Finely sliced bamboo shoots are gently swished in a broth with beef

Tag : canned Bamboo
The northern spring provides a brief window, for a few weeks aboutApril to May, when the bamboo shoots are in season. Brought toJapan from China in the 16th century, bamboo is now grown in largequantities in Rakusai, on the western outskirts of Kyoto, where itis a much revered part of the local cuisine.
The former imperial capital is renowned for its highly refined andartistically presented food; bamboo shoots are used here in soups,pan-fried dishes and hotpots along with ingredients such as tofuand tofu skin, eggplant, daikon, carrots and fu, a processed wheatgluten found all over Japan but which in Kyoto comes inparticularly attractive shapes and patterns.
Finely sliced bamboo shoots are gently swished in a broth with beef and a selection of these ingredients in shabu shabu, a classicone-pot dish cooked at the table. These add a delicate crunch toanother classic dish, sukiyaki, in which thinly sliced beef filletsare panfried with an array of vegetables in a sauce of soy andmirin.
It is easy to overdose on temples in Kyoto, such as its magnificentlegacy of so-called National Treasures and UNESCO World Heritagesites, but when travellers have had their fill, it's fun to visitthe Nishiki Market, a long, narrow alley lined with about 150specialty food stalls and grocery stores.
Set up along Nishikikoji Street, in downtown Kyoto, it has everykind of fresh and prepared food imaginable, from beautifullypackaged sweets and dozens of varieties of rice to plumpstrawberries selling for the equivalent of $100 for a tray of 20.
Known to the locals as Kyoto's kitchen, the market leads into theTeramachi covered arcade, where one of the shops sells nothing butbamboo shoots, pickled, packaged and, of course, fresh in season.They are bigger than one might anticipate if familiar only with thecanned variety. About 6cm to 8cm in diameter and up to 20cm or soin length, they still carry some of the soil from which they havebeen lifted.
At Iroha, a restaurant specialising in sukiyaki, beef andvegetables grilled at the table, our meal concludes with the prizedbamboo shoots, sliced and served fresh without garnish. Thisdelightful restaurant in Pontocho-dori, a narrow alley that is oneof the city's traditional nightlife districts, has been open forabout 40 years.
Run by third-generation restaurateurs, it serves a wonderful feastof thinly sliced Kyoto beef cooked on the hotplate with onion,parsley, spring onion, tofu, fu and noodles. A little sugarsprinkled on the hotplate adds a touch of sweetness to the dish, asurprise ingredient with the water, soy sauce and "otherthings" that the chef tells me she has added while myattention is diverted by the sake.
Kyoto sake, according to our guide, is a feminine sake, in contrastto the strong, dry masculine sake from the port city of Kobe.
At Sumiya Kihouan, a ryokan in Kameoka, on the outskirts of Kyoto,bamboo shoots and other edible wild plants are among the seasonaldelicacies on offer. This inn serves a splendid kaiseki meal, alavish banquet where numerous small dishes are ceremoniouslybrought to the table over the course of a few hours.
The menu changes with the seasons, drawing on produce from thenearby mountains. In spring, our meal begins with exquisitelyprepared appetisers, including delicious bamboo shoots tossed in abright green vegetable puree topped with a single prawn.
Eight courses or more later, he brings out a wooden platter ofbamboo shoots, sliced in half lengthways and still in their husks,a protective layer for the shoots as the chef proceeds to cook themover a small charcoal grill.
This comfortable and very elegant ryokan, with its own hot baths,is conveniently located for visiting Arashiyama and Sagano, areasmuch loved by visitors, especially at cherry blossom time. Thereare some lovely temples tucked into the bamboo groves here,including Tenryu-ji, which has a 14th-century Zen garden wherevisitors can order a vegetarian lunch.
The nearby Sagano bamboo forest is a quiet haven in this heavilypopulated land where food never happens by accident but is lovinglyprepared and lovingly eaten.
Checklist
Fresh bamboo is on the menu in season at: Saganosato restaurant,46-2 Kitatsukurimichi-cho, Sagatenryuji, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City. Fiveminutes walk from JR Saga Arashiyama Station on the Sagano line.+81 75 882 0623.
Chikusen restaurant, in the grounds of Seiryou Temple, 46Fujinoki-cho, Sagashakado, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City. Ten minutes walkfrom JR Saga Arashiyama Station on the Sagano line. +81 75 8823074.