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Bamboo Shoots With Green Soy Dressing
(Kinome - Ae)
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| What You Need: |
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10 ounces whole or sliced canned takenoko (bamboo shoots), drained and scraped clean
1 cup niban dashi
2 teaspoons sugar
2¼ teaspoons salt
MSG
2 tablespoons sake (rice wine)
A 2-inch square of kombu (dried kelp), cut with a sharp knife from a sheet of kombu and washed in cold running water
¼ pound fresh spinach leaves stripped from their stems
¼ cup white miso dressing
¼ teaspoon kona samho (Japanese pepper)
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| How To Cook: |
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PREPARE AHEAD:
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1. To prepare a whole bamboo shoot (superior to the sliced variety), place it on its side, cut off the base, then cut the base in half horizontally. Cut the tapered top lengthwise in quarters, and then cut all of the pieces into ½-inchdice.
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2. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, drop in the bamboo dice and return to the boil. Boil uncovered for about 10 minutes, or until the bamboo shoots show no resistance when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Drain and set aside.
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3. Sliced bamboo shoots need only be cut into ½-inchdice, boiled for 2 to 3 minutes, then drained.
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4. In a 1½-to 2-quart saucepan, combine the niban dashi, sugar, ¼ teaspoon of the salt, a few sprinkles of MSG, the sake and the kombu.
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5. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly, and add the bamboo shoots. Return to a boil and cook briskly, uncovered, until nearly all of the cooking liquid evaporates. Then cool to room temperature.
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6. Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly and pat them dry with paper towels. In a suribachi (serrated mixing bowl) or with a mortar and pestle, grind or pound the leaves to a paste, adding the remaining 2 teaspoons of salt gradually as you proceed.
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7. Or alternatively, chop the leaves fine with a large, sharp knife and mash them with the salt in a bowl.
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8. No matter how you have made the spinach paste, stir into it 1 cup of cold water and transfer it to a 1-quart saucepan. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then pour the mixture into a sieve set over a mixing bowl and drain. Discard the liquid.
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TO ASSEMBLE AND SERVE:
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1. Pour the miso dressing into a bowl and, with the back of a wooden spoon, rub the spinach paste through a sieve into the dressing. Then stir the mixture until it turns a soft, delicate green.
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2. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of kona sansho powder, add the bamboo shoots, and stir together gently. Serve at room temperature in individual small bowls as a first course or part of a Japanese meal.
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