Pasta – How to prepare shirataki noodles to more closely resemble classic pasta

Many of the dried noodles that are marketed as "udon"—at least in my experience in the USA—are actually mislabeled, thinner noodles like Hiyamugi or even Sōmen. I would suggest buying the semi-dried variety that are usually packaged in vacuum sealed plastic. This variety is shelf stable, but it can often be found in the refrigerated section of Asian mega-marts. The noodles will already be almost full size before cooking.

The Maggi noodles you link to are just average ramen noodles, so can be cooked in the microwave quite easily.

1. Boil a kettle of water
2. Place the noodles in a microwavable bowl. You may need to break the noodles into pieces, but if you're careful with the boiling water you can sometimes soften the noodles in the middle enough to fold the block to make it all fit without breaking
3. Pour the flavour sachet (and any other curry powder/herbs) onto the dry noodles
4. Pour the boiling water onto the noodles, enough to cover the noodles, and if desired, a bit more for a bit of a soup
5. Put into the microwave, you can cover with a loose lid if desired, and microwave for around 2 minutes
6. Stir the noodles, separating any stuck-together blocks of noodles
7. Put back into the microwave for another 2-3 minutes (depending on your microwave's power)

I usually cook these kind in the microwave, since if I'm eating them I'm not usually in the mood for a proper cooking session. They do (depending on the kind of noodle) sometimes turn out slightly different when done in the microwave, as compared to boiling on hob, but both are nice as a snack.