Bamboo Shoots Simmered in Bonito Flakes (Takenoko no Tosani) is a typical spring dish. It celebrates the bamboo shoots and the rich flavour of bonito flakes. The sweetness of the simmering broth is reduced to bring out the flavour of soy sauce and bonito flakes.
Takenoko no Tosani is a side dish but also goes well with drinks as a nibble.
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.
- 400g/0.9lb boiled bamboo shoots (note 1)
- 10g/0.4oz bonito flakes (approximate amount, note 2)
- 300ml/10.1 fl oz dashi stock (note 3)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp cooking sake
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Cut the tip at 5cm/2” from the top of each bamboo shoot. Halve the tip vertically and quarter each half into wedges.
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Quarter the bottom part of the bamboo shoot vertically, then slice each quarter perpendicular to the first cut, into 1cm/⅜" thick pieces.
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Put all the ingredients, excluding bonito flakes, in a pot and bring it to a boil.
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Reduce the heat to medium low, place a drop lid on and cook for about 10 minutes.
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Remove the drop lid and add the bonito flakes to the pot.
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Mix it to let the bonito flakes submerge in the broth and cook for further 5 minutes (note 4).
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If you have time, let the pot cool down so that the bamboo shoots absorb more flavours from the broth, then heat it up again.
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Serve bamboo shoot pieces with bonito flakes and some simmering broth in a bowl individually or to share.
1. I used vacuum packed boiled bamboo shoots, but it is best to use fresh bamboo shoot if available. Boil your fresh bamboo shoots as per my recipe, How to Prepare Fresh Bamboo Shoots.
You can buy pre-boiled bamboo shoots (preferably thick and short Japanese bamboo shoots like mine) at Japanese/Asian grocery stores.
You can also use thin spear-shaped bamboo shoots, although you need to cut the bamboo shoots differently. See the sample dish in the post.
2. I used 3 x 3g/0.1oz pack of bonito flakes. You can of course weigh bonito flakes from a large bag.
3. If you don’t have dashi stock but plenty of bonito flakes, you can use water and increase the quantity of bonito flakes by 50-100%.
4. The broth should not be reduced too much. There should be enough simmering broth to pour over the bamboo shoots when serving.
5. You can keep Takenoko no Tosani for a few days in the fridge.
6. Nutrition per serving.
serving: 188g calories: 54kcal fat: 1.1g (1%) saturated fat: 0.3g (1%) trans fat: 0.0g polyunsaturated fat: 0.3g monounsaturated fat: 0.2g cholesterol: 4.5mg (2%) sodium: 518mg (23%) carbohydrates: 5.3g (2%) dietary fibre: 1.4g (5%) sugar: 3.5g protein: 5.3g vitamin D: 0mcg (0%) calcium: 16mg (1%) iron: 0.5mg (3%) potassium: 242mg (5 %)