How to cook bamboo shoots without making them bitter

Bamboo shoots are very nutritious. People usually like to eat bamboo shoots, and the taste of bamboo shoots is very unique. However, some bamboo shoots taste bitter. If the bamboo shoots taste bitter, it will affect the taste of the bamboo shoots. However, if they are handled well, the bamboo shoots will not taste bitter, but taste very delicious. How to cook bamboo shoots without bitterness?

How to cook bamboo shoots without making them bitter?

1. Boil bamboo shoots in shells from cold water

Boiling bamboo shoots with the shell on can lock in the sweetness and moisture and prevent them from being lost during the boiling process, so it is not recommended to cut them into pieces before putting them into the pot. In addition, when cooking bamboo shoots, start with cold water and don't wait until the water boils before throwing them in. Boiling in cold water can allow the heat to rise evenly from the outside to the inside. If you throw it directly into boiling water, the bamboo shoots will shrink and the bitterness cannot be eliminated.

Tips: The water used to cook the bamboo shoots should be enough to cover the bamboo shoots to avoid them becoming dry after cooking for too long. The soup left over from cooking bamboo shoots has a bitter taste and contains impurities. You can put some of the soup and the cooked bamboo shoots in the refrigerator and discard the rest of the soup.

2. Cover and cook throughout the process

As soon as the food is put into the pot, put the lid on and do not open it during the whole process. The moisture can be retained by simmering it. Generally speaking, the cooking time is about 30 minutes, or you can turn off the heat when you smell the fragrance of bamboo shoots. Tips for making boiled bamboo shoots sweet and not bitter

Tips: Add uncooked rice for sweetness

If you want to add sweetness to the bamboo shoots, you can add a little raw rice to a tea bag and cook them together. However, fresh bamboo shoots do not actually need additional salt or raw rice to enhance sweetness and reduce bitterness. If you don't have uncooked rice or don't want to use this method, you can extend the boiling time by 10 to 15 minutes instead.

3. Boiled bamboo shoots in iced water

Chilling the freshly cooked hot bamboo shoots in ice water (the photo shows the whole pot of ice water placed directly in the refrigerator) can preserve the fresh and tender taste of the bamboo shoots. If you don’t need to eat it right away, you can let it cool naturally and then store it in the refrigerator.

The sweetness of bamboo shoots will decrease from the moment they are picked. The best time to enjoy them is of course to eat them immediately after they are picked. The sweetness peaks at 2 to 3 days at most. If you don’t have time to eat it within a short period of time, boiling the fresh bamboo shoots and preserving them is also a good idea!