10 replies to this topic

[DanielProebsting]

How do I make Shiritaki (konjac) noodles? I have the glucomannan powder/flour, but what is a detailed description of how to make them? I can't get calcium Hydroxide for increasing the PH level, so have been using bicarb-of-soda and calcium carbonate.

Here is what I do.
1. 1.5 cups water mixed with 1tsp bi-carb-of-soda or calcium carbonate.
2. Gradually add 1 Tbsp konjac powder until fully dissolved/hydrated.
3. Bring to boil in saucepan for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
4. Spread on plate and cool.

The result gels, but it is softish, and not characteristicly chewy.
What am I doing wrong?

Thanks

Daniel

[Hiroyuki]

You mean shirataki (not shiritaki) right? I have never made shirataki or konnyaku. To make shirataki, you need a special gadget for extruding paste-like konnyaku from tiny holes into noodles, which are then directly put into a hot-water bath.
http://www.natto-men...atakiseizo.html
Japanese only. See the 3rd photo.
Or, you can make konnyaku first and then cut it into noodles, which may be more like what is referred to as ito konnyaku in the Kanto region of Japan.

I can't find a single method for making konnyaku using bicarb-of-soda or calcium carbonate. All methods I found call for calcium hydroxide, but I think that you can use calcium carbonate instead because eggshell powder, the main ingredient of which is calcium carbonate, can be used instead of calcium hydroxide. I think you need to make some more experiments to determine the right amount to use.

Here is what I do.
1. 1.5 cups water mixed with 1tsp bi-carb-of-soda or calcium carbonate.
2. Gradually add 1 Tbsp konjac powder until fully dissolved/hydrated.
3. Bring to boil in saucepan for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
4. Spread on plate and cool.

Did you follow the method from this?
http://www.konjacfoods.com/#1

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of glucomannan (contains 6 grams of soluble fiber.)

1/2 teaspoon of pickling lime, a food grade calcium hydroxide.
Procedure:
Pour 2 cups of cold water into a pot. Stir in a half-teaspoon of pickling lime. Then, add 1 tablespoon of Konjac Glucomannan powder, stirring continuously to a boil. Boil the mixture for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. A thermally stable (non-reversible) gel is formed once the mixture cools down. Cut gel into small pieces, dip in water or steam about 3-5 minutes and then cook in the way you like.

I will explain one method I found.
http://www.tohoku.ma...utukurikata.htm
(Japanese only)
Almost all others are quite similar to this.

Ingredients (for six cakes of konnyaku)

40 g konnyaku powder
2.5 g calcium hydroxide

1. Put 1,400-cc water to a pan, heat it to 60 to 70 C (140 to 158 F).
2. Add powder little by little, mix well with a wooden spatula or something similar until paste-like. Cool to human temperature.
3. Dissolve calcium hydroxide in 100-cc lukewarm water.
4. While stirring the paste-like mixture with a wooden spatula, add the solution and mix well quickly until paste-like. You may use your hand to mix well. (Translator's note: I guess you should wear a rubber glove if you are susceptible to substances like this.)
5. Transfer to a moistened container quickly. Press on the surface gently and let it sit.
6. Remove from the container (pour a small amount of hot water for easy removal), cut into appropriate sizes, and boil 20 to 30 minutes to harden and remove harshness.
7. Cool in water.

[DanielProebsting]

Yes I did follow the directions from 'www.konjacfoods.com' and yes I did mean konnyaku. I have read that they can de made with washing soda, and/or potash, which I might try soon.

I will try that method that you found and see if it will work for me.

Thank you

Daniel

You mean shirataki (not shiritaki) right?  I have never made shirataki or konnyaku.  To make shirataki, you need a special gadget for extruding paste-like konnyaku from tiny holes into noodles, which are then directly put into a hot-water bath. 
http://www.natto-men...atakiseizo.html
Japanese only.  See the 3rd photo.
Or, you can make konnyaku first and then cut it into noodles, which may be more like what is referred to as ito konnyaku in the Kanto region of Japan.

I can't find a single method for making konnyaku using bicarb-of-soda or calcium carbonate.  All methods I found call for calcium hydroxide, but I think that you can use calcium carbonate instead because eggshell powder, the main ingredient of which is calcium carbonate, can be used instead of calcium hydroxide.  I think you need to make some more experiments to determine the right amount to use.

Here is what I do.
1. 1.5 cups water mixed with 1tsp bi-carb-of-soda or calcium carbonate.
2. Gradually add 1 Tbsp konjac powder until fully dissolved/hydrated.
3. Bring to boil in saucepan for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
4. Spread on plate and cool.

Did you follow the method from this?
http://www.konjacfoods.com/#1

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of glucomannan (contains 6 grams of soluble fiber.)

1/2 teaspoon of pickling lime, a food grade calcium hydroxide.
Procedure:
Pour 2 cups of cold water into a pot. Stir in a half-teaspoon of pickling lime. Then, add 1 tablespoon of Konjac Glucomannan powder, stirring continuously to a boil. Boil the mixture for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. A thermally stable (non-reversible) gel is formed once the mixture cools down. Cut gel into small pieces, dip in water or steam about 3-5 minutes and then cook in the way you like.

I will explain one method I found.
http://www.tohoku.ma...utukurikata.htm
(Japanese only)
Almost all others are quite similar to this.

Ingredients (for six cakes of konnyaku)

40 g konnyaku powder
2.5 g calcium hydroxide

1. Put 1,400-cc water to a pan, heat it to 60 to 70 C (140 to 158 F).
2. Add powder little by little, mix well with a wooden spatula or something similar until paste-like. Cool to human temperature.
3. Dissolve calcium hydroxide in 100-cc lukewarm water.
4. While stirring the paste-like mixture with a wooden spatula, add the solution and mix well quickly until paste-like. You may use your hand to mix well. (Translator's note: I guess you should wear a rubber glove if you are susceptible to substances like this.)
5. Transfer to a moistened container quickly. Press on the surface gently and let it sit.
6. Remove from the container (pour a small amount of hot water for easy removal), cut into appropriate sizes, and boil 20 to 30 minutes to harden and remove harshness.
7. Cool in water.

[DanielProebsting]

I tried that method with calcium carbonate, and it was a disaster, I ended up with a big gloop! It didnt seem to harden up while it was boiling.

[Hiroyuki]

Sorry to hear that. But don't despair. Did you take note of how much of it you added? It's likely that you need some more experiments.

[DanielProebsting]

Yeah, I halved everything, and used 20g konjac powder, 1.5g calcium carbonate, 700ml water, and 50ml water for the calcium carbonate to dissolve in.

Sorry to hear that.  But don't despair.  Did you take note of how much of it you added?  It's likely that you need some more experiments.

[Hiroyuki]

I found a method in which 'seashell calcium' is used. I think (but I am not 100% sure) seashell calcium is similar to eggshell powder, the main ingredient of which is calcium carbonate. The method is not significantly different from the one I previously posted. The main difference is that the temperature of the water in which the konnyaku powder is to be dissolved is much lower (79 F) and salt is used in addition to the seashell calcium.

I hope this helps in any way.

Source:
http://www.di-hana.c...neri/index.html
(The description is modified by me where necessary.)

Ingredients:
25 g konnyaku powder
1 g seashell calcium
1 g salt

850 cc water (used to dissolve konnyaku powder)
150 cc water (used to dissolve seashell calcium)

1. Add konnyaku powder and salt to 850 cc water at a temperature of 26 C (79 F) and stir for about 5 min.
Leave it for 90 min. and it will be jellylike.
2. Add seashell calcium to 150 cc water. Add the solution to the jellylike konnyaku unevenly and quickly until firm and sticky. Then, put it in a mold or make it into balls with your hands.
3. Boil konnyaku in water of about 75 to 80 C (167 to 176 F) for 1 hour.
4. Cool in cold water for 30 min. to make it firm and tight.

[DanielProebsting]

I think I might have did it!

I used 20 g Glucomannan powder
2g sodium carbonate (soda ash)
700ml Water (650ml + 50ml)

Mixed the Soda ash into the 50ml of warm water

Added the Glucomannan to the 650ml of warm water and stired for a few minutes

Added both mixtures together and stired/mixed with gloved hands.

Put aside for a while till cold.

Cut into bits and put into boiling water for an hour.

The result was reasonably firm and springy.

Now I just have to fine tune the procedure and see if I can make it a bit more firmer, and chewier.

Thanks for your help Hiroyuki

[Hiroyuki]

Here is what I do.
1.    1.5 cups water mixed with 1tsp bi-carb-of-soda or calcium carbonate.
2.    Gradually add 1 Tbsp konjac powder until fully dissolved/hydrated.
3.    Bring to boil in saucepan for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
4.    Spread on plate and cool.

You did it! (I thought you had given up the attempt because you started a thread on purchasing konnyaku elsewhere.)

What puzzled me about the recipe above is that it does not include an "aku-nuki" (harshness removal) step, which I think is necessary to make the resulting konnyaku eatable.

[DanielProebsting]

I am still looking for commercially made noodles for comparison of texture etc.

Would boiling homemade konnyaku in water be enough for the harshness removal, or should the water have some kind of acidity added to it? i mean the stuff I made had a very slight alkalinity to its taste.

[Hiroyuki]

I am still looking for commercially made noodles for comparison of texture etc.

Would boiling homemade konnyaku in water be enough for the harshness removal, or should the water have some kind of acidity added to it? i mean the stuff I made had a very slight alkalinity to its taste.

I think that boiling it in water for 30 to 60 minutes and then keeping it in cold water until use should be enough. I really don't know much about homemade konnyaku, though.
Before we use store-bought konnyaku, we prepare it in some way or other, like rubbing it with salt to remove the odor, pounding it with a pestle or something similar to soften it, and parboiling it for a few seconds to 5 to 7 minutes to remove harshness.

Here is a link to what you might be interested in, konnyaku ramen :
http://esearch.rakut...arc...A5á¥ó&x=0

We also have such a thing as sashimi konnyaku, which does not require you to do 'aku-nuki' (harshness removal)
http://www.konnyakuy...u/namasyoku.htm
http://japanvcs.co.jp/m.html
We often eat it with su-miso (vinegar-and-miso sauce).

Edited by Hiroyuki, 06 March 2005 - 05:34 AM.