I remember the very first time I made bamboo shoot soup. I have always thrown it directly into my pot after a quick rinse from the accompanying brine. It’s already cooked so why not? My soup always turned out so yellow with an overpowering smell. I never really enjoyed it that way and didn’t understand what I did wrong.
I eventually learned that the bamboo shoots taste so much better if you rinse and boil the bamboo shoots at least once before use. Even if the bamboo shoots are already cooked and stored in brine, it’s still best to boil them again before use.
If you are using dried bamboo, it’s more labor-intensive as you’re going to have to presoak then boil it a couple of times. Boil, drain, rinse, and repeat as necessary until the overpowering smell and the harsh yellow color are gone. For this reason, I stick to canned bamboo but more preferably, the ones in vacuumed sealed bags as pictured below..
Once properly prepped, bamboo shoots are delicious with a nice crunchy texture. You can add bamboo shoots to soups or stir-fries. For this recipe, I’m adding bamboo shoots to chicken soup.
Enjoy with steamed rice for a complete meal. Recipe below. Happy cooking.
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Popular Chicken Dishes to Complete the Meal
Vietnamese Chicken Soup with Bamboo Shoots (Canh Gà Nấu Măng)
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 5 1x
Description
Looking for a soup dish to go with a traditional Vietnamese family meal? Here is warm and comforting chicken soup with crunchy bamboo shoots. A simple and easy recipe to have alongside steamed rice.
Ingredients
- 12 oz chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 lb bamboo shoots (canned or semi-fresh bamboo in vacuumed sealed bags)
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder
- 5 cups water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 green onions (thinly sliced; whites and greens separated)
- 1/8 teaspoon (pinch) ground black pepper
Instructions
- Season chicken with half the amount of fish sauce, salt, sugar and chicken bouillon powder.
- Prepare bamboo: Discard the liquid from the bag or can. Rinse the bamboo shoots then boil in water for about 5 minutes. Remove from the boiling water and give it a final rinse. Bamboo is now ready for use. In a separate medium bowl, combine bamboo with the remaining seasonings (fish sauce, sea salt, sugar and chicken bouillon powder). Set aside.
- Prepare soup: In a medium pot, heat oil and sauté the shallots, garlic and whites of green onions until fragrant (about 20 seconds). Add in the marinated chicken. Give it a quick toss in the aromatics (about 30 seconds). Add water to the stock pot. Turn up the heat to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Scoop away any impurities that float to the top.
- Add marinated bamboo shoots and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
- Finish: Turn off heat and garnish with ground black pepper and remaining green onions.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese
