Bamboo Shoot 竹の子

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Here boo, there boo, everywhere boo boo ....

It's a bamboo season here in Japan !

The bamboo sprouts are penetrating the ground every morning during this season.

We can't wait till they grow to the  height that we want it to be, but they have to be dug when they are still short showing only their tips over the ground.

Otherwise bamboos over grow and their flesh turn harder.

It is a hard work to dig them up.

The other day I went to Atarashik Mura's bamboo woods area to see the bamboo shoots, and also the resident digging them out.   

He told me he diggs about 500 bamboo shoots from April to May and it is a physically very tough job. (but sounded he is very proud of it and even enjoying his work.)   

I passed my message how I appreciate their hard work not only digging bamboo shoots, but also for sharing organic vegetables and rice that they grow for themselves,  taking care of the area which is full of beautiful wild flowers and plants, and opens it to public generously.     

(This Atarashiki Mura is my most favorite place in this town which in fact, I do not really wish to reveal.)

The bamboo shoots were so fresh and nice !!

It is my prilvillage to be able to cook and eat the bamboo shoot on the very day that it is dug up.

I made bamboo shoot rice as well as bamboo shoot and wakame sea vegetable soup, with other spring wild vegetables, warabi ohitashi and butterbur shoot mixed with sesame paste.

It was a such a luxury set meal to enjoy spring flovour !

I introduced bamboo shoot salad recipe last year in this blog.

This spring, I am passing you a deep-fried bamboo shoot recipe.

For this recipe,  Bamboo shoot is not necessarily very fresh nor very tender.

The canned one can produce satisfactory taste and texture.

So try it !

Your kids would love it as they look like meat balls !

Bamboo Shoot Balls

Ingredients

A : 360g boiled bamboo shoot          B:200ml kobudashi/ sea kelp stock

     1/4 tsp salt                                   1/2tsp salt

     1/4 tsp soy sauce                          1tsp soy sauce

     100ml all purpose flour                  2tsp kudzu powder

                                                        2Tbsp water

C:  2 cups oil for deep-frying 

     6 kinome/Japanese pepper leaves for topping            

Procedure

1. Place all the ingredients of A into a blender, and blend into a mass of paste.

2. Form about an inch size balls and deep-fry till golden brown.

3. Take them out onto the plate lined with kitchen paper.

4. Dilute kudzu powder with 2 Tbsp of water.

5. Transfer diluted kudzu through strainer into a small pot.

6. Add the ingredients of B into the pot and heat up over medium heat, 
    stirring  constantly till the mixture thickend. 

7. Transfer fried bamboo shoot balls into the serving bowls, pour the sauce and top up with Japanese sansho pepper leaves.

Tips

＊If kudzu is not available, replace with potato starch, arrow root starch or

   tapioka starch.  but you may need to adjust the amount.

＊Boiled bamboo recipe has not been introduced in my blog.   I found this youtube site is good, telling you how to prepare and boil bamboo shoot in English.  Howeer I advise you to boil the bamboo shoot in clean water one more time before using it for your cooking.

＊Kobudashi/ sea kelp stock is easy to make. 

   Soak about 5cm square konbu in the 1 cup of water over night.  

   Remove konbu next day.   Remaining liquid is the kobudashi stock.

＊Same recipe is introduced in Hachidory in Japanese.  If you can read Japanese, go to the site and enjoy other recipes and much more information on vegan life in Japan.

HAPPY COOKING !!

タグ：Japanese Vegan ビーガン料理 マクロビオティック料理 若竹汁 竹の子ご飯 山菜料理 竹の子ボール 竹の子 竹の子料理 macrobiotics takenoko Bamboo Shoot