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Wakatake-ni
Bamboo shoot and wakame simmer
Wakatake-ni (若竹煮): Kyoto's spring dish of bamboo shoots and wakame in a clear kombu and shiitake broth
Wakatake-ni means 'young bamboo simmer', and in Kyoto it marks the few weeks of April when fresh shoots arrive from the hills around Rakusai; it is served in small bowls at home and in kaiseki menus as a quiet taste of spring. Tender bamboo shoot is simmered in a pale, lightly seasoned broth, and soft wakame goes in at the very end, so the bowl is all clean, sweet and sea flavours. Classic recipes use bonito dashi; this one uses kombu and dried shiitake, and sugar instead of mirin, so it is vegan and alcohol-free. It is a light side dish of about 4 g of protein per portion. The common mistake is boiling the wakame with the bamboo: it turns slimy and drab, so it needs only a minute. Chef's tip: cool the bamboo in the broth for 10 minutes before reheating; it drinks up the seasoning far better than it does while boiling.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
- 2 ½ cups water
- ⅓ oz kombua 10 cm piece
- 10 ½ oz boiled bamboo shootsfresh-boiled or vacuum-packed, rinsed
- 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauceusukuchi
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ oz dried wakamesoaked in cold water for 5 minutes and drained
- 4 sprigs kinome or a few mint leaves (optional)to garnish
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Soak ⅓ oz kombu and 3 dried shiitake mushrooms in 2 ½ cups water for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge, for the broth (not counted in the times).
Step 2: Cut 10 ½ oz boiled bamboo shoots into bite-sized wedges: tips lengthways into quarters, the firmer base into 1 cm half-moons.
Step 3: Heat the soaking pan slowly over a medium-low heat and lift out the kombu just before the water boils; keep the shiitake in. Add the bamboo, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce and ¼ tsp salt.
5 minStep 4: Simmer very gently, partly covered, until the bamboo is tender when pierced with a skewer and has turned a pale honey colour.
15 minStep 5: Turn off the heat and leave the bamboo to cool in the broth for 10 minutes, so it soaks up the flavour.
Step 6: Bring back to a bare simmer, add the drained ¼ oz dried wakame and warm for 1 minute only, until it is bright green.
2 minStep 7: Serve in small bowls with plenty of broth and a sprig of 4 sprigs kinome or a few mint leaves on top.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 50 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does wakatake-ni take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of dried shiitake mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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