Product Review: Shirataki Noodles

Still trying to clean eat, we are looking for healthier alternatives to our favorite foods. Part our clean eating detox focused on low-carb options; so we are trying to eat as few carbs as possible, and those we do eat, we try to make whole grain products. Which made last night the perfect time to try the shirataki noodles I've been eyeing in the grocery store for years.

I've mentioned before that I really enjoy Hungry Girl brand cookbooks and endorsed products, so I was excited to see that these are HG approved! HG gave me my favorite "diet" muffin recipe so I felt confident these could be a great find!

Traditional Japanese shirataki noodles are made from yams, but the commercial package we tried were made by House Foods, out of tofu. They are low carb, gluten free, "clean" (almost all natural ingredients), and only 10 calories/serving (2 servings/bag).

We thoroughly enjoy tofu in a variety of preparations so weren't particularly concerned about the idea of this faux pasta. Looking at them, however, we were nervous. They do look a little...unpleasant. The noodles come prepackaged in a clear baggie filled with water and what looks like pre-cooked Ramen. We weren't sure that half a bag would be filling, so while planning for dinner with a friend we bought each of us a bag (only $1.98/bag).

During our detox, we made a meal of homemade tomato sauce, turkey meatballs and instead of high carb pasta, steamed collard greens. The collards were weird, but edible, filling and fairly enjoyable. We thought this time, we'd swap our the green leafies for the experimental noodles.

It was weird.

The noodles are easy to cook; you only have to rinse, drain, microwave for 1 minute and pat dry. But they smell strangely like shrimp and they're really anemic-looking.

Yet, we trudged onward, although hesitantly, and filled our bowls with "noodles," sauce and meatballs (made with chicken this time). They have absolutely no flavor, and unfortunately, sauce doesn't stick to them at all. The hearty sauce slipped off of them like they'd were made of teflon. We made the spaghetti variety - they have several other types - and thought maybe that was part of the problem. If we used a wider noodle, it might hold sauce better. With some research on Pinterest, we found other folks had the same problem but found that thick alfredo sauces adhere pretty well. But, that kinda defeats the point -- eating 10 calorie noodles covered in 300 calorie gooey, cheesey sauce.

The texture kind of felt like really, really overcooked pasta. But the longer you cook pasta, the mushier it gets and sticks together - so that isn't quite right. This "pasta" still had a "bite" to it; not a crunch like you'd get with a potato chip but more like with a crisp sausage casing snapping on the first bite.

And then, I came up with the perfect analogy and texture analysis that officially ruined dinner.

Have you ever bitten someone really hard? And there's a softness to the skin and the flesh, but still a chewiness to it? Yeah. The noodles taste like how I'd imagine flesh to be. The words had scarecely escaped my lips and J was pushing his bowl away and proclaiming he was "done."

Our friend and I continued to pick at it a little, but over "Walking Dead" puns and bad jokes, we decided to cut our losses, pick out the meatballs and call it a day.

I might be willing to try these again with a different sauce, but I know it's a dish I'd be eating alone. J has no interest in these whatsoever, and may not trust Hungry Girl (or my harebrained ideas) ever again.