Harusame vs. Shirataki Konnyaku Noodles
As you may know, Harusame (春雨) is the Japanese take on Chinese fěntiáo, known as glass or potato noodles in English-speaking countries.
The Asian food is healthy and similar to Shirataki (白滝), but its main ingredient is starch from green beans, corn, or white or sweet potatoes.
Shirataki (白滝) vs. Harusame (春雨)
Shirataki (白滝)
On the other hand, Shirataki is a thin thread-like Konnyaku noodle made with the powdered bulb of the konjac potato plant.
While Harusame is a dried food, Shirataki is a firm, fresh jelly noodle whose about 96 to 97 percent consists of water.
Etymology
Harusame (春雨)
Japanese glass noodles have the name Harusame (春雨: literally, Spring Rain) because they are like spring rain when pushed out through holes in the production process.
Likewise, the literal meaning of Shirataki is White Waterfall, as they look like that when extruded in the making.
Nutritional Values
Shirataki in Yosenabe (寄せ鍋)
Next, let’s see the nutritional values of each noodle based on the articles 春雨 (食品) and コンニャク on Japanese Wikipedia.
Compared to dry Harusame, Konnyaku or Shirataki is low-calorie as the main components are water and glucomannan, but the former increases by 3 to 8 times when boiled and rehydrated.
Mapo Harusame (麻婆春雨)
| Dry Green Bean Harusame | Ita Konnyaku (Shirataki) | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 356 kcal | 6.9 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 87.5 g | 3.3 g |
| – Dietary fiber | 4.1 g | 3.0 g |
| Fat | 0.4 g | 0.1 g |
| Protein | 0.2 g | 0.1 g |
| Minerals | ||
| – Sodium | 14 mg | 2 mg |
| – Potassium | 13 mg | 44 mg |
| – Calcium | 20 mg | 68 mg |
| – Magnesium | 3 mg | 5 mg |
| – Phosphorus | 10 mg | 7 mg |
| – Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.6 mg |
| – Zinc | 0.1 mg | 0.2 mg |
| – Copper | 0.01 mg | |
| – Manganese | 0.05 mg | |
| – Selenium | 1 µg | 0 µg |
| Other components | ||
| – Water | 11.8 g | 96.2 g |
| – Insoluble dietary fiber | 4.1 g |
Uses
Harusame Salad (春雨サラダ)
As for usage, we often use Harusame in Nimono (simmered dishes), Itamemon (stir-fries), and salad dishes after rehydrating it, while Shirataki typically comes in Nimono and Nabemono (hot pots).
Both noodles can substitute for wheat noodles in ramen, udon, or pasta, and popular instant products include Acecook Soup Harusame (to be continued in the next post).
Shirataki in Oden (おでん)
