Speaking of things that are in season right now, it's April!春It is also a prime example of the taste of [the region].筍The character written with the bamboo radical and the character for "season" is "Bamboo shoots"It is truly one of the ingredients that you can enjoy in season. However,筍Speaking of which, the pre-boiling process to remove the bitterness before enjoying it is a bit of a hassle. This time, we'll introduce how to pre-boil it to remove the bitterness and how to enjoy it after pre-boiling.筍Here are some recipes featuring a variety of dishes.筍They are of varying sizes, but there is one large one about 20cm long, one small one about 10cm long, and two in between, for a total of four♪
If the bamboo shoot is not dirty with mud or anything else, simply cut off the tip about 3 cm from the top at an angle, and make an incision in the skin (to make it easier to peel). Leave the skin on at this stage.
Prepare about 200g of rice bran (about 50g per bamboo shoot). Nowadays, rice bran is often included when you buy bamboo shoots, but if you don't have any, you can substitute it with rice water.
In a pressure cooker筍Insert,筍Add enough water to cover the contents. Add the prepared amount of rice bran on top, mix briefly, and close the lid of the pressure cooker.筍It depends on the size, but this time,Low pressure for 15 minutes → Leave overnightis.
The next morning, the cooled bamboo shoots were so tender that a skewer could easily pass through them, and the bitterness had been thoroughly removed while they cooled. It's easy because you just leave them to cook. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you'll need to simmer them in a large pot for about an hour. Pressure cookers are truly the best!
Softly parboiled筍First, peel off the skin from the cuts, cut it in half, and rinse it thoroughly under running water to wash away the rice bran.
"Bamboo shoots simmered in Tosa-style sauce"
1. Slice the bamboo shoots lengthwise into your desired size.
2. Put sake, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil to evaporate the alcohol.
3. Bamboo shootsPlace the bamboo shoots in a pot, add enough Japanese-style broth to just cover them, and simmer over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes.
4. After 5 minutes, add the snow peas and soy sauce, and simmer over low heat for a short time.
5. Turn off the heat, sprinkle a pinch of bonito flakes on top, and once they have softened and spread evenly, it's done.
(※You can also enjoy the aroma by placing bonito flakes on top when serving.)
This light Tosa-style simmered dish, based on a Japanese-style broth, allows you to enjoy the flavor and texture of bamboo shoots along with plenty of broth.
"Pickled bamboo shoots"
Ingredients: Use the tip of one small bamboo shoot, easy-to-use vinegar (Mizkan), chili peppers (to taste).
1. Since the tips of small bamboo shoots are soft, cut them thinly lengthwise.
2. Place the bamboo shoots in a Ziploc bag, add enough Mitsukan Easy Vinegar to completely cover them, and add chili peppers to taste.
3. This is an easy pickle recipe; simply let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours (until it reaches your desired level of pickling).
I've been using Mitsukan's Easy Vinegar a lot lately because it's not too vinegary, so even my husband, who doesn't like vinegar, will eat it.You can easily make a variety of vinegar-based dishes such as sweet and sour pickles, vinegared dishes, sushi, pickles, marinades, and meat dishes without adding sugar, salt, etc.
"Bamboo shoot and chicken rice"
Ingredients: Use one large bamboo shoot (sliced lengthwise to your desired size), three bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh (cut into small pieces and marinated in a separate amount of soy sauce and cooking sake), one carrot (julienned), 50g shimeji mushrooms, 50g enoki mushrooms (cut into about 5 pieces), green peas (for garnish, other greens can be substituted), 3 cups of rice (washed and soaked in water), Japanese-style dashi stock (less than the amount of water needed to cook 3 cups of rice), 80cc soy sauce, 80cc mirin, 50cc cooking sake, a pinch of salt.
*You can enjoy this by changing the ingredients to your liking.
1. Put the rinsed and soaked rice into the rice cooker, and instead of water, add Japanese-style dashi stock up to about 2.5 cups, which is slightly less than the amount of water needed for 3 cups of rice.
2. Add soy sauce, mirin, cooking sake, and salt and stir. The amount of liquid will be slightly more than what is needed for 3 cups of rice. (Adjust the amount of seasonings to your liking.)
3. Add the pre-cut bamboo shoots, carrots, shimeji mushrooms, and enoki mushrooms and mix. Place the seasoned chicken thighs and green peas on top and turn on the rice cooker's mixed rice setting!
4. Once the cooking is complete and the buzzer sounds, let it steam for about 10 minutes, then stir.
5. Arrange the ingredients attractively in a rice bowl, sprinkle with white sesame seeds, and it's ready to serve.
This spring rice dish features bamboo shoots infused with the delicious flavor and richness of chicken fat, while the crisp texture and aroma of the bamboo shoots add a wonderful touch. (If you're making rice balls, cut the bamboo shoots into smaller pieces.) If you're going to use up any leftover bamboo shoots right away, refrigerate them in water (change the water frequently, every day). If you're not going to keep them for a while, adding a little vinegar to the water seems to help them last a bit longer. If you have too much, it's recommended to seal them tightly in a Ziploc bag and freeze them. But I like to eat delicious food while it's still delicious! (lol)
