Shirataki Fettuccine with Asian Style Lemon Grass Vinaigrette
Zero Carb Shirataki Pasta
This Japanese pasta is made from konjac plant. Konjac is an Asian root vegetable which is similar to potato in texture. Konjac plant is ground, then shaped to different shapes of pastas, like noodles, fettuccini and lasagna or even rice. Shirataki noodles are very popular ingredient in Asian cuisines.
This pasta started to be very popular in other cuisines also, because it’s a great substitute of wheat flour pasta and can be included in weight loss diet plan. There is only 1 gram net carbohydrate (CH) in 100 gram konjac pasta. It contains 97% water, 3% fiber, and negligible amount of protein, fat and calcium. The name of this fiber is glucomannan. It’s a soluble, fermentable, and highly viscous dietary fiber. You will feel satiety longer if you eat shirataki pasta, because glucomannan promotes that. It inhibits carbohydrate absorption and does not increase blood sugar level. This is very good news for people with diabetes. You can use glucomannan powder aka konjac flour as a thickener in sauces or smoothies.
You can read more about glucomannan here
.
How to Prepare Konjac Pasta – Golden Rules
You will be surprised if you have never used konjac pasta before because it has an unpleasant sulfur odor when you open the pasta’s bag. It’s not wrong, it’s normal. The texture of konjac pasta is also different than the usual pasta. It’s a bit rubbery. But, it will be very delicious and tasty if you follow the instructions in the recipe!
First of all! The most important steps are draining, washing and rinsing the konjac pasta before cooking. Don’t miss these steps otherwise you will be not satisfied with the result.
Tip!
Don’t miss essential steps like draining, washing and rinsing the konjac pasta. Follow the instructions exactly!
It’s very quick and easy to prepare. Drain the fettuccini then place in a large colander and wash under running water for 2-3 minutes. Then rinse it with 2 liter boiling water. Konjac pasta will lose its unpleasant odor. Shake the colander to remove water as much as possible.
Leave draining for some minutes then heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a frying pan, turn the noodles in it and sauté for 2-3 minutes. You need less time (only 6-8 minutes) than to cook a normal pasta. It can be flavored after these essential steps.
Multiculti Dish
Shirataki pasta is Japanese, but its shape (flat and thick) is similar to Italian Fettuccine and the Thai lemongrass vinaigrette is the crown on the top. I really like when different cuisines meet in my kitchen. Why not? Everything is possible if the result is healthy and delicious.
Shirataki Fettuccine with Asian Style Lemon Grass Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For noodles
- 2 packs Shirataki noodles in water net 200gram/each
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
For vinaigrette
- 1 cm lemon grass very finely cut
- 2 tsp fresh chives finely cut
- 4 tsp fresh coriander finely cut
- 4 tsp coconut aminos
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 30 ml sesame oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp pepper
- 1 ½ tsp white sesame seeds
- 1 ½ tsp black sesame seeds
- A bit of fresh chives for decoration
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette. Put all vinaigrette ingredients in a bowl. Whisk to combine for 2 minutes. It can be used immediately but it's much better to leave to infuse for at least one hour before using.
- Prepare the noodles. Konjac noodles are different than others, follow the instructions for the best result.Drain the noodles. Then place the noodles in a large colander and wash under running water for 2-3 minutes. Then rinse it with 2 liter boiling water. This step is important, because konjac noodles have unpleasant odor and we have to remove that. Shake the colander to remove water as much as possible. Leave draining for some minutes.
- Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a frying pan, turn the noodles in it and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Place the noodles to serving bowl and pour over the vinaigrette. Combine them, decorate with a bit of chives and serve. It’s perfect to serve with fried shrimp, chicken and vegetables, but it’s very delicious only with this lemongrass vinaigrette. Enjoy!