Good day everyone!
Do you consume bamboo shoots? And if your answer is YES, have you ever wondered where does it originate from? Well, back in birth country, Singapore, it’s usually sold in a can hence I have never seen how this vegetable looks like when it’s fresh. Recently the fresh bamboo shoots are sold here in Michinoeki Aso and I took this opportunity to find out more about it. My working colleagues were very kind to share lots of information and telling me how it’s grown and where I could spot them, the growth of the bamboo shoot over a night and which are those best consumable ~ it’s sounded so interesting and amazing!
I love running outdoors as it’s also a discovery time when running in the day. During one of my runs; came across bamboo trees and decided to stop by to spot those bamboo shoots. Astonished to saw sizes from small, medium to huge ones! Abundant of bamboo shoots but to avoid bitterness, it is best to harvest them early when they are small at only a foot size.
These are bamboo shoots sold in Michinoeki Aso during the seasonal period brought over by the local farmers
You can see so many bamboo trees here and only the tiny ones are good for harvest, these small tiny ones will eventually grow as tall as shown on picture or even taller.
In Japan, Bamboo shoot are most commonly done by boiling them in a mild alkaline solution — usually the white, cloudy water produced from rinsing rice, or plain water with some rice bran included, plus a sliced red chili pepper. I was told that it required lots of effort and time consuming just to prepare them but still I would like to take this opportunity challenge, trying out something which I have not experience and sharing to our dear blog readers here.
It took about two and half hours removing the outer skin and boiling them.
And next, let’s think of how we should enjoy these bamboo shoot (Takenoko ~ 竹の子) in Japanese and after all the efforts; cooking them into a dish would be the best satisfying part! There are so many ways to cook them, such as adding them into pasta, Japanese soba or even a dish on it’s own to go with rice! Despite the hard process, I had a good experience after all and enjoying the final product, the dishes does gave me great satisfaction and I’m happy to be able to bring Spring to my Kitchen. Why don’t you give a try if there is such an opportunity for you too?
By the way, the leaves garnish on the pasta is also another typical springtime food. Young leaves and shoots, pronounced ki-no-mé or ko-no-mé (木の芽, lit. ’tree bud’) in Japanese which is bud of Japanese pepper tree. Often garnish on grilled fish and soups and has a distinctive flavor. It is a customary ritual to put a leaf between cupped hands, and clap the hands with a popping sound, this supposedly serving to bring out the aroma. And it goes well with bamboo shoots.
Thank you for reading our blog! ~ Yoshimi
