Fresh Bamboo Shoots

[eatingwitheddie]

Bought some beautiful fresh winter bamboo shoots in Bklyn. Chinatown. They're from China -- $1.98/lb. Three pieces cost $2.50.

I peeled them by removing the outer layers with my fingers until the woody covering was gone, leaving just the tender interior part of the shoot. I trimmed and discarded any hairy or discolored edges as well as the fibrous part of the tip. I then blanched the bamboo shoots in salted water for 20-25 minutes, then drained and rinsed them. They came out with a great crisp, crunchy and tender texture and a delicate flavor, ready to put in a stir fry or braised dish.

Both yesterday and in the past, I have noticed that I have a reaction to fresh bamboo shoots. They seem to make my tongue break out and create a tickle in my throat. To mitigate this I cut the BB shoot in pieces and then briefly blanched them a second time before using them in a recipe.

Anybody have any experiences prepping and cooking with fresh bamboo shoots? My grandmother never taught me the classical bamboo shoot preparations, just blintzes. Anybody know about my allergic reaction or experience a similar thing?

[Jason Perlow]

At China 46 in Ridgefield NJ, they are often served with fresh shitakke mushrooms and baby bok choy and then sauteed with garlic and served simply. We've also had this as a "fancy chicken chow mein" (paraphrasing China 46's owner, Cecil Wang) with chopped up leeks, chives and chicken, also sauteed with garlic.

[eatingwitheddie]

At China 46 in Ridgefield NJ, they are often served with fresh shitakke mushrooms and baby bok choy and then sauteed with garlic and served simply. We've also had this as a "fancy chicken chow mein" (paraphrasing China 46's owner, Cecil Wang) with chopped up leeks, chives and chicken, also sauteed with garlic.

Does it explicitly say on the menu that the bamboo shoots are fresh?

[Jason Perlow]

At China 46 in Ridgefield NJ, they are often served with fresh shitakke mushrooms and baby bok choy and then sauteed with garlic and served simply. We've also had this as a "fancy chicken chow mein" (paraphrasing China 46's owner, Cecil Wang) with chopped up leeks, chives and chicken, also sauteed with garlic.

Does it explicitly say on the menu that the bamboo shoots are fresh?

Yes. Most definitely. They are "very expensive" according to Cecil. He even brought one out to show to us. In particular, he referred to them as "fresh heart of bamboo"

[torakris]

Nothing is better than fresh bamboo just dug from the ground! Unfortunately the start to become bitter the moment they are removed from the earth and become increasingly bitter as time passes, so by the time they reach the stores they need some major work to become palatable.

In Japan, they are peeled (this outer peel can be very irritating to it is a good idea to wear gloves if you are especially sensitive) then are boiled (froma cold water start) in the left over rice washing liquid or if none is around through a couple tablespoons of rice into the pot along with a dried chile for about 1 1/2 hours then cooled in a cold water bath.

I live rigth next to a bamboo forest and and the land owner happens to also be the owner of my apartment and in early spring brings me fresh bamboo just minutes from the ground, it is hard to buy the grocery store ones after eating those!

I walk past this forest everyday taking my daughter to and from kindergarten andfrom about 3 weeks ago have been scanning the ground for shoots, nothing yet!

[tissue]

Julienne them and stir fry with pork.

Or slice them paper thin and stir fry with ji tsai (shanghai greens) and chicken fat. For this dish, the finished product should be viscous, almost like a thick sauce, because the greens should be cut into very small pieces.

Edited March 7, 2003 by tissue (log)

[Jinmyo]

Kristin, that's great!

[eatingwitheddie]

Nothing is better than fresh bamboo just dug from the ground! Unfortunately the start to become bitter the moment they are removed from the earth and become increasingly bitter as time passes, so by the time they reach the stores they need some major work to become palatable.

In Japan, they are peeled (this outer peel can be very irritating to it is a good idea to wear gloves if you are especially sensitive) then are boiled (froma cold water start) in the left over rice washing liquid or if none is around through a couple tablespoons of rice into the pot along with a dried chile for about 1 1/2 hours then cooled in a cold water bath.

I live rigth next to a bamboo forest and and the land owner happens to also be the owner of my apartment and in early spring brings me fresh bamboo just minutes from the ground, it is hard to buy the grocery store ones after eating those!

I walk past this forest everyday taking my daughter to and from kindergarten andfrom about 3 weeks ago have been scanning the ground for shoots, nothing yet!

Why do you boil them in the rice washing water? What roll does the rice play?

If you boil them for 1 1/2 hours aren't they overcooked, too tender and going towards mushy? What size are the bb shoots that you're cooking? What causes the irritation of the outer covering. I guess that's what I'm reacting to when I eat fresh shoots. What gets rid of this effect?

Edited March 8, 2003 by eatingwitheddie (log)

[Ruth]

I bought bamboo shoots this morning, also on eighth avenue in Brooklyn, corner of 58th Street. I always test them after five minutes of blanching and they usually take about 15 minutes. This morning I trimmed and cut them in 1/4 inch slices and they were perfect after 5 minutes. I plan to make a simple stir fry with snow peas and mushrooms and season with garlic and ginger, perhaps just a touch of soy. It would be a crime to smother the fresh bamboo with too much soy sauce as we see this quality so rarely.

The same market now has beautiful Dungeness crabs at $3.99 per lb. Mine were close to 2 1/2 lbs each. They keep the large ones in a separate tub under the fish counter and you have to stress that you want the big ones. They are very much alive and kicking.

[torakris]

Nothing is better than fresh bamboo just dug from the ground! Unfortunately the start to become bitter the moment they are removed from the earth and become increasingly bitter as time passes, so by the time they reach the stores they need some major work to become palatable.

In Japan, they are peeled (this outer peel can be very irritating to it is a good idea to wear gloves if you are especially sensitive) then are boiled (froma cold water start) in the left over rice washing liquid or if none is around through a couple tablespoons of rice into the pot along with a dried chile for about 1 1/2 hours then cooled in a cold water bath.

I live rigth next to a bamboo forest and and the land owner happens to also be the owner of my apartment and in early spring brings me fresh bamboo just minutes from the ground, it is hard to buy the grocery store ones after eating those!

I walk past this forest everyday taking my daughter to and from kindergarten andfrom about 3 weeks ago have been scanning the ground for shoots, nothing yet!

Why do you boil them in the rice washing water? What roll does the rice play?

If you boil them for 1 1/2 hours aren't they overcooked, too tender and going towards mushy? What size are the bb shoots that you're cooking? What causes the irritation of the outer covering. I guess that's what I'm reacting to when I eat fresh shoots. What gets rid of this effect?

The rice is supposed to remove the bitterness, this is quite a common method used on other vegetables as well.

I guess I should have said brought to a boil and then simmered, the Japanese simmer them whole they are not normally sliced before.

Before peeling of the skins they are about a foot long and about 7 inches wide, after removing the outer skins they end up about 6 inches long and 4 inches wide, I have never had them go mushy on me.

If they still seem bitter after this process I have seen it recommended to slice them and then simmer them one more time for about 15-20 minutes.

The most important thing is to prepare them as soon as possible, the longer they sit the more bitter they become.

I wasted a lot of good bamboo because I didn't realize this!

[anil]

You guys make me cry !!! About two decades plus; I had my 1st tasting of fresh bamboo shoots, sliced ginger and pork & duck skin delicacy. Since that day I became enamoured with fresh bamboo shoots.

We make it a point to inquire if the kitchen has some of those, and what dishes may they be using it in ....

[eatingwitheddie]

I have been seeing fresh winter bamboo shoots in NYC Chinatown.

Anyone with stories, cooking instructions, recipes?

[Gary Soup]

Rough-cut it on the bias (no more than 1/2 inch thick at the thickest) and simmer it in a savory stock with fresh pork leg on the bone. Add knotted tofu sheet strips and (optionally for the New Year holidays) egg jiaozi and you'll have Shanghai's favorite soup, "yan du xian". It's traditionally made with salt pork or ham (symbolizing last year's preserved bounty) but my wife likes to use fresh ingredients throughout. Maybe she wants to forget last year.

Traditional Yan Du Xian

She also likes to julienne the bamboo and cook it with pork loin cut to a similar size with the usual Shanghainese stir-fry base ingredients (easy on the light soy sauce). She makes this year round with tinned bamboo, but it's orders-of-magnitude more tasty with fresh bamboo shoots. A little chili is optional, too.

Out here in CA, snow peas are just coming on line.

[eatingwitheddie]

Rough-cut it on the bias (no more than 1/2 inch thick at the thickest) and simmer it in a savory stock with fresh pork leg on the bone.

Before cutting does your wife:

1) remove the tough outer coating - how does she do this, please ask

2) blanch the peeled bb shoot in water first to remove its acrid, mouth irritating quality

?????

[tissue]

Jullienne and stir fry with pork or stir fry with ji tsai and chicken fat.

Or you can cut them into large chunks and cook them with pork bones and a piece virginia ham for soup.

[Gary Soup]

Jullienne and stir fry with pork or stir fry with ji tsai and chicken fat.

Or you can cut them into large chunks and cook them with pork bones and a piece virginia ham for soup.

I think we're on the same page! I keep meaning to ask you if you are a Shanghairen.

[tissue]

No, but there are some restaurants around me that serve this stuff and this is just what I like to eat.

heehee

Shanghai food is my favorite kind of Chinese food.

[Gary Soup]

Before cutting does your wife:

1) remove the tough outer coating - how does she do this, please ask

2) blanch the peeled bb shoot in water first to remove its acrid, mouth irritating quality

?????

Eddie, Ju-Ju says she DOESN'T blanch the bamboo shoots. Yet they never taste bitter when cooked.

She just hacks off the outer layer with a big knife or cleaver. Life's too short to worry about a little wastage, I guess.

[tissue]

I've been told that when you blanch the shoots, it helps the sauce to adhere it's flavor better when stir frying....

[susruta]

A friend just sent us several pounds of fresh bamboo shoots that she picked herself and then bo iled. Does anyone have recipes? We know a couple of way sof preparing them but we'll be eating them for quite a while!

[Pan]

There are all sorts of recipes that call for bamboo shoots, and fresh are always better. One good use for them is in stews and dishes cooked in casseroles, but I note that they're already boiled...hmmmm...So perhaps for stir-fries?

I wonder if you'd want to make crackers with them and whether it would work well to use already-boiled bamboo shoots for the purpose. The reason I bring that up is because I sometimes buy some tasty crackers that include bamboo shoots as a major ingredient when I go to that huge Chinese supermarket on Kissena Blvd. in Flushing, Queens. I have no recipe to provide you and haven't found the product by Googling, but I throw out that idea as a possibility.

Another idea would be to simply make up an excellent hot sauce or some other excellent sauce and pour it over the bamboo shoots for a cold dish. There's a terrific bamboo shoot cold dish that I like to order at Spicy & Tasty, a Sichuan restaurant in Flushing.

[susruta]

Thanks, Pan. After starting the topic, I discovered an earlier thread on this subject which has some recipes. I also explored my collection of Indian cookbooks and found that bamboo shoots are widely used in the Northeastern states Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, etc. as an ingredient in stews and curries. So I'll try one or two of them as well.

[Gary Soup]

Are you sure she didn't just blanch them? I can't imagine her really boiling them all.

You can julienne them and use them in all manner of wok-braised dishes (they're a little too hard for straight dry-frying). One popular dish with julienned bamboo is yuxiang rousi, "fish-flavored" shredded pork. My wife also makes a soup beloved of Shanghainese, yan du xian, which consists of fresh bamboo shoots cut in large irregular chunks cooked with cured or fresh pork leg and bean thread. Not necessary, but she also often adds yuan xiao (egg jiaozi).

[HKDave]

Assuming they're boiled to the point of being basically cooked, I would just slice and quickly wok-fry in a little peanut oil to get some heat into them, then add lots of finely chopped garlic. Before the garlic starts to brown, add a little stock, then if needed thicken with a little cornstarch solution so that the stock forms a thin glaze, and plate and serve immediately.

This is one of my all-time fave veggie dishes, I can still remember the first time I had this.

[tissue]

You can slice them and cook them with chicken fat with Ji tsai, this type of shanghainese green.