Konnyaku Carpaccio!

Konnyaku, also called the devil's tongue is a jelly like food, made from the corm of a konnyaku plant, we call it Konnyaku potato. It's very popular in Japan as it is full of dietary fiber and it cleans our intestines. It also has no calories and it is used in place of noodles (This type of konnyaku is called shirataki)

The konnyaku has a very odd smell which must be removed before cooking, usually by boiling it. But, other day I was watching a TV show which showed a totally new way taking out the smell from konnyaku. By thinly slicing the konnyaku and placing it in ice cold water for 2 hours will remove more smell than from boiling it. Test results showed that if the smell of the konnyaku is 10, by boiling it for 10 minutes, it will  go down to 3, but by placing it in ice cold water, it is cut down to 1.7! This is really breaking news!

So here is a low-calorie starter using konnaku:

Konnyaku Carpaccio

Ingredients (serves 2)
Konnyaku: 1 block
Sesame Oil : 1-2 tsp
Naganegi Onions : 8cm or  2-3 Spring Onions.
Salt & Pepper

1 . Slice the konnyaku into 3mm thickness and place it in a bowl of ice cold water for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Cut the Naganegi Onions in half (4 cm in length). and slice it thinly length-wise. If you are using spring onions, finely chop it.
Drain the Konnyaku and arrange it on a plate. Place the Naganegi Onions, drizzle the sesame oil and sprinkle the salt and pepper.