divaqs's Blog

Bamboo Shoots
May 11, 2007 | 11:12 AM PST
Tags: Phyllostachys Dulcis , sweetshoot , bamboo , shoots , cooking , asian , stir fry

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my adventures in growing sweetshoot bamboo.

Since that time I’ve seen bamboo shoots starting to appear.

In the picture notice the spike like stems in the middle area of the picture. These are the bamboo shoots, which if left alone will grow at an incredibly fast rate into the bamboo culms that will make up my future grove. These are also the edible part that are used in Asian cooking.

Yesterday, I finally took the plunge and cut one that was about 8 inches tall. It was only about ¾ of an inch thick, but I figured big enough to give me a sense of the taste. I peeled back the outer leaves that were tightly wrapped around the shoot and found several layers of similar tightly curled leaves. I took off about the first 4 layers of leaves and noticed that the inner leaves seemed fairly vegetative, so I tasted one and found the flavor and texture to not be unpleasant.  I actually found it kind of pleasant and proceeded to take a couple of bites off the tip of the bamboo shoot.

I then cut the remaining bamboo shoot up and included it in some stir fry I was cooking for the ultimate taste test with my kids. I told my kids it was in the stir fry, at which my youngest son, age 6, promptly announced that he hated it, as he poked at with his fork. My daughter, age 12, carefully put some in her mouth and tasted it, and announced that she liked it. My 6 year old decided that maybe it was safe to try as well, did so, and announced he liked it as well. My 9 year old son, ate it without comment. So, I think it was a success. Sweetshoot bamboo has passed the ultimate taste test in my home.