I’ve always loved to eat jell-O (gelatin), actually the Asia jelly made of agar agar is my favorite.  Another interesting jelly that is not commonly known in the U.S. is konnyaku.  It’s made from the tubers of konnyaku root. The konnyaku potato is native to Asia.  The Japanese pronounce it as “cone yuk”.  In Indonesia, they call it “iles- iles”.  In some countries it is known as voodoo lily or Devils’ Tongues.

They have huge blooms, but it’s the root that is eaten.  Photo from University of Connecticut

The Japanese have been eating this stuff for thousands of years. And there are many benefits of eating Konnyaku.  They mainly use Konnyaku to make jellies, tofu and noodles. The are low in calories, contains no fat, high in fiber, and rich in trace minerals. The Konnyaku fiber help clean the digestive tract of toxins.

When digested, konnyaku expands about 30-50 times in the digestive system - thus making you feel fuller longer. This would be good for those that want to lose weight.  But there is a caution to not just depend on konnyaku for weight loss.  As we all know, too much of anything is not good for you!

Konnyaku potatoes, photo from Bromo Agroindustry of Indonesia.  They don’t look so appetizing now, but they are suppose to be really healthy stuff.

Konnyaku contains glucomannan, which is a water-soluble dietary fiber. It is very low in carbohydrates. There are research being done that shows that konnyaku helps lower cholesterol, prevents high blood pressure and normalizes blood sugar as well as prevents diabetes.

I have never tried konnyaku, but am really interesting in getting my hands on some.  I think it’s time to visit the local Japanese supermarket soon. What I really want is the konnyaku powder to make jellies out of them.

Dragonfruit konnyaku jelly. From Exif’s via flickr.   This looks really good, made with konnyaku powder.

Konjac, from Japan has been making and selling konnyaku powder and noodles for over 115 years. Here are some of their products:

Thread-shaped Konnyaku. White ones are called “Sirataki”.

Black colored ones are specially made for  Sukiyaki - that famous Japanese dish and song!

You can listen to Sukiyaki on Youtube -

Japanese , French, and English version.  Enjoy!  My dad used to play this song late at night, especially when he thought we were all asleep.  I would sneak out of bed just to listen to it.

UPDATE 11/20/09:

I finally found some Konnyaku at the Japanese and Chinese market. They were sold at $1-$2 per package.

The one at the Japanese market were from Japan and also locally made in California. The ones at the Chinese market came from China.

The konnyaku patties (in square tofu like case) tasted awful. Very fishy and strange for a first timer like myself.

The best one is the konnyaku noodles. They barely had any taste. All the konnyaku is pre-cooked. You just add it to soup and eat like any other noodles.

I made chicken, vegetables, and noodle soup. The konnyaku were surprisingly filling.

I recommend the noodles. It’s both healthy and great for those wanting to lose weight.