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
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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).
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If your wakame seaweed came in long strands, cut them into large bite-size pieces.
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Put all the Simmering Broth ingredients and bamboo shoots in a pot. Bring it to a boil.
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Reduce the heat, place a drop lid on, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
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Remove the drop lid and add wakame seaweed, clustering together (note 5).
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Cook for a minute or so and turn off the heat.
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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%)