Simmered Bamboo Shoots with Wakame Seaweed is one of a representative spring dishes in Japan. Cooked in a lightly seasoned simmering broth, you can enjoy the original flavours of these two ingredients.
As mentioned in my post How to Prepare Fresh Bamboo Shoots, bamboo shoots are a seasonal vegetable and new shoots come out in spring. Similarly, wakame seaweed harvested in spring has the best taste.
It is a little bit early to post a spring recipe for the readers in northern hemisphere and it’s almost autumn in the southern hemisphere. But I am currently in Japan and I felt spring is around the corner.
About Wakatake-ni
Today’s dish is called ‘wakatake-ni’ (若竹煮) in Japan. The name came from the Japanese words for wakame seaweed and bamboo shoots, which are the main ingredients.
Wakame seaweed is called ‘wakame’ (若布 or ワカメ) and bamboo shoot is ‘takenoko’ (竹の子 or 筍) in Japanese. The first character of each main ingredient was combined and the word for simmering, ‘ni’ (煮) was added at the end.
In addition to enjoying the flavour of the wakame and takenoko in season, you can enjoy the texture contrast between the two. Wakame seaweed is soft and almost slippery, while the bamboo shoots are crunchy.
Most of us are used to buying dried wakame seaweed that needs to be rehydrated. The colour of the rehydrated wakame seaweed is very dark, and almost close to black. However, the colour of the fresh spring wakame seaweed has a shade of green (see the photo below). Imagine the contrast between the bright green of the seaweed and the cream colour of the bamboo shoots!
I cannot get fresh spring wakame seaweed, but I can buy a bag of frozen fresh wakame coated in salt at a Japanese grocery store.
You can see the photo of it in the section Dried Wakame vs Fresh Wakame of my post Tomato and Seaweed Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing. Fresh wakame has a better texture and flavour than the rehydrated dried wakame seaweed. The colour of the seaweed is also better.
If you can buy fresh wakame seaweed, that will be great. But even if you use dried wakame seaweed, the dish is still tasty.
What’s in My Simmered Bamboo Shoots with Wakame Seaweed
- Boiled bamboo shoots
- Fresh or rehydrated wakame seaweed
It is best to use freshly boiled bamboo shoots as per my post How to Prepare Fresh Bamboo Shoots, but you can use vacuum packed bamboo shoots (photo below) or canned bamboo shoots if fresh bamboo is not available.
Simmering Broth
- Dashi stock
- Cooking sake
- Usukuchi shōyu (Japanese light soy sauce)
- Mirin
- Sugar
- Salt
I used light soy sauce so that the colour of the broth is very light and keeps the natural colour of the ingredients better.
How to Make Simmered Bamboo Shoots with Wakame Seaweed
- Cut bamboo shoots into bite-size pieces. If your wakame comes in long strands, cut them into bite-size pieces.
- Put all the broth ingredients and the bamboo shoots into the pot. Bring it to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, place a drop lid on, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Add wakame seaweed and simmer for a minute or two. Turn the heat off.
Depending on what kind of bamboo shoots you have, you will cut them differently.
If your bamboo shoot is thin and long, like those I used today, cut it into 4-5cm/1 9⁄16 -2” long, then halve the thick part (bottom part) of the pieces vertically.
If you are using a thick and short Japanese takenoko, make wedges from the top half of the takenoko and thin quarter circle slices from the bottom half (see the photo above and below). The notes section of the recipe card explains how to cut a takenoko.
Wakatake-ni is a lightly flavoured, elegant dish. You will enjoy the distinct flavour of the bamboo shoots and wakame seaweed.
Yumiko
Simmered Bamboo Shoots with Wakame Seaweed is a representative spring dish. As mentioned in my post How to Prepare Fresh Bamboo Shoots, bamboo shoots are a seasonal vegetable and new shoots come out in spring. Similarly, wakame seaweed harvested in spring has the best taste.
Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- 200g/7.1oz boiled thin and long bamboo shoots (note 1)
- 40g/1.4oz wakame seaweed (fresh or rehydrated, note 2)
- 200ml/6.8fl oz dashi stock
- 1 tbsp cooking sake
- 1 tbsp usukuchi shōyu (Japanese light soy sauce, note 3)
- 1 tbsp mirin
- ½ tsp sugar
- A pinch of salt
-
Cut the bamboo shoots, into 4-5cm/1 9⁄16-2” long pieces, then halve the thick part (bottom part) of the bamboo pieces vertically (note 4).
-
If your wakame seaweed came in long strands, cut them into large bite-size pieces.
-
Put all the Simmering Broth ingredients and bamboo shoots in a pot. Bring it to a boil.
-
Reduce the heat, place a drop lid on, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
-
Remove the drop lid and add wakame seaweed, clustering together (note 5).
-
Cook for a minute or so and turn off the heat.
-
Transfer the bamboo shoot pieces and the wakame seaweed to a serving bowl, clustering the bamboo shoots and wakame pieces. Pour the broth over them.
1. I used the freshly boiled spring bamboo shoots that I made as per my post How To Prepare Fresh Bamboo Shoots. But if fresh bamboo shoots are not in season, you can use boiled whole bamboo shoots in a vacuum pack (see the sample photo in the post) or a can. They can be either long and thin, like mine, or the fat and short Japanese-style Takenoko.
2. I can’t get fresh wakame seaweed, but I bought a bag of frozen wakame seaweed coated in salt. The section Dried Wakame vs Fresh Wakame in my post Tomato and Seaweed Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing gives you more details about it and a photo. Frozen fresh wakame is closer to the fresh wakame seaweed than the dried wakame.
3. I used usukuchi shōyu for a lighter colour of the broth and to keep the original colour of the ingredients. If you have only a normal Japanese soy sauce, you can use ½ tablespoon of your normal soy sauce + ¼ teaspoon salt to make a lighter colour broth with a similar saltiness.
4. If you are using takenoko, which is fat and short, you need to cut it differently (see the step-by-step photo in the post).
Halve it vertically first, then cut each piece horizontally at 5cm/2″ from the tip. Cut the tip portion vertically into 3-4 wedges of 1.5-2cm/⅝-¾" wide. Halve the bottom part of the bamboo piece vertically, then slice them into 1cm/⅜” thick quarter circle pieces.
My takanoko (the photo in the post) was 8cm/3⅛” in diameter at the base (the thickest part). If your takenoko is much smaller, you may make semi-circle pieces out of the bottom part of the takenoko.
5. You may need to shift some bamboo shoot pieces to make room for the wakame seaweed.
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings.
serving: 121g calories: 40kcal fat: 0.7g (1%) saturated fat: 0.2g (1%) trans fat: 0.0g polyunsaturated fat: 0.2g monounsaturated fat: 0.1g cholesterol: 0.5mg (0%) sodium: 473mg (21%) carbohydrates: 5.2g (2%) dietary fibre: 0.8g (3%) sugar: 3.2g protein: 2.6g vitamin D: 0mcg (0%) calcium: 22mg (2%) iron: 0.5mg (3%) potassium: 135mg (3%)
Meal Ideas
A typical Japanese meal consists of a main dish, a couple of side dishes, a soup and rice. I try to come up with a combination of dishes with a variety of flavours, colours, textures and make-ahead dishes.
Wakatake-ni is a representative spring dish. I thought it would be good to come up with a meal set that brightens up the dining table. So, I picked Chirashi Sushi as a main.
For Side dish 2 I picked Nasu Dengaku, which adds not only different colours to the meal but also a strong flavour. If you prefer a milder flavour, I recommend Shira-ae.
I think clear soup goes well with the delicate presentation of Chirashi Sushi.
- Main: Scattered Sushi (Chirashi Sushi) – make ahead for marinating.
- Side dish 1: Simmered Bamboo Shoots with Wakame Seaweeds – today’s recipe, you can make ahead.
- Side dish 2: Miso Glazed Eggplant (Nasu Dengaku) – or Green Beans with Tofu Dressing (Shira-ae).
- Soup: Japanese Clear Soup with Whiting (Kisu no Osuimono) – or other clear soup.
Leave a Reply