Konnyaku - The Topic

[GlorifiedRice]

Sheena? I bought this a few times and mine did not smell like feet.

It was very good. But I love Konnyaku with a passion...

[SheenaGreena]

I haven't tried it yet, but I can assure you that I will not think that it smells like smelly feet (some people are so rude!). I love konnyaku, kinako, and warabi but I have never had them all together

melonpan, do you know of any korean mochi that uses warabi?

btw: kimchi and dwaengjang smells like heaven <3

Im eating lunch now - hiyakko with some yummy toppings and I'm going to eat the konnyaku today after dinner for dessert. I'll let you all know how it tastes.

oh and thanks hiroyuki for the great translation, I knew you'd help me out with that and I didn't even have to ask!

[SheenaGreena]

just ate some of my new konnyaku warabi mochi and I loved them. They weren't as firm as the blocks of konnyaku I get at the grocery store and they tasted really refreshing. I didn't taste any warabi though, but I would buy them again.

[Hiroyuki]

just ate some of my new konnyaku warabi mochi and I loved them.  They weren't as firm as the blocks of konnyaku I get at the grocery store and they tasted really refreshing.  I didn't taste any warabi though, but I would buy them again.

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I don't think that warabi mochi tastes like warabi, that is, young shoots of warabi. Warabi powder is starch made from warabi roots.

melonpan: I am now quite indifferent and tolerant to what they say about natto and whale meat.

[JasonTrue]

Also the warabi starch isn't usually made from warabi anymore... but even in the places that use some actual warabi starch, it's refined to the point where you wouldn't taste any evidence of sansai. The distinctiveness is the texture that results, if anything.

I think a konnyaku version would probably have the texture overwhelmingly influenced by the konnyaku, so they probably wouldn't use much, if any, actual warabi starch powder.

just ate some of my new konnyaku warabi mochi and I loved them.  They weren't as firm as the blocks of konnyaku I get at the grocery store and they tasted really refreshing.  I didn't taste any warabi though, but I would buy them again.

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I don't think that warabi mochi tastes like warabi, that is, young shoots of warabi. Warabi powder is starch made from warabi roots.

melonpan: I am now quite indifferent and tolerant to what they say about natto and whale meat.

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[SheenaGreena]

I felt that the warabi didn't contribute anything at all to the konnyaku, but if you are saying texture than I guess that's it. Either way it was delicious and it made a really refreshing hot weather dessert.

[shinju]

Red Konnayku and grilled natto are this week's food obsession with me. When I was in Kyoto (I think it was Kyoto) in April, I picked up a few packages of red konnyaku in shoyu flavored sauce. The color is bright red and it looks kind of strange for non-dessert food. I wasn't sure how I was going to use this, but the taste is addictive and goes well with beer. Here is what the package looks like:

I have some several varieties of leafy green growing my yard and used some to make this side dish. Some of the greens were already flowering and needed to be used pronto, but thought it's pretty to add some flowers to the mix.

Has anyone seen drama Long Vacation? There was a scene of barbecuing or grilling natto and using a lettuce leaf as a wrap. That scene intrigued me and since then I have been grilling natto using a frying pan until partially browned and adding some of the sauce that comes with a natto pack in the end. I also like to use slivers of lime skin (I have lots of lemon and lime growing my in yard). This is so, so, so good!

Sorry for the lousy picture.

[Hiroyuki]

I didin't know that red (aka) konnyaku is a specialty of Omi Hachiman in Shiga prefecture.

I have some several varieties of leafy green growing my yard

Why don't you post some photos in the vegetable gardening thread here in the Japan Forum or another in the Food Tranditions & Culture Forum?

But, grilled natto? Hmm..... No thanks!

Natto tempura is one of my son's favorites, and my wife used to make it. Natto tempura is flavorful enough, but the smell of it while being deep-fried!

[sanrensho]

Has anyone seen drama Long Vacation? There was a scene of barbecuing or grilling natto and using a lettuce leaf as a wrap.  That scene intrigued me and since then I have been grilling natto using a frying pan until partially browned and adding some of the sauce that comes with a natto pack in the end.  I also like to use slivers of lime skin (I have lots of lemon and lime growing my in yard).  This is so, so, so good!

I don't remember that scene from Lon-Bake (natsukashii), but the grilled natto sounds intriguing. Do you move the natto around while frying it? In oil?

I might be the only person in the world who likes to eat natto with a squeeze of lemon juice, so your recipe sounds good to me.

[GlorifiedRice]

Hey, I have a block of green sashimi konnyaku. Its the kind called "marukin sashimi konnyaku". What can I eat it with? I mean what kind of accoutrements or sauce?

[Hiroyuki]

Hey, I have a block of green sashimi konnyaku. Its the kind called  "marukin sashimi konnyaku". What can I eat it with? I mean what kind of accoutrements or sauce?

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You haven't check this post yet?

Simply with soy sauce, su miso, ponzu, etc.

Kristin posted a recipe for su miso here

http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1966.html

I must confess that I personally don't like su miso...

[torakris]

It is hard to make konnyaku look pretty but it sure was tasty!

A block of konnyaku sauteed with daikon greens (from a neighbor's garden) and seasoned with a miso sauce (miso, soy sauce, sake and a bit of sugar).

[_john]

I recently bought a ふぐ引き fugu knife at a flea market cheaply but will rarely have the opportunity to slice fugu for てっさ fugu sashimi. At a restaurant the chef told me that they use konyakku to practice slicing fugu! So there is one good use for konyakku for people who don't like to eat it. I practiced on some konyakku but it is harder than it seems to make those uniform slices

[Hiroyuki]

I recently bought a ふぐ引き fugu knife at a flea market cheaply but will rarely have the opportunity to slice fugu for てっさ fugu sashimi. At a restaurant the chef told me that they use konyakku to practice slicing fugu! So there is one good use for konyakku for people who don't like to eat it. I practiced on some konyakku but it is harder than it seems to make those uniform slices 

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You can use your fugu knife to make hirame usuzukuri (thin slices of left-eye flounder), right?

[_john]

I recently bought a ふぐ引き fugu knife at a flea market cheaply but will rarely have the opportunity to slice fugu for てっさ fugu sashimi. At a restaurant the chef told me that they use konyakku to practice slicing fugu! So there is one good use for konyakku for people who don't like to eat it. I practiced on some konyakku but it is harder than it seems to make those uniform slices 

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You can use your fugu knife to make hirame usuzukuri (thin slices of left-eye flounder), right?

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Ah that's true! It's in season now and much cheaper than fugu.

Does anyone make sujikon (konyakku simmered with beef tendon) at home? that is my favorite way use konyakku. I usually eat it at street vendors but sometimes it can be quite expensive.

[heidih]

Does anyone make sujikon (konyakku simmered with beef tendon) at home? that is my favorite way use konyakku. I usually eat it at street vendors but sometimes it can be quite expensive.

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That sounds like a winner. I find the cooked texture of the konnyaku similar to the beef tendon without the gelatinous quality and had been wondering if there was a way to approximate it. So to combine seems inspired. Recipe?

[Hiroyuki]

I'm not familiar with sujikon, is it mainly a Kansai thing?

When you google "すじこん　作り方", you'll get lots of recipes in Japanese, like

http://www.kobebeef-shop.com/recepi/sujikon.html

http://metyaukare.blog3.petitmall.jp/blog-entry-166.html

[_john]

I guess it is a kansai thing. I couldn't find a recipe that I thought was close enough to what I have eaten in the past so here is the basic way I have made it:

tendon with meat attached

sugar

soy sauce

miso (I use haccho miso or another dark miso)

sake

miso should be the main flavor. slightly sweet with a good depth and smoothness from the tendon. not too salty, you don't need much soy. In a pressure cooker combine all the ingredients and cover them with 2 inches of water. simmer for 1 hour and then boil with the lid off until most of the liquid is evaporated. you can eat it as is or use it as an ingredient in okonomiyaki. this is called すじ玉. At festivals they cook it on top of a large teppan with a shallow rim.

[heidih]

I guess it is a kansai thing. I couldn't find a recipe that I thought was close enough to what I have eaten in the past so here is the basic way I have made it:

tendon with meat attached

sugar

soy sauce

miso (I use haccho miso or another dark miso)

sake

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Ummm...when does the konnyaku come in?

[_john]

Ummm...when does the konnyaku come in?

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Good question! You should have an equal amount of tendon and konnyaku cut into equal sized peices. For me it is all about the tendon which is why I probably forgot to mention konnyaku at all.

[heidih]

I realized that I have been buying and using a package of shirataki noodles every week for the last year, so I decided to revisit this topic for inspiration.

I pre cook them in a generous amount of water (after rinsing) with a glug of soy sauce for about 10 minutes. Then drain and scissor to size. Most frequently I add them to a simple vegetable stir fry with some nubbins of protein. I like them with soy, find they have an affinity for sesame oil and also enjoy them with a Vietnamese dipping sauce.

I have always enjoyed mung bean threads as well as the Korean chap chae (sp?) potato starch noodles, and I find these have a similar texture (and no calories!). Recently at the small Nijiya market around the corner I noticed a more expensive product - a packet of small konnyaku balls for about $5 (versus $1 for the blocks or noodles). I am tempted to see how different the texture and taste would be.

I did venture out a bit and bought a block of the white konnyaku and used it roughly chopped in a pumpkin soup. I simmered it for a good half hour in the soy water before adding to the soup. I enjoyed the texture and thought it played off with just enough similarity and difference with the mushroom slices in the dish.

I would be interested to hear any new and different uses you all are enjoying as I intend to step up my experiments with this product.

[Sally-chan]

Thanks for bumping up this thread. I enjoy eating konnyaku and would love to learn some new recipes other than my standards. One of my favorite ways to eat it has not been mentioned yet. Konnyaku no kinpira. Here's a recipe from Gaku Homma's "The Folk Art of Japanese Country Cooking: A Traditional Diet for Today's World." The original recipe can be found on Google Books, but here is the recipe paraphrased: Break konnyaku cake (ita konyaku- my preference is to use the brown yam cake)into bite size pieces with fingers, boil 5 minutes, cool in ice water to cool, drain and shake off excess water (or shirataki noodles that are rough chopped rinsed and drained).Heat sesame oil, add konnyaku and shiitake (cut in slivers and presoaked) and saute for about 5 minutes. Add a mixture of soy, mirin or sake, dashi (1T, 1T and 2T) and dried red chili (I used flakes) at high heat until liquid is absorbed and garnish with black sesame seeds. Just typing this makes me want to make some. Hope you enjoy!

[heidih]

Sally-chan thanks for that recipe. I think the key thing that I finally have understood is that in dry dishes the "dry fry" to remove excess water makes an enormous difference. I will be experimenting and posting over the next few months.

[percival]

Do they sell konnyaku yam flour by itself at Mitsuwa/Marukai/etc? I've never looked, but I'd be interested in experimenting with the flour itself. DIY konnyaku.

[Dejah]

I use the shirataki noodles, both the clear ones tied in knots and the egg-coloured ones in soup. Just rinse off, add to fat free chicken stock, add romaine hearts cut length-wise into quarters. I sometimes add shrimp, or any other kind of thinly sliced beef or chicken, or leftover roasted meats. Very low calorie and low points if you're on WW. I find the texture of the noodles take me longer to chew - slows me down as I tend to often rush through lunches.