Low Calorie Japanese Noodle Salad

“Imagine all the people living life in peace.” So sang legendary ex-Beatle John Lennon. Turn on the TV for the world report and you see strong imagination skills are needed!

Ready for some good news? (Me, too!) Borders blend and different cultures exist harmoniously in the humblest home cook’s kitchen to the haute designer ateliers of celebrity chefs.

American bacon and low-calorie Japanese shirataki noodles
live happily together on the plate and in the tummy!

A recent visit to the YouTube home of popular Japanese cooking instructor and star of Cooking with Dog revealed a clever take on Chinese hiyashi chuka salad. Her show is created for English speakers. (For those with furry family members, don’t fret the show’s title. The sensei teacher is not cooking with dog meat! She actually demonstrates how to master (mostly) Japanese dishes while her poodle, Frances, observes.)

Cooking with Frances the Dog

In the Chinese hiyashi chuka salad Cooking with Dog episode, the sensei substituted Japanese shirataki noodles for the richer Chinese egg noodles. Shirataki are a dieter’s dream noodle. They have a similar silky texture and are 10 calories or less!The other ingredients the instructor added to the low-calorie salad were pretty traditional and delicious.

Still, I was inspired to cut a few more calories and add America’s beloved bacon…The crunchy, salty bacon combined with the soft noodles results in a dish where textures and tastes are delivered in one delicious mouthful. Also, complementing the stars of the plate are tomato, cucumber and Japanese omelet. Again you get a pow of contrasting textures.

More good news: Low-calorie Japanese Noodle Salad is a snap.
The recipe is super-easy and kid-friendly, too!

And when dipped into the low-calorie soy-sesame dressing zapped with fresh ginger, I think you will be a happy camper. Instead of real bacon,I added a bacon substitute. (Both my husband and I are rather fond of the Morningstar brand of bacon.) But you can mix and match the fixings of your low calorie Japanese noodle salad in the way you imagine works best.

Low Calorie Japanese Noodle Salad

Silky low calorie shirataki noodles give way to crunchy, salty bacon. Cucumbers, tomatoes and Japanese omelet provide more fun for the palate. Fresh grated ginger in the soy-sesame dressing zaps the taste buds awake.

Ingredients:

For the salad:
1 package (8-ounces) of shirataki noodles
2 or 3 slices of bacon
½ English cucumber or 1 Japanese cucumber
½ Roma tomato
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon water
2 pinches of cornstarch

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Directions:

1. Rinse the noodles in a colander. Place the noodles in a pan. Boil with water just covering the noodles. (1 to 2 minutes.) Drain again in the colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. Lightly beat together the egg, salt, water and cornstarch. Smear a skillet with the tablespoon of oil. Heat the pan. Into the heated pan, pour the egg, water and cornstarch mixture. (You are looking for a very thin layer of omelet.) When the egg sets (1 to 2 minutes) slide onto a plate. Cut into thin strips. Set aside.
3. Get your sizzle on and fry up the bacon.
4. Slice up the cucumber and tomato.
5. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
6. Arrange your salad onto a plate. Pour or dip your fixings into the dressing.
7. Enjoy your meal…and your new ready for swimsuit season body!

Wishing you a world where peace prevails.

The Ninja Baker

The Ninja Baker has guest blogged and contributed recipes to numerous food sites. These additional recipes can be found here.

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