Stir Fried Winter Bamboo and Pork Slices

Stir Fried Winter Bamboo and Pork Slices { Dong Sun Chao Rou Si 冬笋炒肉丝} is such a traditional Stir Fry dish in China’s Yangtze River Delta Area. A classic Huai Yang style home cooking featuring special seasonal produce: winter bamboo. Winter bamboo, or Dong Sun {冬笋} in Chinese, has a semi-crunchy texture and naturally refreshing flavor. A perfect match to the super juicy and savory pork slices.

Winter Bamboo Fun Facts

It worth mentioning that these are not bamboo shoots growing above the ground. They are actually the bamboo roots lying underneath the ground. During harsh wintertime, they become dormant. As soon as spring comes, bamboo shoots are coming out from these bamboo roots.

During the old times, people sometimes dug out bamboo roots during wintertime to make a special delicacy dish in celebration of Chinese New Year, which usually coincides with the oldest time of the year. Over time, it becomes a classic dish during the Chinese New Year celebration.

Stir Fried Winter Bamboo and Pork Slices Story

When I was a child, whenever my late father made this dish, he would tell me the story of how this stir-fry he made wowed my Mom and his future father-in-law.

My father was born and grew up in Suzhou. After college, he was assigned to a job in China’s northeast area, where he met my Mom. One Chinese New Year, father spotted winter bamboo on the farmer’s market. So he bought two of them and brought over to my maternal grandfather’s house.

Naturally, none of the people in the household knew what on earth this hairy stuff was? Bamboo is not native to China’s northeast area. Eating bamboo was certainly not a local custom. Frankly , stir-fry dish itself was unfamiliar to most people in the area then.

My maternal grandfather claimed this was the most delicious food he ever had. The rest became a story.

How to make Stir Fried Winter Bamboo and Pork Slices from scratch?

See the Recipe for a detailed step-by-step tutorial. Here are the key takeaways:

Make the cooked pork slices in advance

Read here for a detailed easy to follow recipe and tutorial on how to make super delicious pork slices using simple ingredients such as Shaoxing wine, naturally aged soy sauce, Himalayan pink salt, arrowroot flour, and white pepper.

Prep and Slice Winter Bamboo into julienne cut

First is to trim the bottom of the winter bamboo and then peel layers of husks off.

Wash and rinse bamboo well. Cut it in thin slices of rounds first. Then lay the thin slices of rounds flat and cut into thin julienne cut slices.

You may notice some whitish stuff inside bamboo’s hollow area. They are amino acids that were naturally occurred during the protein decomposition process. Wash and rinse them off.

Blanch Winter Bamboo Slices

The fresh winter bamboo has a mild astringent taste. It is better to blanch first before stir frying.

To blanch, fill a large stockpot with about 75% of water, bring it to a boil, and then add the bamboo slices. Fold the bamboo slices into boiling water using a spider skimmer for about 30 seconds and then remove them from the pot using the same skimmer.

Stir Fry Blanched Bamboo with Cooked Pork Slices

Turn the heat to medium-high and heat the Wok for 2 minutes. Add one teaspoon of canola oil using a homemade oil sprayer and most of the chopped green onions. Save some for the garnishing.

Stir for about 10 seconds or until fragrant and then add the blanched bamboo slices. Fold and stir for about 1 minute, and add 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt and continue to fold for another minute.

Add cooked pork slices. Continue to fold using a slotted turner or bamboo spatula for another 2 minutes. Add 1-2 tbsp boiled water if the dish appears to be dry.

All done! Turn off the heat and garnish with the rest of the chopped green onions. Enjoy a super delicious and healthy meal!

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Stir Fried Winter Bamboo and Pork Slices {Dong Sun Chao Rou Si} Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Winter Bamboo and Pork Slices {冬笋炒肉丝} is such a classic and traditional Stir Fry dish in China’s Yangtze River Delta Area. It features special seasonal produce: winter bamboo. Winter bamboo, or Dong Sun {冬笋} in Chinese, has a semi-crunchy texture and naturally refreshing flavor. A perfect match to the super juicy and savory pork slices.

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Ingredients

For Cooked Pork Slices:

• 2/3 lb pork meat, sirloin, shoulder, or butt
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 1/3 tbsp aged soy sauce, see notes
• 1 tsp arrowroot flour
• 1/3 tsp white pepper, freshly ground
• 1/3 tsp canola oil
• 2/3 green onion stalk
• 4 Gram (about 0.14 oz.) ginger

Other Ingredients:

• 1 winter bamboo, a little over 1 lb in gross weight
• 1 stalk of green onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt
• 1 tsp canola oil
• 1-2 tbsp boiled water, optional

Instructions

Make the cooked pork slices in advance:

1. Read here for a detailed easy to follow recipe and tutorial on how to make super delicious pork slices using simple ingredients such as Shaoxing wine, naturally aged soy sauce, Himalayan pink salt, arrowroot flour, and white pepper.
   

Prep and Slice Winter Bamboo into julienne cut:

1. The first is to trim the bottom of the winter bamboo and then peel layers of husk off.
   
2. Wash and rinse bamboo well. Cut it in thin slices of rounds first.
   
3. Then lay the thin slices of rounds flat and cut into thin julienne cut slices.
   

Blanch Winter Bamboo Slices:

1. Fill a large stockpot with about 75% of water, bring it to a boil, and then add the bamboo slices. Fold the bamboo slices into boiling water using a spider skimmer for about 30 seconds and then remove them from the pot using the same skimmer.
   

Stir Fry Blanched Bamboo with Cooked Pork Slices:

1. Wash and rinse the green onion. Cut into small pieces.
2. Turn the heat to medium-high and heat the Wok for 2 minutes. Add one teaspoon of canola oil using a homemade oil sprayer and most of the chopped green onions. Save some for the garnishing.
   
3. Stir for about 10 seconds or until fragrant and then add the blanched bamboo slices. Fold and stir for about 1 minute, and add 1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt and continue to fold for another minute.
4. Add cooked pork slices. Continue to fold using a slotted turner for another 2 minutes. Add 1-2 tbsp boiled water if the dish appears to be dry.
   
5. All done! Turn off the heat and garnish with the rest of the chopped green onions. Enjoy a super delicious and healthy meal!
   

Notes

• You may notice some whitish stuff inside bamboo’s hollow area. They are amino acids that were naturally occurred during the protein decomposition process. Wash and rinse them off.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 servings Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 255Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 86mgSodium 445mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 26g

Nutrition calculation is provided by Nutritionix to the best knowledge per ingredients description and isn't always accurate.

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