Mentaiko Shirataki with Pumpkin and Wakame


As explained in my previous post, my brother bought mentaiko from Japan and this led me to cooking a 4-course dinner for my family. This is the 2nd course of Mentaiko Shirataki with Pumpkin and Wakame (seaweed). Shirataki is noodles made from Konjac and is almost calorie free. It is high in fibre and thus, still fills you up despite it being so low in calories. What is perfect about it is that it also takes on the flavour of whatever soup or sauce you put it in so it's a good base for a dish where you want the sauce or soup to stand out. I also enjoy it's slightly chewy texture. The recipe below serves 4 pax as part of a 4-course dinner and is super easy.

Ingredients:
1 packet shirataki
50g pumpkin, diced
1/2 tbsp dried wakame
1/2 tbsp miso paste
1 mentaiko sac
1 tbsp truffle oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Method:
  1. Drain the shirataki and wash it thoroughly with tap water. Boil it in hot water for 1 minute before draining it and cooling it.
  2. Scrape the mentaiko from the sac with a spoon or a butter knife. Discard the membrane. Add it to the shirataki together with the truffle oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix well and set it aside in the fridge.
  3. Following my recipe on Mentaiyaki okra and aubergines, you would still have leftover miso soup. Cook the pumpkin in the soup and once cooked, take it out and cool.
  4. Boil the dried wakame in the miso soup until it has regained its moisture.
  5. Twirl 1/4 of the shirataki and build it as a base in a small bowl. Add the pumpkin and wakame on top.

I really like the balance in this dish because the saltiness from the mentaiko is balanced by the sweet pumpkin. If you do not like pumpkin, you can substitute this with sliced lotus roots boiled in lightly sweetened water. This dish is also suitable for those on a low or non-gluten diet.

Other mentaiko recipes:

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