AN OBSTACLE IN GETTING BAMBOO SHOOTS AND HOW TO MAKE DISHES OUT OF IT

"The Food Which is Hard to Get is the Food which is the Best to Eat"
- @lovinglymers

When we look around, we can see grasses, particularly in rural areas. There are different kinds of grasses. Some grasses can be consumed by a human. Those are barley, wheat, oat grass, and others.

When I was young, there was one grass that made me so wonder. I thought it was a tree but I read a story in a book that it was grass. Can you guess what was it?

Hello, my dear Hivers!Welcome to my blog! The grass that made me wonder is bamboo grass but in some countries, it's a tree. Join me now on our journey to the area where bamboo grass is located.

The Journey to Bamboo Grass Area

As we all know bamboo has many uses. It will be used as furniture, paper, medicine, and many others. The part of bamboo that I like best is the culm, it is from a rhizome, that emerges from the ground, and its young culm is known as bamboo shoots. You can make dishes out of it.

It was Saturday morning, and it came up in my mind something missin'. When we were young, our mom told us to get Bamboo Shoots "Labong" in the Tagalog version. I and my brother proceeded to the area where there were bamboos. A cuisine out of bamboo shoots is one of my favorites. But don't you know how difficult it is to get bamboo shoots?

At that moment, I decided to go to the area where we could find many bamboos. The area is found on the land bought by our parents 25 years ago. It was owned by the sister of our grandmother before.

I and my younger daughter headed to the area. It's been a long time since I've visited there. The location is more or less 200 meters away from our home. I brought bolo to be used in times I could find bamboo shoots.

Passing the Lush Green Fields

On our way, we passed lush green fields and so many coconuts. That was planted by our father before he died 15 years ago.
When we got nearer to the area we headed, I was so amazed at the different healthy grown plants around.

Oh, what a nice place! I really like green plants. I couldn't resist the temptation to pose for a picture amidst a green field. I felt like I was in paradise standing with lush green ferns. Good, I have a companion that serves as my photographer. The giant Alocasia caught my attention. They were standing proudly among the plants around. I turned my sight to the Anahaw that symbolizes our national leaf here in our country the Philippines. The Anahaw looks so stunning with its green huge palm.

At last, we reached the bamboo area. Oh, my God! The area was covered with thorny bamboo. How could I get bamboo shoots? I was looking around and hoping to find even a single one.

Thanks to God! I've found one bamboo shoot. I remember those days when I was young, It was not so easy to get the culm. Such thorny bamboos, we need extra care to avoid hurt. Sometimes we crawl inside or any position just to get the bamboo shoots. I was asking myself at my golden age, can I get that one? Can I crawl just as I did a long time ago?

I cut some thorns around before I got nearer to the culm.

I hardly got the bamboo shoot through my courage and self-determination. I tried to look for another one and luckily, I found another. So, I brought two (2) bamboo shoots going back home.

Leaving the Bamboo Area

We left the area with so much joy and contentment bringing the things that were too hard to get.
I took a rest when we arrived home because I was tired. I decided to cook the bamboo shoots late afternoon.

Preparing Time

It was 5:00 PM when I started to prepare a dish for a meal.

How Do I Peel the Bamboo Shoots and Cut

1. Peel it with the use of a knife on the part which is hard
2. Unwrap and discard the layers until we reach the pale edible core
3. Wash the bamboo shoots
4. Cut or slice into thin pieces

Please be reminded that bamboo shoots need to be boiled to avoid toxins

What to Do Before /During Boiling the Bamboo Shoots

1. Put 1 tablespoon of salt in the shredded/sliced bamboo shoot.
2. Mixed the salt in the shredded/sliced bamboo shoots and then wash with water.
3. Use a drainer to drain the water.
4. Boil 1 liter of water in a casserole pan.
5. Pour the shredded/sliced bamboo shoots into the pan and boil it on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
6. Wait until it cools and use a drainer to drain the water.

Now, you may preserve the boiled bamboo shoots in the refrigerator for a week. In my case, I consumed 1/2 of boiled bamboo shoots on that day. The rest were preserved in the refrigerator for my next-day menu.

I am thinking of making a"Pork with Bamboo Shoots"

Ingredients

• 1 pc of onion
• 3-4 garlic gloves
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1/2 kilogram shredded/sliced bamboo shoots
• 1/4 kilogram of marinated pork

How to Cook "Bamboo Shoots "Labong" with Pork"*

1. Sliced the onions
2. Minced the garlic cloves
3. Heat the cooking pan
4. Pour 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into the pan and heat for a few seconds
5. Put the minced garlic first, and stir it, followed by the sliced onion
6. After 10 seconds, put the marinated pork into the pan and stir for 2 minutes using a ladle
7. Add 2 cups of water to cook the marinated pork for 15-20 minutes on low heat.
8. Put the shredded/sliced bamboo shoots into the cooking pan and use a ladle to stir it.
9. Pour 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and stir it. Be reminded that your pork meat was marinated, and the boiled bamboo shoots were mixed a salt before boiling, so try to taste it before applying seasoning.
10. After 5 minutes, serve it warm.

It's Dinner Time!Yummy!Yummy!

For the following day, I made another dish out of bamboo shoots. I decided to cook "Bamboo Shoots with Boiled Pork Ribs"

Ingredients

• 1/8 kg of cabbage
• 5 pcs of pepper
• 4 stalks of spring onions
• 1 cup of shredded/sliced bamboo shoots
• 1 kg. of pork ribs

How to Cook "Bamboo Shoots with Boiled Pork Ribs"

1. Pour the casserole pan with 6 glasses of water.
2. Boil the water.
3. Put the 1 kg of cut ribs and boil it for 20-30 minutes in a low heat.
4. After 20 minutes, add the pepper
5. Then, add 1 cup of bamboo shoots into the casserole pan.
6. After 5 minutes, put the cabbage and the spring onions.
7. Apply seasoning
8. Serve it hot.

Breakfast is Ready!

Why I Choose Bamboo Shoots to Prepare for a Dish?

There are many benefits we can get from bamboo shoots

• It is highly nutritious
• It contains a high-fiber
• It has plenty amounts of copper and vitamin A
  -It is rich in proteins, carbohydrates and minerals

Great responsibilities lie in us being the one who brings light to the home. Providing their basic needs, especially their food is one of our greatest missions being a mother and a wife. Choosing the right kind of food should be highlighted.

Looking at your kids and hubby enjoying eating the foods you prepare is one of your greatest achievements.

Thinking how hard to get the bamboo shoots but trying to obtain it, is considered one of my greatest accomplishments for that day. A feeling of joy and contentment upon seeing my family so delighted with the food I prepared for them. That is why I can say that "The food which is Hard to Get is the Best Food to Eat"

My dear Hivers, I hope you can spend time reading my blog and learn something from this. Thank you so much! See you on my next blog! God bless us all!