Konjac Root

Name: Konjac root, also called elephant yam or devil's tongue (Amorphophallus konjac) — a large, round corm of a tropical plant, used to make konjac flour (glucomannan), shirataki noodles and konjac jelly. It is hardly ever eaten fresh, as it is irritating and bitter.

Description

Konjac is native to Asia, and has been used in Japan, China and Southeast Asia for over a thousand years, as a food, in the form of firm, grey, rubbery jellied blocks called konnyaku. The corm is processed into a flour, mixed with water and lime, and set into a gel. In Japan, konnyaku appears in oden, hot pots and stir-fries, and the flavourless noodles called shirataki are made from it.

Konjac is almost entirely a soluble fibre, glucomannan, which absorbs huge amounts of water, so konjac products are very low in calories, which is why they are popular in low-carbohydrate and weight-loss diets. They have little flavour of their own, and take on the flavours of the sauces they are cooked in.

Main nutrition value

Konjac products are nearly all water and glucomannan fibre, so are extremely low in calories and carbohydrates, with almost no vitamins or minerals.

How best to be consumed

Konjac products are eaten rinsed and cooked, as a noodle or jelly.

1. Rinse shirataki noodles well and boil briefly, or dry-fry, to reduce the fishy smell of the packing liquid, before adding to soups, stir-fries or sauces.
2. Slice konnyaku blocks and simmer in dashi, soy and mirin, as in oden.
3. Pair with strongly flavoured sauces, since the noodles are bland.
4. Cut konjac jelly into small pieces and chew well.
5. Treat konjac as a low-calorie filler, rather than a main source of nutrition.

Overconsumption could cause…

Konjac is safe in food amounts, but needs care with some forms.

1. Choking, which has caused deaths, particularly from small, firm konjac jelly cups, which are banned in some countries, so avoid them and give no jelly to young children or older adults.
2. Digestive upset, such as bloating, gas, cramps and loose stools, from the large amount of fibre, and blockage of the gut, in rare cases, when konjac supplements are taken without enough water.
3. Reduced absorption of some medicines, so take them at a different time.
4. Low nutrition if it replaces more nourishing foods.

GroupsRoot VegetablesJapanese

Related foodsBurdock RootDaikon / White RadishLotus RootArrowrootBaby CarrotBamboo Shoots

Wikipedia — Konjac, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konjac