Konnyaku Steak is the best friend for any dieters. Sliced Konjac fried in a saucepan coated with garlic soy sauce butter is delicious, nutritious, flavourful and you are only consuming a few calories.
What is Konnyaku (Konjac)!?
Konjac is a plant commonly grow in Asia and it has edible corm. It is known as Konnyaku in Japan and often used for many dishes such as Nikujyaga and Oden. Japanese konnyaku is made by mixing Konjac flour (that is made from the edible Konjac corm), water, and lime. Konnayku that you can buy from shops generally come in two shapes: bar type and noodle like. The bar shape (8cm x 14cm x 2cm thick (3.14inch x 5.5inch x 0.78inch) one is usually greyish colour packed with water and the noodle like konnyaku is white in colour known as “Shirataki” often used in making nikujyaga and sukiyaki or other pot foods.
Why Konnyaku(Konjac) has a fishy smell?
Konjac is a super popular food for many dieters because about 98% of konjac is moisture, it contains very little calories and a lot of dietary fibre of glucomanan. But the downside of konjac is its fishy smell even though it is not made out of fish. The main cause of this fishy smell is the calcium hydroxide aqueous solution added as coagulant in the konjac manufacturing process. If you can pass the first impact of fishy smell when you open the packet, there is a way to remove the smell.
How to remove the fishy smell off Konnyaku
Cut a konjac bar into two thin fillets. Score the surface of the konjac fillets about 5mm apart diagonally on both sides. Cut it into two lengthwise then cut it about 2cm apart. Place the cut konjac pieces in a mixing bowl and sprinkle salt. With a hand, rub the salt onto konjac and leave it for about 5 minutes. Place 2 litres of water in a saucepan and bring the water to boil. Add konjac and cook for a few minutes. Turn the heat off and drain the boiling water. This will remove the smell.
What is Shishito Peppers?
Shishito peppers may not be a familiar vegetables for many people although in Japan it is a common vegetable and is my favourite. Japanese shishito peppers are finger sized/shaped and wrinkly green peppers. They are not hot but actually quite sweet peppers, however, it is said that 1 in 10 peppers is spicy hot. I have never seen fresh shishito peppers in Australia but I could buy a packet of seeds. I succeeded to grow the Shishito peppers and harvested a lot this year.
The dieters best friend : Konnyaku
Konnyaku does smell a bit, but once you take off the fishy smell, Konnyaku itself does not have much taste. It is delicious when it is coated and flavoured with garlic, butter, and soy sauce. Konnyaku steak is my go-to dish when I want to lose weight or don’t want to put on any weight. Konnyaku is mostly moisture and fibre so it does not have much calories. In Japan, you can find many food products made from konnyaku, even like gummies.
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Konnyaku Steak with Shishito Peppers
Ingredients
- 1 bar Konjac(Konnyaku) 280g
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 Shishito peppers
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 10 g butter
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sugar
Instructions
Preparing Konjac
- Cut the konjac bar into two thin fillets.
- Score the surface about 5mm apart of the each fillets diagonally on both sides of the fillets.
- Cut each fillets into two lengthwise, then cut it into 2cm strips.
- Place all konjac pieces into a mixing bowl and sprinkle salt.
- Rub the salt onto konjac with your hands and leave it for 5 minutes.
- Bring water to boil in a saucepan over high heat, and add the konjac into the boiling water.
- Cook the konjac for a few minutes.
- Turn the heat off and drain the hot boiling water.
Preparing Shishito Peppers
- Wash Shishito Peppers and make a small cut so that the shishito peppers will not burst when they are heated.
Put them all together
- Combine soy sauce, mirin, and sugar well altogether and set aside.
- Heat olive oil and butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
- Add finely chopped garlic into the frying pan.
- When the garlic is fragrant, add the well-drained konjac and shishito peppers into the frying pan
- Fry them for a few minutes.
- Add the combined sauce to the frying pan.
- Stir them all together to coat the sauce.
- When the shishito peppers colour has changed to vibrant green and blistered a little bit, remove the shishito peppers out of the frying pan to a plate.
- Continue to cook Konjac pieces for a couple of minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened a little bit.
- Turn the heat off and serve the konjac steak with shishito peppers on a plate.
Calcium Hydroxide, itself, has no odor. It is my understanding, from another source, that the reaction between the glucomannan in the konjac powder and the calcium hydroxide creates some Trimethylamine, which has a “fishy odor”.
Not all brands of pre-made shiritaki noodles have this smell. Some companies pre-rinse the noodles before packaging, and all you have to do is drain the packaging water and they are ready to cook immediately.
If the konjac noodles, rice or konnyaku “cake” do have the odor, the tiny amount of trimethlyamine that is present is not harmful. But, as you discussed, since the odor is objectionable to many people, it is easily removed.
Hope this helps…
I just made this for my lunch and it is so tasty and filling. It’s really a great recipe when you are trying to lose weight from all the holiday overeating.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Hi Katherine, Thank you for making Konnyaku steak and am glad that it is helping you to lose weight. I have been making this a lot since I overate in the holiday 😀
Man, I normally only go for meat only dishes, but I am so intrigued right now!! No wonder your blog is on the top blog list in Australia!! Well done!! and all best!!
Hi Gerry 😀 Thank you. I am glad to know that Konnyaku attracted meat eater too 😀 And thank you for the comment. I did not know that my blog is on the list.
I have never seen Konjac in stores, but I will have to look out for it as I am loving the fact it is so healthy!!!
Gorgeous photos too 😀
Hi Claire, if there are any Asian grocery stores near you, they should have in fridges 😀 Or in Australia, major supermarkets stock noodle type in health food isle.
SO COOL! I have never experienced Konjac before but it sounds so cool and I cannot wait to try it! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you Jenn, worth trying 😀