Time to dig up and dig into shoots of bamboo
Print Edition
WHEN it comes to finding the best delicacy of spring, trust a panda to know. Pandas survive on bamboo, and the shoots of the plants are the animals’ favorite.
Tender spring bamboo shoots are equally prized by us humans. Chinese kitchens teem with traditional and contemporary dishes utilizing this delicious ingredient.
Fresh bamboo shoots are harvested throughout the year, depending on species, but the most delectable shoots are dug up in spring and winter. This vegetable is king when in season.
Notable species that produce shoots in the spring include maozhu (moso bamboo, or “hairy shoots”), mazhu (Dendrocalamus latiflorus), luzhu (giant timber bamboo) and cizhu (spiny bamboo).
The younger the shoots, the better the taste and the higher the price. When the shoots break through the soil, they grow quickly into bamboo stalks, so you have to be quick to enjoy this delicacy.
The shoots of maozhu have three growing phases. From mid-February to the beginning of April, the shoots are mostly harvested for food. The second phase in April leaves some of the stronger shoots in the soil to mature, while after May, the bamboo shoot season starts to fade.
The spring bamboo shoot is crisp and sweet, which makes it ideal for stir-fries, cold salads and rich stews.
Braised bamboo shoot is one of the easiest ways to enjoy the vegetable’s original flavor and texture.
First, peel off the hard shell of fresh shoots, revealing the tender flesh inside. Cut into smaller pieces, which are better able to absorb flavors. In cooking oil in a wok, stir-fry the shoots on high heat until the edges are slightly caramelized. Add soy sauce and sugar, and stir well before pouring in a cup of water to braise the shoots over low heat. When most of the water is evaporated, the dish is ready to serve.
The spring bamboo shoot is also an ideal vegetable added to classic savory dishes, like braised pork belly.
Yanduxian (腌笃鲜) is a signature Shanghai soup made of bamboo shoots, salted and fresh pork, and optional ingredients like sheets of bean curd.
Though this soup is traditionally served in winter and is considered a must-have main dish for the Chinese New Year’s Eve family reunion dinner, spring is the best time to enjoy the soup because fresh shoots are easier to find and give the soup a more umami flavor.
The very tender tip of the bamboo shoot is called sunjian. It can be used in stir-fries, soups and stews, and pickled sunjian is a popular side dish that is said to perk up the appetite on hotter days. The flavor is often quite sour, and sunjian can be added to soup noodles as a topping.
Raw bamboo shoots contain natural toxins, like cyanogenic glycosides, that must be eliminated through cooking. Scalding fresh bamboo shoots in boiling water is a common method to “sanitize” the vegetable and eliminate that acidic taste at the same time.
Dried bamboo shoots
Fresh bamboo shoots are only available for a very short duration in certain seasons. Though canned and pickled bamboo shoots can be purchased at any time of the year, they aren’t as tasty and healthy. It’s best to use dried bamboo shoots for a more natural flavor and texture.
To dry the spring shoots, boil them first, then cut into pieces for drying either in the sun or in a low oven. Different kinds of dried bamboo shoots retain different moisture levels. Some end up completely desiccated, while others retain a certain percentage of moisture for a softer texture.
Dried bamboo shoots have a chewy texture and can better absorb other flavors.
It usually takes at least one day to soak completely desiccated bamboo shoots before they bounce back to their meaty selves. Sometimes the shoots need to be boiled to soften the texture.
These shoots work well in slow cooked stews and braised dishes because they can absorb all the flavors from the sauces.
The moister dried bamboo shoots, like bianjian, require a shorter soaking time. They are used to enrich soups with chicken, duck or pork short ribs.
Dried bamboo shoots are great to keep in storage because they can work well with so many soups and stews.
To become a real “couch panda,” the usual potato chips or popcorn for movie nights at home can be replaced by a healthier bamboo shoot snack that is low in calories and rich in fiber.
One of the most popular savory snacks in China is spicy bamboo shoot strips with peanuts.
They are made by boiling fresh shoots and peanuts in a stock spiced with Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, dried chilies, yellow wine, soy sauce, sugar and salt. The mixture is then stir-fried until it becomes drier, and then spread out on bamboo baskets to dry in the sun. The peanuts can be replaced with green soybeans.
In Anji, Zhejiang Province, the set location for the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” vast bamboo forests thrive, and hand-peeled bamboo shoot (shou bo sun, 手剥笋) is a favorite snack.
The tender bamboo shoots, with a few pieces of the shell retained, are boiled and then marinated in a spiced stock. The snack is served cold, and one needs to peel off the remaining shell to enjoy the tender shoots.
This snack is low in calories but high in sodium.
Packaged version may contain preservatives to extend the shelf life.
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