Shirataki Spaghetti - Yum or Yuck?

The ongoing search for a pasta substitute continues. This review...pasta made from konjac root. "Konjac root" you ask "what the heck is that?" Also known as Shirataki noodles, they are made from the konjac yam, grown mainly in Japan and are high in the water-soluble fiber called glucomannan. I went searching at my local grocery story and found it in the refrigerated section in the organic/health food section. This version comes in a plastic bag, similar to sauerkraut.

The package was reasonably priced at $1.99, you get enough for two servings and comes in spaghetti and linguini shapes. This is the kind without tofu. There are varieties that include the soy product, but decided to keep it straight up. There are very few ingredients and they are all pronounceable: water, konjac flour, chickpea flour, potato starch, calcium hydroxide (used as an acid regulator and firmer, e.g. to make pickles crisp.), reduced iron (used as a food additive to replenish a lack of iron in the body) and folic acid.

Opened the bag and the first thing that hit me was a smell, like sea food. Luckily I had been warned about this and proceeded to rinse the noodles in cold water. They are long and firm at this point, put them in boiling water and cooked them up for about 5 minutes, there is still a bit of the smell while cooking, but not bad, it gets less the more you cook. Drained and put them on a plate, added some marina and parmesan cheese. Verdict - interesting. The noodles have no flavor but the texture is odd, kind of rubbery, similar to an al dente pasta, but more rubbery. Will take a bit of getting used to. It was a big NO from my son. He just couldn't get over the texture. He admitted they didn't taste bad, just how they felt in his mouth.

I've read that there are other ways to cook the noodles, such as sautéing/stir frying them, which I'll probably try at some point. I didn't get that sugar high followed by nausea as I get when eating white and other grain pastas and the nutritional information falls nicely into many diets.

Nutrition Facts:
Per 2/3 cup (113g) serving
Calories: 15
Total fat: 0g
Saturated fat: 0g
Trans fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 0mg
Total carbohydrates: 4g
Dietary fiber: 3g
Sugars: 0g
Protein: 1g
Calcium: 10%
Iron: 15%
Folic Acid: 10%

Overall, I give it an ok, not good, but not bad. Will take getting used to, but if I really want some pasta, I can feel guilt free using this product and my stomach won't rebel.

Have you ever used this or a similar product? Share your comments here.