Shirataki ( ja, 白滝, often written with the ''

hiragana is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contras ...

'' ) are translucent, gelatinous

Japanese noodles Noodles are a staple of Japanese cuisine. They are often served chilled with dipping sauces, or in soups or hot dishes.Sakui, S. (2009, July 1st)Somen: Chilled, the Japanese Noodles are a Summer Delight ''Los Angeles Times.'' Retrieved January ...

made from the

corm A corm, bulbo-tuber, or bulbotuber is a short, vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some plants use to survive winter or other adverse conditions such as summer drought and heat (perennation). The word ' ...

of the

konjac Konjac (or konjak, ) is a common name of the East and Southeast Asian plant ''Amorphophallus konjac'' ( syn. ''A. rivieri''), which has an edible corm (bulbo-tuber). It is also known as konjaku, konnyaku potato, devil's tongue, voodoo lily, sn ...

yam. They are part of traditional Japanese cuisine, but they are also appreciated by people with allergies or intolerances to wheat,

gluten Gluten is a structural protein naturally found in certain cereal grains. Although "gluten" often only refers to wheat proteins, in medical literature it refers to the combination of prolamin and glutelin proteins naturally occurring in all grai ...

or eggs, or by people on a

diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

because of their low

caloric value Caloric is a brand of kitchen appliances, which dates back to 1903. History Caloric Corporation began as the Klein Stove Company in Philadelphia in 1890. The Caloric brand was introduced in 1903. It was reorganized in 1946 as the Caloric Stove C ...

Composition

The konjac yam, whose corm (a thick underground stem) yields the yam-cake (''konnyaku'') from which the noodles are made, is also called devil's tongue yam or elephant yam. Hui, Yiu. ''Handbook of food science, technology, and engineering''. Volume 4. CRC Press: 2006. The word ''shirataki'' means "white waterfall", referring to the appearance of these noodles. Shirataki noodles are made from 97% water and 3%

, which contains glucomannan, a water-soluble

dietary fiber Dietary fiber (in British English fibre) or roughage is the portion of plant-derived food that cannot be completely broken down by human digestive enzymes. Dietary fibers are diverse in chemical composition, and can be grouped generally by t ...

. They are very low in digestible carbohydrates and

food energy Food energy is chemical energy that animals (including humans) derive from their food to sustain their metabolism, including their muscular activity. Most animals derive most of their energy from aerobic respiration, namely combining the carbohy ...

, and have little flavor of their own.

Manufacture

There used to be a difference in manufacturing methods. Producers in the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

of Japan prepared ''shirataki'' (called ''ito konnyaku'' there) by cutting ''konnyaku'' jelly into threads, while producers in the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Sl ...

made the noodles by extruding ''konnyaku sol'' through small holes into a hot, concentrated lime solution.「糸こんにゃく」と「しらたき」論争
, Tokyo Gas Modern producers make both types using the latter method.

Culinary use

''Shirataki'' noodles come in dry and soft "wet" forms in Asian markets and some supermarkets. When purchased wet, they are packaged in liquid. They normally have a

shelf life Shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use, consumption, or sale. In other words, it might refer to whether a commodity should no longer be on a pantry shelf (unfit for use), or no longer on a ...

of up to one year. Some brands require rinsing and sautéing or parboiling, as the water in the packaging has an odor some find unpleasant. The noodles can also be drained and dry-roasted, which diminishes bitterness and gives the noodles a more pasta-like consistency. Dry-roasted noodles can be served in soup stock, sauce, or noodle soup.

Names and forms

''Shirataki'' also goes by the names ito-konnyaku ( ja, 糸こんにゃく), yam noodles, and devil's tongue noodles. The form called ''ito konnyaku'' is generally thicker than ''shirataki'', with a square cross section and a darker color. It is preferred in the Kansai region.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shirataki Noodles Low-carbohydrate diets Japanese noodles