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| Wakatakeni 若竹煮 |
Wakatake-ni (Bamboo shoots and wakame seaweed)
Wakatake-ni is a one of the most popular dishes in the spring time in Japan. There is a limited amount of time that we can enjoy eating the tender bamboo shoots. They grow quite fast and only baby bamboo shoots are edible. As a result, the youngest shoots must be harvested before they begin to mature. Fresh bamboo shoots have very delicious flavor and unique crisp texture. We cook them with sashimi, stewed, steamed, broiled, grilled, mixed with rice, salad and other dishes. However, the most popular way of cooking is "Wakatake-ni", in other words, simmered bamboo shoots and wakame seaweed. Wakame seaweed is also well-known as a spring time ingredient.
The bamboo shoots and the wakame seaweed, a bounty from the mountains and bounty from the ocean. Both ingredients come from different places but the combination of the two yields a very special dish.
若竹について
若竹煮は春を代表する日本の食べ物のひとつです。料亭でも家庭の食卓でもとてもなじみのある料理のひとつではないでしょうか。
山の幸であるたけのこと、海の幸のわかめ。自然界では出会うことのない食材同士ですが、これらの旬は春。先人の旬を楽しむ知恵と粋の賜物です。
Photoshoot at Hirohisa
