High Flavor-Low Carb Tofu Konjac Ramen with Avocado & Kimchi

I love all sorts of noodles – Japanese soba/udon, Vietnamese pho, and of course miso/tonkotsu ramen with springy yellow noodles, etc. A drawback – most of them are high in carb (often simple carb) and calories. So when I learned House Foods (a Japanese food company) came up with noodle products made from soybeans and konjac flour called “Tofu Shirataki Ramen“, I had to try it out.

Low calorie & high fiber konnyaku

Konnyaku is sort of a yam cake made of konjac flour. Shirataki is a thin, noodle-like form of konnyaku. In Japan, shirataki is often used in hot pots or sukiyaki type of dishes, while konnyaku shows up in various kinds of stew as well as pan fried or broiled as “steak.” I quite enjoy the springy texture and use it quite often like in this daikon, tofu, and kimchi miso soup.

At 20 calories, one serving of this “tofu shirataki ramen” (198g pre-cooked, equivalent of 3 oz dried noodles) is less than 10% caloric of regular ramen noodles, which are usually around 200 – 300 calories per serving. One would wonder – would this taste like a rubber, as in overcooked shirataki??

Play with your favorite flavor boosters

The noodles usually come pre-packaged with a soup base such as miso, shoyu, or tonkotsu (a popular ramen soup base from pork stock), so you can start with any of them. If you don’t care for them, any savory soup base can work with this noodle, and I think adding miso will likely the easiest way to boost the flavor. In this case, I decided to use the packaged base and add whatever I had in pantry, including dried shiitake mushrooms (see this post on how to rehydrate), kimchi, various vegetables AND avocado. I’m always looking for new ways to use avocado, and threw in slices at the end, which transformed them into creamy, tofu-like pieces soaked in a rich, savory broth.