If you’ve been missing glass noodles on a ketogenic diet, you are going to love this!
I’d love to thank Yvonne Lau for generously sharing her findings. My heart and belly deeply appreciate you!!
Okay, let’s get to it!
Ingredients
kelp noodles
lemon or lime
baking soda
water
Tools
pot
strainer
spatula
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This is an incredibly easy “recipe” if we can even call it that. In a pot, add the kelp noodles and enough water to cover the kelp noodles and bring to a boil. Roll, slice and squeeze in the juice of a lemon or lime and add some baking soda to your water– this is not a temperamental recipe so I never measure anything, but for every one pound package of kelp noodles, I’ve used about 1-1.5 lemons or limes depending on how juicy they are and I dumped from the box about two to three tablespoons of baking soda. From my experience, it takes a good 10-15 minutes for the noodles to soften to the consistency of glass noodles and they will soften indefinitely to mush if you let them so keep an eye on them! Some brands may need more time or baking soda and lemon– if they aren’t softening add more and keep stirring. Test a strand or two and the texture should be true to glass noodles. When they’ve reached the desired texture, pour them in to a strainer and run some cool water over them to stop any residual heat from cooking the noodles any longer. And you’re done! How easy is that?!
Where to find them: I’ve been able to find kelp noodles consistently at Whole Foods and on Amazon under the Sea Tangle Noodle Company brand.
I’ve also found them at H-mart (Korean grocer) under the same company, with different branding and a cheaper price! If you don’t have an H-mart or Whole Foods near you, call your nearest Korean grocer and ask if they carry kelp noodles, if they say no, try asking if they carry “Chun-Sah-Cheh” (Chun like Chun-Li from Street Fighter, Sah like “mama say mama sa mamakusa” from the Michael Jackson (RIP to the GOAT) or Rihanna Song, and Cheh like the word “Check” cut short without the “ck”.) This is the Korean word for Kelp Noodles. If you are physically in the store you can show them this: 천사채 or the picture if communication is difficult.
I think have spotted them at a Fred Meyer (Krogers) in a more diverse neighborhood, but not in my rural neighborhood’s Fred Meyer, so it might be worth it to give them a call before you jump in your car.
Health benefits: I don’t know the effects on the nutrients when cooking kelp noodles this way, it could be positive, negative or neutral, but kelp noodles in general are an incredibly mineral and nutrient-dense ingredient. With 10 times the amount of calcium of milk for good bones, teeth, muscles and hormone function, iodine for thyroid health which regulates your metabolism and 0 net carbs (1g total carbohydrates – 1g of dietary fiber) kelp noodles are a health conscious foodie’s dream ingredient. It also includes vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D and E and minerals including zinc, magnesium, iron, potassium, copper and calcium. Eat this. Eat as much as you want and feel so good about it!
Ideas on how to use them: So far I have used them in laksa, sullungtang, kimchi jjigae, and pad soon sen and have been beyond pleased with the results. I plan to incorporate them in yum woon sen, jap chae, and goong ob woon sen. Basically any slippery noodle dish! Hell, maybe even Bún bò Huế and hủ tiếu. Mm.. it’s been too long since I’ve had those.
Enjoy and good luck! -Jihae