6. 老坛笋 (lǎo tán sǔn)
If, like me before I came to China, you have only had bamboo shoots from a can, then you've never had bamboo shoots in all their glory.
There are many was to prepare them (some of which I'll get to later; some of which aren't relevant in this topic). But I'll start with one of the simplest. But not the simplest which is coming soon.
老坛笋 (lǎo tán sǔn) means 'old earthern jar bamboo shoots' which I think is pretty self explanatory. The bamboo shoots are pickled in old earthern jars with rice vinegar and chilis. We like our chili hit round here.
They are usually sliced thinly into batons and either used in the paocai I described above or added to stir fries. Again the vinegar is considered to cut through fattiness of meats, but Chinese rice vinegar is milder than most, so the delicate, subtle flavour of the bamboo still comes through. This is one I buy a lot, but have never made.
a) I don't have an old jar
b) it isn't really practical to make for just one person living alone (but not lonely).
