Shiratake noodles are a miraculous low carb product that contain no carbs or gluten. They are made from a type of yam fiber and are common in Japanese cooking. You can usually find them in the refrigerated section over by the tofu and wonton wrappers – if not you can order them online in a variety of shapes.
Some people find the texture of Shiratake noodles a little rubbery, but I don’t personally have a problem with it because it reminds me of rice noodles. If you’re expecting it to be like traditional semolina pasta it might be a little weird at first, but most people can get used to it – especially if you’re on a low carb diet and really missing rice and noodles.
When you’re eating keto these are as close as you can get to real pasta – and when prepared right it will be a game changer. If you’ve been on the fence about trying low carb Shiratake noodles, I urge you to give them a chance with this recipe!
I first experimented with the Shiratake noodles in my low carb Potsticker Meatball Asian Noodle Soup recipe, and I couldn’t get enough of it. I knew I wanted to do a low carb lo mein style dish with them, but hadn’t gotten around to it until last week. I wish I had made it a priority sooner because this was amazing!
Super easy, it cooks even faster than traditional pasta, so the entire dish only takes minutes to cook once your meat and veggies are prepped. This is great for a low carb weeknight meal because you can make it at home faster than it would take to run out and get Chinese takeout from down the street – and it comes without the heaping side of guilt and shame!
Notes:
If you don’t eat pork, you can easily sub in chicken, beef or shrimp with excellent results! You can also throw in some snow peas, baby corn, bean sprouts, or other veggies according to your preference. The Shiratake noodles come out of the package very long which makes them hard to serve and eat. I cut mine up a bit after draining them to make them easier to manage – I recommend doing that before you toss them into the pan because once you mix them in it’s a little harder to do. Finally, you can adjust the heat (this is pretty mild as is) by adding some dried red pepper flakes or chopped fresh chili’s if you like it hot like I do!
Low Carb Pork Lo Mein Recipe
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Description
A delicious and super easy Lo Mein style noodle dish that is gluten free, low carb, keto, lchf, and Atkins Diet friendly!
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb pork sirloin, sliced thin (or chicken, beef, or shrimp)
- 1 Tbsp Gluten Free Soy Sauce (Tamari)
- 1 Tbsp Avocado oil (light olive oil or coconut oil will work)
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage leaves
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 bag Shiritake Noodles (8 oz) spaghetti style
For the Sauce:
- 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar (unseasoned, no sugar)
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar substitute
- 1/2 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
- 1 tsp Hoisin sauce
Instructions
- Open your package of Shiritake noodles and dump them into a strainer. Rinse them well and let them sit a bit to drain. If you’re going to cut them, you can do so now easily using clean kitchen shears – otherwise transfer to a cutting board and use a sharp knife. Set aside.
- Combine the pork and 1 Tbsp gf soy sauce and let it marinate while you prep the other veggies. Heat the avocado oil (or other) in a large saute pan. Add the pork and saute for about 2 minutes on high heat or until just cooked through. Remove the pork and set aside. Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes or until golden brown and slightly softened – add a little more oil if necessary. Remove the mushrooms. Add the garlic, cabbage and scallions to the pan and cook for about one minute or until slightly wilted and fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat and add your drained Shiritake noodles to the pan and toss with the greens. Let it sit while you make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Add it to the pan with the noodles and veggies and put back on the heat. Add the mushrooms and pork back to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium high heat until the sauce thickens and soaks into the noodles.
- Serve hot garnished with fresh hot chilis, fresh cilantro, and toasted sesame seeds if desired.
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Asian
So tell me – love Shiratake noodles? Hate them? Never tried them? I’m planning to do some more recipes with it so I’m just wondering if it’s something you’d be willing to try or not! And if so, what kinds of pasta dishes would you like to see recreated? More Asian recipes or would you rather something else? I am at your disposal!!!
While you’re here, have you checked out the IBIH Community Forums yet? Lots of great support over there from fellow IBIH fans and low carbers so be sure to join the conversation – especially if you’re doing the Egg Fast Menu Plan or Weekly Keto Menu Plans!
You should also check out the Cookbooks Page to get your copy of The Gluten Free Low Carber and any or all of my Ezines! I’m running a special of all five (over 150 recipes!) for just $19.99 – or you can get them piecemeal if you already have some of them and just want to complete your collection!
Ajax says
I’ve been reluctant to try shiratake noodles because I’ve heard they can cause water retention and bloating. Is that not the case?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I’ve never had that problem but I guess it depends on the person Ajax, also it depends on whether they are made with soy or yam and how you handle it! Let us know if you decide to try them out and how it goes!!
Stacy says
I love the Shiritake noodles. Asian food seems the only way the noodles seem to work. But, your amazing. I’m sure you could come up with something great to make with them besides just Asian dishes.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Stacy! I have a hard time imagining them as anything but Asian but I’m going to experiment anyway and see what kind of outside the box ideas I can come up with! Stay tuned! :)
Gretchen says
I love these noodles but it took a while to find an acceptable way to prepare them. I open them in the morning, drain, and rinse them with hot water. Then I put them into a pot of salted water and leave on the counter. At dinner time the pot goes on the stove and the noodles are boiled – quite vigorously; they will not disintegrate. Then they are drained and combined with sauce – usually my husbands meat sauce that has been simmering for hours. The odd smell is gone and the texture is much more tender than fresh out of the package.
I hope this helps others to enjoy their favorite Mellissa recipes.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for sharing your method Gretchen, I’ll have to try that – especially if I want to experiment with anything but Asian flavors!
ashleegallagher@yahoo.com says
I loved the soup.. I even bought more noodles. Totally trying this one soon.
Wendy says
Oh …Cannot wait to try! I bought a variety package online and they are sitting in my fridge waiting for recipes such as these. I’m a huge fan of asian food which is why I bought them. Perhaps pad thai?? I’ve been googling recipes all weekend and then this just happened to show up !! Answer to prayers :)
Jacqui says
Shiratake noodles are okay with Asian flavors, but I prefer the kelp noodles. I won’t ever use shiratake noodles with Italian flavors. That nearly doomed my ever trying them again.
Mellissa Sevigny says
It’s hard for me to imagine too Jacqui but I’m going to see if I can adapt them to other recipes besides just Asian if I can. I won’t post them unless they are really good though. I haven’t tried kelp noodles yet, I’ll look for them next time I’m at the Asian Market thanks!
Scott Rizzo says
Mellissa! Do you have a brand of Shirataki noodles that you prefer in this dish? I followed your link above to Amazon, which do you use?
Thanks!
-Scott
Mellissa Sevigny says
Scott I’ve tried several and find them all to be pretty much the same – as long as they aren’t soy based any brand will do. I think pasta zero was the last one I tried. Nirashi is another good one but I usually only find it at Asian markets. Enjoy!
Pat Krook says
I use a ton of the Miracle Noodles brand. I love the rice version, fettuccine and they newly have a ziti (though this one has a few calories per serving). I love that I don’t have to refrigerate this brand (and it is available as well via Amazon).
I had not tried anything as elaborate as this dish, and will do so..this sounds nummy! TY!
Mellissa Sevigny says
I didn’t know they made a version that doesn’t need to be refrigerated! That would be super handy, I’ll have to look for them! Hope you like this dish Pat, let me know how it turns out!!!
Melissa says
I love shirataki noodles. Looooove them. To me, they’re even easier than pasta because all I do is rinse, rinse, and throw in my recipe. So I would really like any and all recipes that feature them. I’m going to try this recipe the next time I go to the grocery.
Ally says
I’ve tried shiratake noodles. I really, really wish I liked them but to me it’s like trying to chew a mouthful of rubber bands (and I find they don’t taste much better either). If there was a way to fix the texture I might be willing to use them. I use broccoli slaw, spaghetti squash, spiralized zucchini, or kelp noodles if I need a “noodle,” even though it’s not the same a pasta….sigh
Mellissa Sevigny says
All of those options will also work Ally! You probably know to add the zucchini noodles right before serving so they don’t disintegrate but I’ll say it here for anyone who hasn’t cooked with them before! Enjoy!
Steve says
I’ve been experimenting with Shiratake noodles a lot lately and I’ve found if you cook them for a long time (about 30min) in a sauce, they tend to soften up a little and lose some of the rubber-like texture. For Chinese dishes I will simmer them on the hob and keep stirring and for pasta style dishes I will fry off the noodles with my meat, garlic onion herbs etc then add chopped tomatoes and throw the lot in the oven for 30 min, then pull it out and top it with cheese and pop it back in for another 10min.
Debbie Ausmus says
I made meatballs in asian soup and my family loved the noodles. Thank you Mellisa for another delicious recipe
Mellissa Sevigny says
You’re welcome Debbie and thanks for letting me know that everyone liked the soup!!!