Tofu noodles, a slimy, putty-pale item that might ordinarily be relegated to the back of the ethnic food shelf in American grocery stores, are experiencing a surge in popularity. Why? The 40-calories-a-bag noodles have been endorsed by Hungry Girl, a website dedicated to the kind of food substitutions that recall the bad old days of Slim-Fast, Snackwells, and other highly altered dietetic food stuffs. Her endorsement has made the once-obscure noodles a hot ticket item in stores like Whole Foods and Gristede's.
Hungry Girl suggests eating Tofu Shirataki noodles with low-fat cheese as a sort of (very) faux fettuccine Alfredo. I dunno - anything labeled "lite" or "low-fat" reminds me too much of my mid-90s girlhood of eating neon-colored sugar-free yogurt for breakfast and tofu bologna slices for lunch.
9-10-2008 @5:13PM otaku30 said... As a diabetic I have been using Shiritaki noodles for a few months. They have no flavor themselves and no one in their right mind would mistake them for a real noodle or pasta. I use them in stir-fries for the most part. They do a great job of soaking up the flavor of whatever sauce you use. These have been popular for several years with the folks on Atkins.
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9-10-2008 @5:50PM Andrew said... They are great in sukiyaki.
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9-10-2008 @8:45PM ShortWoman said... Can't make a proper sukiyaki without shiritaki!
Strangely enough, I have to go to the Albertsons to get shiritaki, but to the Smiths (division of Kroger) to get soba! Why oh why can't I get all my Japanese noodles in one place??
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9-10-2008 @11:49PM dano272 said... I just bought these the other day - and made a quick stir fry with some garden vegetables. I though they held up nicely and had a nice mouth feel. I would buy them again.
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9-11-2008 @2:14AM Bear Silber said... Crazy!!! I thought I was the only one...I've been doing a wonderful stir-fry with these for the past couple of months. I eat it about 5 times a week. They're cheap and I can get them at my local Safeway.
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9-11-2008 @11:30AM Alex said... I think these are awful. They stink when you open the bag, you have to run them through clean water to get the stench. The texture is like that of VERY overcooked noodles and they have a weird aftertaste. I agree re: Hungry Girl's "food stuffs" recommendations. She promotes a diet high in chemicals and perservatives all in the name of saving a few calories.
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9-11-2008 @12:52PM rae annimal said... I LOVE these noodles. I've tried them in stirfries, with curries, with marinara (admittedly not the best), in soups, miso and otherwise. Everything, really.
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9-11-2008 @5:32PM Mrs. L said... There are different brands some seem to smell more than others. These work great in stir frys or soups as "filler" and something pasta like when you are trying to watch your carbs (like the first poster they are good for diabetics).
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9-11-2008 @6:11PM samantha said... I love these noodles, and I am a huge fan of the hungry girl website. I dropped 50 pounds last year, and many of her recipies are in regular rotation in my diet. Many are no where near the faux foods they should replace - but delicious none the less (so long as you don't try to pretend it's the real deal)
and the faux fettucini with laughing cow - is actually a really good, quick dinner.
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9-17-2008 @3:29PM A said... Ugh. I was briefly signed up for Hungry Girl's mailing list and was pretty horrified.
Regardless of calorie/fat/etc count, I'm not sure I can consider a recipe that involves Jell-O pudding snack, Cool Whip and artificial sweeteners as a healthier alternative to a single high-quality cookie.
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