A taste of place
Braised spring bamboo shoots
油焖春笋 Yóumèn chūnsǔn
A season that announces itself with a clean, crisp bite.
Spring arrives at the market in pointed jackets of brown leaves. Once peeled, the bamboo shoots are pale and close-grained, with tender tips that need very little company. In Hangzhou, a few of them in a shopping basket can decide the evening meal.
Oil-braising gives the shoots a deeper colour without taking away their character. The cut edges catch the sauce; the centre keeps a little resistance. Soy, sugar and heat turn a handful of seasonal vegetables into something that calls for another spoonful of rice.
The hills west of the city supply the setting for this appetite. A plate of shoots carries a more everyday kind of landscape than a famous monument: rain in the bamboo, a market stall, and supper while the season lasts.
Another palate
What stayed with them.
She would choose braised bamboo shoots even over pork belly.
A closer look
From ingredients to the table.
Explore the ingredients and the usual preparation, step by step.