All posts tagged: bamboo shoots

Bamboo cooking galore 2|筍料理の備忘録 II

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Oops…spring seemed to have zapped and summer is on the way. Before I take a blink, ‘bamboo’ will be so outdated so here is my second post a continuation of bamboo cooking. BAMBOO RICE : Most popular and common menu using bamboo is the ‘Bamboo Rice’, quite simple to make! The bamboo is cut into small mouth size pieces, a pinch of salt, cooked together with rice in a rice cooker. Leftover rice can be made into a ‘onigiri (rice balls)’, to go or as a lunch pack. Tempura : Wild spring vegetables which we call, ‘sansai’, together with fresh bamboo are spring delicacies. Tempura is a common way of cooking the wild vegetable to extract ‘aku’ (bitterness and harshness). Extracting ‘aku’ is often heard in Japanese cooking, ‘aku’ sometimes being a boiling froth but interprets as the bitterness in the vegetable ingredient. Bamboos can be integrated in various way. The Chinese common menu, ‘pepper steak with bamboo and green peppers’, ‘bamboos stir-fried with doubanjiang (hot sauce) is another; but the Japanese washoku foods tend …

Bamboo cooking galore|筍料理の備忘録 I

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Just after the cherry blossoms, at the end of March, the bamboo shoots start sprouting in April; first along the southern part of Japan, slowly trailing north chasing the signs of summer. I must be honest and admit… I am a bamboo fanatic, not just zest but more in close lines to be called ‘an addict’. The blog which will follow in a couple of series will be about ‘bamboo (shoot) cooking’ which I, personally would like to preserve in my own cooking and blog records, as to also refresh my memory come very vague and fuzzy come next season, one year from now. Fresh bamboo shoots are in season from April to May in Japan. For viewers who have not prepared fresh bamboo, the most common method of when preparing fresh bamboo is : Washed and peel the coarse outer skin In a large pan, boil for approximately 40~50 minutes adding ‘nuka’ – rice bran to remove the bitterness in the vegetable Let it simmer down to cool Next day….peel the outer skin and …

Japanese ceremony for new borns – “Okuisome” | お食い初め

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先週の日曜に行われた、、3度目の孫。3度目のお食い初め。 一番小さく生まれた孫（男）でしたが、順調に成長しお食い初めをすませる事ができました。

Seasonal Spring Food | 春の食材

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On a cloudless sunny day………we decided to adventure north, about a two hour or so drive up north which will take you to Gunma prefecture – one of the leading producers and suppliers of vegetables in the country and Tokyo district.

cooking…Bamboo Shoots |筍づくし

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We are in the middle of a BAMBOO SEASON, which, I am a pure addict to bamboo shoots. To be honest, I often wonder why? I am such a bamboo addict, a wild vegetable which does not have a strong distinctive taste nor flavor. The subtle flavor and the texture is probably what drives my addiction. (maybe…?) So here are some of my daily bamboo shoots side dishes, we call osouzai in Japanese. 今年はタケコノが比較的豊作の様な気がします。 ゴールデンウィーク前に早々に千葉産、京都産、鹿児島産、西日本産といろいろな地方のタケノコに手を出して日々タケノコが出ない日はないという位、、『タケノコ中毒』の我家です。 どれも和食の定番ですが『筍づくし』の料理、、どうぞ。   Osouzai@Bamboo Shoots with white miso and sanshou 2 bamboo shoots 1/2 cup or handful of rice bran (nuka) 20 sansho leaves (Japanese Pepper) 3 tablespoon white miso 1.5 tablespoon sugar 3 tablespoon sake   <Preparing the Bamboo Shoots> Wash off the mud and soil from the bamboo shoots. Peel 2~3 sheets of the hard outer skin. Trim the top (the hard outer skin) at a 45 degree angle and bring to boil in a large boiling pan with handful of rice bran (nuka). Boil for approximately 50~60 minutes for a medium size bamboo shoot and let it cool …

a Japanese ritual for new borns – “Okuisome” | お食い初め

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This ceremony was first posted last year for our very first grandchild and time has come for our second grandchild, now turned over 100 days in which to celebrate her first taste of food – a traditional Japanese ritual called ‘okuisome’.

Dim Sum – Steamed Shrimp Dumplings | 点心 – 海老蒸し餃子

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Dim Sum – Shrimp Dumplings  | 点心 – 海老蒸し餃子 These delicate looking dim sums with shrimps are so light and healthy that you can eat a bunch! The dumpling uses rice flour which make it transparent, the transparency inspired me to explore into fillings which may be appetizing for the eye as well!!!

Home Party Cooking | 我家のパーティお料理 | Part 3

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Another appetizer dish – Balsamic Vinaigrette Bamboo Shoots. The season for Bamboo shoots are from April ~ May. They sprout like rejoicing from hibernation and explode as they sense the spring air. The tip of the bamboo is the most tender part and using the tip marinated in balsamic vinegar will make it just Italian….for say, but adding a tad of soy sauce will lean towards being Japanese…for say. All you need to to do is to soak the bamboo in this balsamic vinaigrette sauce for half an hour before use. Easy….dish and few more days before fresh bamboo shoots disappear. The balsamic vinaigrette sauce can by used with other vegetables like onions, paprika, leaks anything you may think of which goes well with balsamic vinegar. 竹の子のシーズン、、真っ最中。 春の訪れは何しろ竹の子ですよね。八百屋で竹の子を見るとついつい買いたくなってしまいますが春の山菜ばかり食べると主人は『芽が出る』『芽が出る』と騒ぎながら、美味しいねとついつい季節モノには目がないのが我家です。 この料理は『イタリアン精進』料理本から頂いたアイディアでこのバルサミコ酢と醤油を合わせた万能ソースは他の野菜にも使えるので是非試してみてください。イタリアでは太陽を浴びた味が凝縮した野菜をグリルしてバルサミコ酢と塩こしょうとオリーブオイルをかけて楽しむ食べますが、、、醤油をたらすとやはり日本人の我々には安心できる和イタリアンになります。旅に出かけても醤油を手放せない日本人は多いのではないでしょうか？（私を含む、、、笑） 週末の簡単料理、、茹でた『国産』竹の子がある内におためしあ〜れ💓 Teriyaki Bamboo shoot with balsamic vinegar Recipe – Bamboo Shoots ＜All purpose Italian Soy Sauce> 100cc Balsamic Vinegar 20cc Soy Sauce 1 clove of Garlic Cooking – Combine the soy sauce + garlic (finely chopped) + balsamic vinegar to make an ‘all purpose Italian Soy …

Japanese ceremony for new borns – “Okuisome” | お食い初め

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This is a Japanese ceremony for new borns – “Okuisome” – a weaning ceremony; a Japanese tradition held out on the 100th day after birth. It is the ‘First Meal’ of a child in which the ritual is held in hope that the baby will have abundance of food for his/her entire life. 我家の初孫の『お食い初め』。 誕生して早くも100日がたとうとしています。 先月に遅れたお宮参りを済ませたと思ったら、、早速『お食い初め』。 外国育ちの私は知識でした知らなかった儀式ですが、日本の文化に触れる機会。『お食い初め』はじめて作ってみました。コレで良かったのかなぁ〜と思いながらもみんな喜んでくれたから良しとしよう〜と、、ちょっとその日が上機嫌でした。 Sekihan (Sticky rice with aduki beans) Osui-mono (Clear Soup) – a clam is used in hope that the child will meet a perfect partner, as like the shell being a perfect fit. Tai (Sea Bream) – shares the same homonym with Happy; Joyous; Auspicious and sea bream is also considered a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Hagatame no Ishi (Small stone). “Biting” a smooth stone is an act to ensure the growth of strong healthy teeth. The stone is to be borrowed (returned when finished) from the shrine in which the Omiyamairi ceremony took place. Nimono (Seasonal stewed food) – I used the bamboo in hope that our grandson will grow fast and without difficulty just like a …