Konjac

[Rita]

Here's a thread to learn about konjac!   Please post questions and tips here.

[Janet]

To be honest, when I saw a limp package of those shiritaki noodles in the store, my gag reflex kicked in.  No thanks. I have never missed noodles or pasta anyway as I rarely ate them BWB (Before Wheat Belly).  They are just the thing the really good stuff hangs around with and the good stuff in my house has "un-friended" any kind of noodle or pasta, along with the wheat/grains!! But, whatever makes it easier for all to carry on with WB, I say go for it.  Interesting question.  Is there any other use for the Konjac? 

[Jan in Key West]

Janet........that's what I thought but once you try them, you may be pleasantly surprised!  You have to rinse in cold water and they only take a few minutes to boil. With your eyes closed, you'd think you we're eating real pasta!

[Debi]

Jan...I saw these in the store this weekend and had the same gag response but I love Pasta so I might have to try them in the future.

[Jan in Key West]

Yes, you can get konjac flour and it makes an excellent thickening agent. 

[Lila]

Have been reading about these "fake" noodles.  I've been enjoying other fake pastas like spaghetti squash and julianned zucchini & yellow squash with sauces.  I'm kind of afraid to try something that really is closer to pasta (even in look only).  I don't trust myself yet.


I LOVED pasta dishes BWB and other than maybe bourbon (I've left behind all grain-derived alcohol), is probably the hardest thing I've stopped eating and don't want the temptation.


The noodles do look pretty gross, but then what I used to eat and the huge quantity I ate was pretty gross too.


I will look for the konjac flour for thickening, though.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Lila,


Wash the noodles,then dry "sauté" them in a frying pan to lose some of the water content.  These are like the cellophane noodles   that are served in oriental restaurants.  Sometimes called bean threads.  They are like al dente pasta.  No flavor of their own, these noodles absorb the flavor of the sauce that covers them.  The WB Cookbook recipe for Fettuchini Al Fredo is very tasty.  Add veggies to the sauce and you have a quick meal.  If you purchase the ones sold in a supermarket refrigerated section, make sure you are buying the ones made with konjac root and not soy. 


These really are pretty good with a great tasting sauce.  I added cooked shrimp and scallops with cut up string beans and torn up fresh spinach to the alfredo sauce and covered the noodles with it.  Use your imagination for add ons. Makes for a different kind of WB meal.   

[Lynda (Fl)]

Has anyone used the konjac flour in place of corn starch?  I would really love a replacement for that in my stew and potroast. 

[Jan in Key West]

Lynda.....yes, I've used the konjac flour (in capsules) as a thickening agent, it works well and I prefer it over coconut flour.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Jan-our-resident-bone-broth-and-konjac-expert,   


I learned to stir fry meats and chicken by lightly coating them with cornstarch and then quickly stir frying in a wok over a high heat.  Makes the protein very soft.  Do you think that konjac flour would work this way?  Coconut flour doesn't.  Neither does garbanzo bean. 


I understood that konjac flour needs to be mixed with cold water into a slurry and then slowly added to your hot gravy or sauce.
Is this the only way to use it?  Any other guidelines - like how many capsules would be similar to lets say, a TBS of wheat flour?

[Jan in Key West]

I doubt I'm an expert (by any means) on glucomannan caps.....but I have found them to be a better thickening agent than other options for the kinds of things we like. I tend to use un-coated meats for any kind of stir frys....usually use marinated pre-cooked meats that I make ahead for them....as well as eggplant and/or veal parmesan, I sauté without a coating. I'm a little skeptical that the glucomannan caps would work in this capacity but it's worth trying. The sauces we prefer are light wine/butter/lemon sauce for veal or lime berblanc' w/fish, a red wine/shallot sauce, the coconut aminos with stir frys and these all work well with the konjac flour....I open a cap, add it to the room temp liquid I'm using and then add to the sauce....stir and serve. You may need extra depending on how much you're making. I have used it in soups and stews too....but I don't make much gravy. Let us know if it works as a coating.....might be good on zucchini chips!