You cannot compare the taste of freshly boiled bamboo shoots to vacuum sealed or canned boiled bamboo shoots. Freshly boiled bamboo shoots are full of flavour and so tender. When bamboo shoots become available in spring, I hope you try boiling them yourself.
- 1kg/2.2lb fresh bamboo shoots with skin on (note 1)
- 20cm/8" deep water
- 1 cup rice bran
- 20cm/8" deep white liquid that you get when you wash rice
- 20cm/8" deep water
- ½ cup unwashed rice
- 20cm/8" deep water
- Baking soda (ratio of 1 tsp to 1L water, note 3)
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Peel a few outer layers of skin off.
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Cut off the hard part of bamboo shoots at the bottom.
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Diagonally cut the tip off.
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Make a long incision from the tip towards the bottom 2/3-3/4 of the way down each bamboo shoot. The depth of incision should be to just before the edible flesh in the centre (note 4).
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Fill a large pot that can fit in your bamboo with one of the Ingredients options.
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Place the bamboo shoots in the pot and put a drop lid on to keep the bamboo underwater while boiling.
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Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Remove scum from time to time.
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Boil for 30 minutes, or until you can easily get a skewer through at the bottom part of the bamboo (note 5).
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Turn the heat off and leave it overnight (in the room if it is cold, or in the fridge after cooling it down).
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Drain and peel the skin from the incisions, then trim off the tip of the bamboo shoot as the tough skin is still attached to it.
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Place the peeled bamboo shoots in a container filled with water and keep it in the fridge until needed (up to 1 week).
1. There are two types of bamboo shoots – thick and short bamboo shoots, and thin and long bamboo shoots. In Japan, thick and short bamboo shoots are more commonly available. But I used thin and long bamboo shoots as they were the only fresh bamboo shoots that I could get in Sydney.
My 4 bamboo shoots weighed about 1kg/2.2lb. Depending on the freshness and the shape of the bamboos, the weight varies greatly. The edible ratio of bamboo against the original weight can also vary.
2. The traditional Japanese method uses rice bran to boil fresh bamboo shoots to remove the harshness from the bamboo.
3. Too much baking soda in water makes the bamboo smell and sometimes become brown.
4. I know it’s difficult to see where the edible flesh starts beneath the many layers of skin. My suggestion is to make it slightly shallow. After boiling the bamboo shoots, you can easily peel off the skins.
5. Depending on the thickness of the bamboo shoots, the boiling time will be different. In the case of Japanese takenoko, it might take close to 1 hour.