bamboo ‘roots’
08.14.08 - 08.04AM When I was a kid a spent many weekends at my grandparents house in Hartwell, Georgia. They lived on 75 acres of woodland, but they weren’t rich. Land wasn’t expensive when they bought it. Their farm was on a clearing on the corner of the property. They had bee hives, a big garden full of corn, sunflower, beans, cucumbers.
In a spot near the bee hives where the soil was boggy regardless of how dry the summers got, my great grandfather planted a small cluster of bamboo. The year was around 1975. By the time I was a kid, it was as big as a house and full of birds. It was a great place to read. The light was filtered by the leaves and wind was diverted into tiny currents that kept the shade cool.
The last time I visited, it was so thick that I could find no point of entry to the thicket. I miss it alot. I think I’ll visit this weekend. Get some photos and a few pieces of bamboo - which leads me to the food part.
Baby bamboo trees are perfect for their tender rhizomes. Dig up a few and soak them in cold water after cleaning. Peel the outer layers to reveal a stepped tapering rhizome. Boil the root for twenty minutes allowing the bitterness to be released into the air - do not cover. Cut this up into thin strips along the grain and add to a wok or frypan that has garlic and crushed ginger already simmering in hot oil. When the bamboo soaks up the oil, add sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt&sugar to taste and some green onion. {I like to use spicy sesame oil.} If you have to put soy sauce in everything - just make sure you put a very small amount, or it’ll dominate the other flavors.
Freezing only slightly affects the flavor of the root - just drain after boiling and freeze. {Don’t chop it up.}
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