By Wendy Chan
How can we celebrate spring without bamboo shoots? We should get our hands on some fresh bamboo shoots while they are in season, in spite of the fact that we may have to travel some ways to an Asian market and pay about $3 – $5 a pound.
Slices of bamboo shoots are among those iconic ingredients like baby corn and water chestnuts that make a Chinese dish Chinese. It is also commonly used in many Asian dishes, such as Japanese (often steamed or pickled), Thai (typically with coconut or curry) and Vietnamese (stir fry with vegetables). The canned ones are relatively inexpensive, and I usually have some in my pantry as a good standby. Slicing or dicing the shoot, I conveniently use them as an easy addition to stir-fry, braised dish (such as goat in clay pot, accompanied also by re-hydrated soybean sticks, red dates and dried mushrooms) or pork bone soup with some Virginia ham. Perhaps bamboo shoots in classic Asian dishes assume the role of celery in mirepoix (the onion, carrot and celery trio sometimes referred to as “the holy trinity”) of traditional French cooking.
But one bite of the fresh version will utterly shatter your taste buds’ recollection of what bamboo shoots taste like. I’d say the difference, especially the texture and mouth feel, is like night and day. The crispy property of fresh shoots is umpteenth times better than the sad, soaked version. A taste of the real deal will lead you to a path of no return. Of course, when it’s not in season, I suppose you just have to settle for the canned shoots and patiently wait for the next spring.
Fresh bamboo shoots are the young culms that come from the ground, and they only became available in local markets in the past few years, typically around spring and early summer. These perishables imported from Asia are still a bit pricy. Like an artichoke, the little package of delicacy, the heart if you will, is well protected by its outer sheath-like casing which is not edible. Many people may be intimated by the imposing look, wondering how to begin to attack this strange thing?
If you are one of those – fear no more. One quick chop with your cleaver (or large sturdy knife) approximately down the middle, vertically will reveal the gorgeous layers. You just remove the outer sheath to get to the soft center.
My husband’s favorite fresh bamboo shoot dish is a Shanghainese sautee number, mixing diced pork loin, bamboo shoot, carrot, sometimes even mushrooms with a sweet and tangy soy bean sauce. I honestly think the texture and flavor of this little bundle is so heavenly, that these shoots should not share billing with other ingredients. Inspired by an article written by Mark Bittman in the NY Times about how delicious simple stir-fry fresh snow peas could be, I tried gently wok-frying slices of blanched bamboo shoots with some chopped pickled cabbage (typically available in a can) with just a tad of peanut oil and lightly season with a sprinkle of sesame oil. Voila! A spring dish that rivals Vivaldi’s orchestral masterpiece!
