The weather has been strange lately
Every other day it's sunny and sunny, or it's raining.
The temperature is changing so much that my body can't keep up...
At times like these, seasonal ingredients and hot springs are the best way to keep your body in shape.
I think seasonal ingredients really make sense.
Spring vegetables with their strong aroma and bitter taste are incredibly helpful in detoxifying the body by eliminating toxins that have accumulated during the winter.
Wild vegetables and herbs include rape blossoms, bamboo shoots, butterbur, butterbur sprouts, taros, kogomi, and udo.
I truly believe that when you're not feeling well, it's best to eat seasonal foods first.
And among the many menu items, there is one that I am by far looking forward to the most this time of year.
Here it is
Titled
"Morimori young sansho leaves and sansho flower noodles with bamboo shoots"!
The name is long but very simple
The noodles are topped with a generous amount of young sansho leaves and flower sansho pepper, so much so that you can barely see the noodles, and are combined with various bamboo shoots (lol).
Doesn't it make you laugh just by looking at it?
This fresh and green scent is one of a kind and irresistible, and it's a shame that a photograph cannot convey the scent.
Sansho = Kinome means bamboo shoots
Both plants appear in the spring and are a perfect match. Even a single leaf bud is essential for bamboo shoots.
Sansho branches are covered in thorns, and the head chef of her husband's restaurant goes into the mountains near his parents' house to pick plenty of them, even though it means he's losing his blood, and we get to share a lot of them with him, which makes the story even more rare for me.
Then, they are picked by cutting each one from the branch with scissors.
Ouch!! Even though I get pricked by thorns so many times, I still enjoy doing this mundane piecework.
Three types of bamboo shoots are used
1. Bamboo shoot oil and bamboo shoot confit
Split raw bamboo shoots with your hands or a knife.
Confit slowly in plenty of oil at low temperature
After that, pour in the umami soy sauce and let it sizzle to evaporate the water while allowing the flavor to soak into the bamboo shoots. It's done!
2. Bamboo charcoal noodles
In keeping with the bamboo tradition, bamboo charcoal is kneaded into the noodles to give them a jet black color.
Let it rest, knead it, let it rest, knead it, and knead it thoroughly to make firm noodles.
It doesn't have much flavor or nutritional value, and it's just black...
This is my husband's preference
3. Simmered bamboo shoots
Cut the top of a very large bamboo shoot diagonally and make a vertical cut.
Add rice bran, chili peppers, and a little bit of vinegar to the water and boil slowly.
When it gives off a fragrant aroma and you can easily pierce it with a bamboo skewer, leave it to cool and it's ready to be prepared.
After that, peel the skin and cook it in light dashi soy sauce.
Boil the bamboo charcoal noodles, coat them in the richly flavored bamboo shoot oil and soy sauce, and serve them in a bowl.
Serve with bamboo shoot confit, simmered bamboo shoots, slightly sweet, soft and creamy scrambled eggs, and top with plenty of young sansho pepper leaves and sansho flower sprigs!
The young leaves of the Japanese pepper have a crisp texture and a good bite, and the refreshing aroma that tingles the tongue and leaves the nose.
Hmm, it's already spring!
The bamboo shoot confit is packed with flavor and has a sour taste that adds a nice accent to the dish, and the bamboo shoot noodles are chewy and the flavor blends well with the flat noodles, making them delicious.
Although the preparation is simple, time and effort is spared in each and every ingredient, and the luxury of being able to enjoy seasonal ingredients that can only be enjoyed at this time is what makes this home-cooked dish from Suzhou, China.
So, I got to enjoy a lot of spring this time.
It was not a child-friendly dish lol
My daughter had the most fun when she carefully peeled a large piece of bamboo shoot skin, put it on her head to make a pointed hat, and played dwarf ^^
Eat delicious food, take a dip in the hot springs, detox and get in shape!
See you later.