and cook, stirring once or twice, until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the snow peas to a bowl of iced water. Cool completely, then drain immediately and pat dry. The snow peas can be prepared several hours in advance. Cover and hold at room temperature.
- Meanwhile, return the same pot of water to a boil and add another tablespoon of salt. Add the noodles, partially cover and cook according to package directions. Drain, rinse thoroughly with cold water, and drain again. In a large bowl, toss the noodles with the sesame oil. The noodles can be prepared several hours in advance. Cover and hold at room temperature
- In a large skillet over high heat, warm the canola oil. Add the shiitake and cremini mushrooms with ½ teaspoon of salt and cook, tossing and stirring occasionally, until barely tender, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to the bowl with the noodles.
- Just before serving, add the snow peas to the bowl with the noodles and mushrooms. Re-whisk the dressing and pour it over the salad. Toss well. Add the sprouts, green onion and 2 tablespoons of the sesame seeds and toss again. Turn the salad out onto a deep serving platter. Sprinkle the remaining seeds over the salad and serve immediately.
Sesame-Soy Dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the canola oil. When everything is combined, slowly drizzle in the canola oil while whisking, so the dressing does not separate.
*The original blog was called Flavors in Love. All material has been transferred and some has been edited for easier reading, and archiving.
