Bamboo Food

Commonly used to make our outdoor garden chair, not many are aware this vivacious grass with multifaceted benefit is a go getter in today’s Go Green Concepts. The tallest grass in its family, the woody perennial Bamboo sure has not earned much recognition in terms of what it can offer in abundance than being a garden chair. Besides adding to the décor and serving as makeshift pillars, Bamboo has some extraordinary medicinal values that very few are aware of.

Bamboo shoots help fight obesity and prevent internal poisoning.  Known for the emmenagogue properties they help with regularizing of menstrual cycles. Bamboo shoots can help fight chronic constipation and reduce cholesterol in the body. A decoction of bamboo leaves help fight threadworm and it can also treat ulcers, clean and heal wounds by promoting blood circulation.

Young bamboo shoots are used in many ways for cooking various dishes. Chinese dishes comprise of these shoots in majority of their dishes in all possible manner- stir fry, pickled, stock and more. These shoots are of two kinds, winter shoots are considered to be a delicacy and the spring shoots considered as longer and tougher and stay well in the fridge with regular water change. The shoot as such is an ideal food for weight reduction if consumed as a treatment. Being Low in fat, sugar and rich in protein, about 50-100 gms of bamboo shoots consumed for about 5-10 periods of treatment has shown results of weight loss in obese people.

A recipe of the bamboo shoot that’s not just healthy but tasty and easy on your palate is a sure recommendation to be tried out.

Stir Fried Bamboo Shoots with Chicken

Olive Oil/Sesame oil- 1 tbsp

Garlic- 2 cloves crushed

Dried Shitake Mushroom- 3 cups, soaked in water and chopped

Chicken (cut in small pieces)

Rice wine- 1 tsp (Or generous drizzle, can be substituted with dry sherry)

Rice wine vinegar- 2-3 tsps

Light Soy Sauce- 1 tbsp

Dark Soy Sauce- 1 tsp

Five Spice/Garam Masala - few pinches

Tinned Bamboo shoots- 100 grams (drained, washed and cut into strips)

Cucumber/Gherkins- 1 small (peeled and sliced lengthways. Deseed if preferred)

Method

To a heated wok add the oil and stir fry the mushroom and garlic. Add chicken pieces and as it begins to cook, add the rice wine and vinegar, stir fry for 1 minute. Season with the light and dark soy sauce and garam masala powder and stir well. Finally add the bamboo shoots and cucumber slices and stir well.

*For vegans chicken can be substituted with vegetables like bok choi (available in the Indian super market these days) asparagus, capsicum.