April 26, 2017

Boiled Bamboo Shoots/茹で筍(たけのこ、タケノコ)

Chiba prefecture is famous for its bamboo shoots. Yesterday, my parents were given these boiled bamboo shoots from a neighbor. I'm not quite sure what variety they are. Moso-chiki or ma-dake?
千葉県は筍で有名です。昨日、両親は近所の方から茹で筍を頂きました。品種ははっきり分かりません。孟宗竹、真竹? 
  
Anyway, the last time my parents received such boiled bamboo shoots, I made wakatake-ni, a nimono (simmered dish) containing bamboo shoots and wakame seaweed. My father didn't like it and suggested that I simmer them with katsuobushi.
ともかく、前に両親がこのような茹で筍をもらった時は、私は若竹煮(筍と若布(わかめ)を使った煮物)を作りましたが、父の口には合わず、鰹節と煮たらどうかと言われました。

So, as requested by my father, I simmered the bamboo shoots with 4 packs (3 x 4 = 12 g) of katsuobushi in a pot of 400 ml water, 1 tsp instant dashi, 100 ml soy sauce, and 50 ml mirin (dashi, soy sauce, and mirin ratio of 4:1:0.5, instead of 4:1:1) for just a minute or two.
というわけで、父のリクエストに従い、この筍を鰹節4パック(3 x 4 = 12 g)と、水400 ml、出汁の素小さじ1、しょう油100 ml、みりん50 ml(出汁、しょう油、みりの割合は4:1:0.5(4:1:1ではなく))を入れた鍋で、1、2分煮ました。


My father (88) still likes such heavily seasoned simmered dishes. I would prefer lightly seasoned wakatake-ni, with dashi and  small amounts of soy sauce and mirin.
父(88歳)は今でもこのような濃い味付けの煮物が好きです。私としては出汁と少量のしょう油とみりんを使って、薄い味付けの若竹煮のほうがいいです。

4 comments:

fred said...

Our family's treatments for bamboo shoots just totally different,
It has to be thinly sliced and soaked in light salt solution overnight.
I don't know exactly for the ratio, but it meant to lessen its bitter taste (as our common bamboo shoots taste really bitter and pretty harsh in texture)
The result should be slightly acidic, and then stir fried with chicken or pork. No boiling involved.
Pretty unique I'd say... :)

Hiroyuki said...

fred: I didn't know that there could be other ways to remove harshness from bamboo shoots. Your way sounds quite interesting and tasty!

Fräulein Trude said...

I really admire your efforts to satisfy your fathers wishes. It must be quite challenging.

Hiroyuki said...

Kiki: I remember all too well what my father's reaction was when my mother served him a dish he didn't like when I was in my teens and twenties. He has mellowed quite a lot, I suppose, but I've got to be cautious (laugh)!