Comments on: How to Clean Bamboo Shoots (Labong)…

By: Gej

Gej — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 10:32:19 +0000

betty q – Wow you have white asparagus! So far I could only dream of having those. Must be a thrill seeing them rise from the dead. And a greater thrill to cook and eat them with family. You’re right , the weeds mixed with soil would make it easier for the shoots to penetrate. Just not too fresh rotting matter touching the plants – they might get damaged by the rotting organisms, and the heat of the decomposing matter – just a suggestion.
bamboo sticks – ha ha!
I’m excited to find out what you are doing.
Thanks MM for making your blog a great way to share ideas.

By: betty q.

betty q. — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:45:55 +0000

I did, Gej! I think you will be happy with the new one I am doing right now as well…am fine tuning it. It is another MUST TRY! THANKS to you, I am having fun doing these things…..keeps me occupied! Next best thing to dreaming spending time in the ZUBU kitchen!

OK…here is an idea Gej…one early spring, I was weeding all 6 plots and also asked my neighbours in the garden to dump their weeds on one of the raised boxes that had asparagus crowns. The weeds were really piled up high and formed a huge mound. ….come late spring, I noticed these white tips peeking through the weeds. I had WHITE ASPARAGUS! So, maybe that will work with the bamboo hills as well…if you don’t intend to let it grow to bamboo sticks!

By: natie

natie — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:47:30 +0000

Will do, MM–at work right now…

By: Gej

Gej — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:34:30 +0000

Thanks betty q (did you receive my e-mail where I mentioned an alternative e-mail address?). That’s good to know. Better start harvesting from our prolific buddha bamboo, and the golden bamboo, and buho. I must find which bamboo produces those shoots of 20 years ago.
Thanks GayeN – I was wondering how big the shoots could be allowed to grow before they are harvested.
I remember seeing a picture in a magazine how the Chinese culture their bamboo shoots. At a certain time of the year they cover ALL their (fully pruned) bamboos with a hill of soil ( that makes the plantation look like Bohol’s Chocolate Hills). The hills were about 2-3 feet high. Then I suppose they just wait for the shoots to emerge – similar to asparagus in spring.

By: Fards

Fards — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 06:37:11 +0000

MM, I read your post the other day and again tonight and it occurred to me that you were referring to dabong. That is how it is called in my hometown. I just love dabong especially when put in the soup of utan kamunggay. Actually, I love it in whatever way it is cooked Now I am craving for it.

By: Ziggy

Ziggy — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 04:41:03 +0000

Bamboo shoots have a little bit cyanide in them. There are cases though that grazers get killed when they consume enormous amounts of it. The bitter taste is your clue that it still needs more boiling to kill whatever poison that is left. Don’t worry it won’t kill you. Well unless you decide to graze on it for days. :)

By: Lava Bien

Lava Bien — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 04:29:09 +0000

Man, I miss ginataang labong from Lucban, Quezon. Actually, I miss all the ginataan dishes period, with other veggies, fresh water shrimp, crabs or inihaw muna na tilapia before cooking with gata (too slimy if you don’t grill tilapia first)

By: Betchay

Betchay — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:58:18 +0000

We have buddha bamboo in the garden.I noticed the clump was getting thinner then I learned one of the helper was harvesting the shoots!So I guess Betty Q is right, all types of bamboo can be eaten!

By: GayeN

GayeN — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:20:56 +0000

Forgot to mention that my grandmother parboils the shoots with lots of salt(1/4 cup to a kilo if I remember correctly). After parboiling, she rinses the shoots in cold water and squeezes out the excess water, forming balls of cooked shoots in the process. You can rinse it again one more time if it’s still too salty. You can already store this in the freezer.

By: GayeN

GayeN — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 01:06:07 +0000

Hi MM. Bamboo shoots are a staple here in Pangasinan. And the crew is right, this is way too old. We harvest them when the shoots are less than 14-16 inches from the base and still has no “leaves” like the one you bought. We don’t harvest shoots that are more than 2 feet. If you peel the shoot, there shouldn’t be “holes” between the segments. It should be compact and still tender when sliced. We have a joke here that if you harvest and cooked a shoot that’s too old, you cooked the “stairs” . Bahay-kubos here use “kawayan” or bamboo stairs. haha

My grandmother taught us how to prepare the bamboo shoots for cooking. She always to parboiled the sliced(julienne) shoots to remove the bitterness. After parboiling she squeezes out the excess water and cooks the “labong” either atcharang labong (cooked liked “sauteed adobo”, sorry I don’t have a better description ) or dinengdeng with grilled fish, saluyot, sitaw.