As the weather warms up in spring, a variety of fresh, seasonal vegetables come to the market, which are tender and crisp, and can be eaten with egg whites or as is. These vegetables are not only delicious, but also nutritious, making them an indispensable delicacy on the spring table.
However, I believe that many people have heard the saying "constipation is not a disease, squatting for a long time is really fatal", especially in spring, the spring is dry, the temperature difference between morning and evening is relatively large, people are easy to get angry, and after the Spring Festival, people often put a burden on the stomach and intestines because of their diet is too greasy and high protein, which also increases the possibility of constipation.
There is also a vegetable that is available in large quantities in the spring, and it is called "natural kessel". If you happen to be constipated, then you can eat some appropriately, which is not only crispy and refreshing, but also promotes gastrointestinal detoxification, it is spring bamboo shoots!
Spring bamboo shoots, known as the "first fresh in spring", are not only delicious, but also nutritious, rich in dietary fiber and vitamins, which have a non-negligible role in promoting digestion and enhancing physical fitness. However, the bitter hemp taste of spring bamboo shoots is prohibitive for some people. This bitter numbness is mainly due to the oxalic acid and cyanogenic glycosides in the spring shoots, which are more active in the raw bamboo shoot state, but can greatly reduce this discomfort after proper cooking treatment.
Oxalic acid is a naturally occurring organic acid that is found in many plants, including spring shoots. Oxalic acid itself is not directly toxic to the human body, but it can combine with minerals such as calcium and magnesium in food to form calcium oxalate and magnesium oxalate precipitation, which affects the body's absorption of these minerals. In addition, oxalic acid may produce a bitter taste and numbness when metabolized in the body.
Cyanogenic glycosides, on the other hand, are cyano-containing organic compounds that are found in relatively high concentrations in spring shoots. Cyanogenic glycosides themselves are also harmless to the human body, but under the action of enzymes in the body, cyanogenic glycosides can be broken down to produce hydrogen cyanide, a toxic substance that is able to inhibit the respiratory chain within cells, leading to tissue hypoxia.
In order to eat spring bamboo shoots safely, blanching is an effective treatment. The purpose of blanching is to remove oxalic acid and cyanogenic glycosides from spring bamboo shoots and reduce their adverse effects on the human body. Different from other vegetables to blanch, spring bamboo shoots need to be cooked under cold water, which can avoid overripe on the outside and unripe on the inside due to excessive temperature difference, which will affect the taste and nutrition.
The steps to blanch are as follows:
1. Peel and wash the bamboo shoots and cut them into hob pieces.
2. Put the spring shoots in cold water and bring them to a boil.
3. After boiling, keep the heat on medium heat and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
4. After cooking, immediately remove the spring shoots and soak them in cold water for half an hour.
Through this treatment, the oxalic acid and cyanogenic glycosides in the spring shoots can be effectively removed, thereby reducing the bitterness and numbness, making the taste of the spring shoots more delicious, and at the same time safer and healthier.
Blanched spring bamboo shoots soaked in cold water for half an hour, then take out the dry water, boil the oil, put a little green onion and garlic in it after the oil is warm, burst out the fragrance, fry until there is a little brown, add a little light soy sauce to it, the amount of soy sauce can be slightly more, because today we do not put salt in this dish, all the saltiness comes from soy sauce, after putting the soy sauce, wait until it is slightly cooked, after boiling off the beany smell inside, add a spoonful of chicken essence, two spoons of sugar, fry it slightly, and fry it.
Then pour the bamboo shoots that have been drained into it, add a little water, the amount of water is not too much, less than half of the bamboo shoots, cover the lid and simmer for about 5 minutes, this step is to let the bamboo shoots absorb all the flavor of soy sauce and white sugar chicken essence, after simmering for a few minutes, we open the lid, there is still a little more water inside, collect the soup on high heat, when there is only a little soup left, pour a thin circle of water starch, and then pour a little oil before going out of the pot, and a very delicious oil stewed bamboo shoots will be done.
This kind of thick oil red sauce of braised bamboo shoots in oil is a Shanghai practice, the taste is salty and sweet, the color is red and bright and attractive, and it is very good to drink and eat, but in the process of cooking, the first attention is to blanch, the second is to pay attention to the heat, do not boil the sauce inside, otherwise the sauce mixed with soy sauce and sugar, once boiled dry, there will be bitterness, the braised bamboo shoots in oil, eat while hot, the taste is very fragrant, bite in the mouth can also eat the sweetness and crispness of the bamboo shoots.
Here are a few common ways to make spring shoots:
1. **Stir-fried spring shoots**
- Peel and wash the spring shoots and cut them into thin slices or shreds.
- Heat a pan with cold oil, add spring shoots and stir-fry quickly.
- Add salt, minced garlic and other condiments.
- Stir-fry until the spring shoots are soft, and add a little chopped green onion to enhance the fragrance before removing from the pan.
2. **Roast pork with spring bamboo shoots**
- Cut the spring shoots and pork belly into cubes, blanch the pork belly first to remove the blood foam.
- Put oil in a pan, add the pork belly and stir-fry until the surface is slightly charred.
- Add the spring shoots and continue to stir-fry, add light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, cooking wine and other seasonings.
- Add water to cover the ingredients, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low heat and simmer until the meat is cooked and the bamboo shoots are soft.
3. **Spring bamboo shoot pork rib soup**
- Blanch the pork ribs to remove the blood foam, and peel the bamboo shoots and cut into cubes.
- Put the pork ribs and spring shoots in a pot and add enough water.
- Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer for 1-2 hours.
- Season with salt and sprinkle with chopped green onions.
4. **Spring Stir-fried Meat**
- Slice the bamboo shoots and slice the bacon.
- Heat the pan with cold oil, stir-fry the bacon to remove the oil.
- Add the spring bamboo shoot slices and stir-fry quickly.
- Add minced garlic, chili pepper and other condiments and stir-fry until the bamboo shoots are soft.
5. **Spring Stirred Tofu**
- Peel and shred the spring shoots and cut the tofu into cubes.
- Blanch the bamboo shoots and remove them, and blanch the tofu to remove the smell.
- Put the spring bamboo shoots and tofu in a bowl and add shredded chicken, sesame oil, minced garlic and other seasonings.
- Mix well and serve.
Either way, spring shoots need to be blanched to remove oxalic acid and cyanogenic glycosides, reducing bitterness and numbness. When blanching, spring bamboo shoots should be boiled in a pot under cold water, boiled for about 5 minutes, and then soaked in cold water for half an hour. The bamboo shoots processed in this way can present the best flavor whether they are stir-fried, roasted or made into soup.