New! Cream cheese, sweet chili sauce and coriander dip with smashed potatoes view recipe

Cold tofu shirataki noodles

Shirataki noodles in a cold tofu broth noodle dish. Inspired by the Korean dish Kongguksu a cold soy milk soup, my recipe takes the shortcut of using a block of tofu to create a similar soy broth. Medium firm tofu is the best (not too hard, not too soft) for this recipe, but this recipe is forgiving, so you can use other types of tofu too, adding little or no water for soft tofu, or more water for extra firm.

Jump to Recipe

A gray bowl filled with a creamy soup, topped with sliced cucumbers, cilantro, sesame seeds, leafy greens, and a drizzle of chili oil.

Shirataki noodles are a translucent, gelatinous Japanese noodles made from the starchy tuber of the konjac plant (also known as konjac yam or elephant yam). The konjac is processed and refined into a flour called glucomannan flour. It is sold in a sachet with brine, and when you open the packet, you will be assaulted by a rancid fishy smell.

I googled why does shirataki noodles smell so fishy?

The answer: Shirataki noodles smell like fish due to a compound called trimethylamine found in the konjac flour they are made from. This compound is also responsible for the odor in the liquid they are often packaged in. The noodles themselves don’t inherently have a strong smell, but the liquid absorbs the odor.

To deal with the smell, simply squeeze some lemon juice over the noodles and toss, the smell magically disappears; or boil them in water before using. Both methods are very effective.

Cold tofu shirataki noodles

Serves

Ingredients

450 g shirataki or tofu shirataki noodles or other fresh noodles such as ramen or rice noodles
300 g spinach
ice cubes optional
toasted white sesame seeds
1 Persian/Lebanese cucumber trimmed and cut into thin matchsticks
handful of coriander/cilantro leaves
chili oil/crisp for serving

Tofu broth

400 g block medium firm tofu drained
1 garlic clove roughly chopped
1 teaspoons bouillon paste or powder I used Better than Bouillion
375 to 500 ml water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon white shiro miso paste

Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add the spinach and cook for just 15 to 20 seconds until wilted. Remove the spinach with tongs or a large spider ladle (keep the water on the boil), place in a colander and rinse under cold water. Allow the spinach to drain.
To the same water, add the shirataki noodles and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and run under cold water and when cool enough to handle, gently loosen them with the tips of your fingers. Allow to drain again. (you can skip this step if you have a lemon: rinse the noodles and then simply add a squeeze of lemon and loosen with your fingers. The smell will magically be gone! The noodles can be used straight away, without cooking)
To make the tofu broth, crumble the tofu and add to a blender or food processor, along with garlic, bouillon paste or powder, miso paste, sesame oil, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of water (if you are using a softer tofu, start by blending it without water first and then adding water once you see the consistency). Blend until completely smooth, loose and pourable (it should be loose like milk). If it is too thick, a bit more water (you could need up to 1/2 cup more). Taste and make sure you are happy with the seasoning, adding more salt if needed.
Squeeze the spinach to remove as much of the water as possible.
To serve, divide the noodles between four bowl, and top with the spinach. Slowly pour about 3/4 cup of the tofu broth into the bowl, focusing on adding it on the side and allowing the broth to surround the mound of noodles and spinach. If you’d like it cold, add 3 or 4 ice cubes to the broth.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, top with the cucumber, add a few drops of chili oil/crisp and finish with coriander/cilantro leaves. Serve immediately.Serves 4