Bamboo Shoots - So Packed With Nutrition They Literally Glow in the Dark

In China and Japan, the sprouting of the bamboo shoot is a sign of spring. Prized for their rich aroma and crunchy texture, fresh bamboo shoots are only available in March and April. In North America, fresh bamboo is only available in the spring in Asian markets and a few farmers' markets in California and the Southeast, but canned and frozen bamboo shoots are available all year round.

In Australia and the Philippines, high-quality, locally grown bamboo shoots are available in markets for several months every year. Ideally, bamboo shoots should be consumed the same day they are harvested, so any fresh bamboo of high quality has to be grown in the same area where it is consumed.

Bamboo shoots are so good for you they literally glow in the dark. Researchers in Japan have found that freshly cut bamboo emits a gentle glow as the plant's internal self-defense system activates antioxidants to prevent oxidation and browning. These antioxidants also counteract bacterial infections in the people that eat bamboo shoots.

Traditional Asian medicine teaches that the energy of bamboo shoots counteracts the energies of negative emotions, specifically the negative emotions that settle into the liver and cause spasms in the gallbladder. Whether you believe the theory of Asian medicine or not, herbal formulas made with bamboo shoots do relieve gallbladder pain.

Scientifically oriented researchers in China have found that bamboo shoots are among nine vegetables in the Asian diet that offer protection against lung cancer (along with bitter melon, cucumber, wild celery, spinach, sweet potatoes, fresh soybeans, Szechuan peppers, and sweet potatoes).

When you use canned bamboo shoots, be sure to add them at the end of cooking, heating them just long enough to heat them through. Browning a bamboo shoot does nothing for its flavor and destroys its distinctive crunch. If you are fortunate enough to find fresh bamboo shoots, be sure to process them in boiling water before you use them in cooking.

Bamboo shoots, like many other tropical root vegetables, contain trace concentrations of hydrocyanic acid (yes, a form of cyanide) that have to be leached out of the vegetable before it is used as a food. Here is what you need to do to fresh bamboo shoots:

1. Peel off outer rind of each root. Cut off the tip and score the surface of the shoot, making a long, shallow cut the length of the shoot. Take care not to cut into the shoot.

2. Put the bamboo shoots into a pressure cooker, just covering them with water to which you have added a handful of rice bran. Close the pressure cooker and steam for 10 minutes. (If you do not have a pressure cooker, boil in an open boil for 45 minutes.)

3. At the end of the cooking time, take the shoots out of the pot and rinse away the rice bran. Peel off the rind from the score on the surface, then cut the shoots into bite-sized pieces. The bamboo shoots are now ready for use in cooking other dishes.

Americans associate bamboo shoots with Chinese stir fries, but these crunchy sticks can be used to make sushi, in spring rolls (harumaki) and meat buns (nikuman), to flavor stews of shellfish, to give crunch to split pea soup, to provide an edible toothpick for hors d'oeuvre, and as a contrasting flavor in dishes made with fava beans. And they are a key ingredient in a famous savory vegan stew from Nepal