Enoki Mushrooms a Pasta Substitute?

[dangerousdon]

We have an Asian restaurant in my community that serves mostly traditional Szechuan. I love this place...I mean, I really love this place. But as we all know...sometimes Asian food isn't always the best when it comes to low carb dishes. Recently this restaurant put out on social media some dishes that are low carb (some may even be keto friendly) with just a slight adjustment to the meal. One in particular is Mashed Garlic Shrimp. It usually comes with a Rice Vermicelli Noodle.



Outside of the the noodles...the dish is pretty low carb (I'll ask at a later date what type of oil she uses...it's likely peanut and/or sesame...not ideal...but I will deal with it on occasion). So the owner suggested that instead of the noodles...ask for enoki mushrooms instead. I said What?

Enoki Mushrooms are these long thin mushrooms that are used a lot in Asian dishes. The stem is about the size of a larger sized pasta.



So how did it work out? Well...it's a bit more firm than pasta and while it doesn't have much of a taste itself, it does have that mushroom type texture. So...is it a real pasta substitute...not really. You won't see me boiling a bunch of Enoki mushrooms and pouring over a nice bolognese sauce. But I tell you what...in that dish...it was amazing.

I might stop by our local Asian market and pick some of these up for some other dishes.

 

[Spider]

Those mushrooms sound good. I just saw someone use those on a cooking show.

I use Spaghetti squash, Zucchini, or Skinny Noodles in place of pasta. Zucchini makes amazing Lasagna!

 

[GearNoir]

Interesting! Any comparison to spaghetti squash?

 

[dangerousdon]

Interesting! Any comparison to spaghetti squash?

If spaghetti squash was thicker...It might be similar. I hate to use the term rubbery, because it seems so negative. But enoki mushrooms have that mushroom rubbery texture. Not bad by any means...but just a little different.

 

[dangerousdon]

Those mushrooms sound good. I just saw someone use those on a cooking show.

I use Spaghetti squash, Zucchini, or Skinny Noodles in place of pasta. Zucchini makes amazing Lasagna!

My only complaint with zucchini is the amount of water that cooks out of them. Otherwise, I think they are tasty as a pasta substitute.

 

[Spider]

My only complaint with zucchini is the amount of water that cooks out of them.

After I slice my Lasagna noodles, I sprinkle both sides with salt, and put between two towels to draw out the water. Works great, and I don't have a watery mess in the bottom of my pan.