In a previous life, I might have been a panda because of my love of bamboo shoots. I love them braised, pickled, fried, and stewed. Fresh bamboo shoots are hard to come by in the Pacific Northwest. A few of the larger Asian grocery stores (Fubonn, Uwajimaya, etc.) carry it in vacuum-sealed packs. I use the canned winter bamboo shoots. They are more tender. The canned variety offers different cuts, some are flat and rectangular like miniature planks of wood, others are cut to matchstick size, and some manufacturers have the peeled shoot. Bamboo on its own is bland and nearly flavorless. But, it is very high in fiber and very, very low in calories. A cup of bamboo shoots has about 25 calories. It's a good side dish.
Ingredients
1 lb peeled winter bamboo shoots, cut into thin strips or matchsticks
3 tbsp soy sauce (or a combination of light soy sauce and dark soy sauce)
3 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tsp brown sugar, optional
3 scallions (green onions), cut into 1" pieces
1" piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
peanut oil or olive oil, for frying
1/2 c dried shitake mushrooms (rehydrated, stemmed and quartered) or 1 c fresh shitake mushrooms, quartered --optional
Directions
0. In a small bowl, combine rice wine, soy sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar.
1. Heat oil in a large frying pan until it is hot. Add green onions and ginger. Stir fry until the oil is fragrant and the green onions turn a rich green color. Add bamboo shoots and soy/wine sauce. Stir until combined. Simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated entirely.
2. Remove from heat and finish with sesame oil (if using). Serve hot.
