Bamboozled
Bamboo hearts do not come from the center of the bamboo plant. Nor are they to be confused with bamboo shoots or sprouts. In fact, bamboo hearts aren’t part of the bamboo plant at all, but a stunningly beautiful fungus that grows on the floor of humid bamboo forests in China.
Dictyophora indusiata, also inelegantly called long net stinkhorn or simply bamboo fungus, resembles a tall white toadstool wearing a wide lace skirt. Foraged from the forest floor, the hearts were for centuries known as a rare luxury food with miraculous healing properties. A desired ingredient in Cantonese cooking, bamboo hearts today are commercially grown and can be found dried at many Chinese markets and herbalists here in Southern California.
You have to know what you’re looking for. At Tak Shing Hong market in Rowland Heights, the hearts are sold in clear plastic bags with a little sticker that reads “wild fungus.” At a 99 Ranch Market in San Gabriel, bamboo hearts come in a cellophane package printed with “Bamboo Fungus” in tiny pale green lettering. (To tell the truth, a store manager had to locate them for us, on the shelf by dried lilies and mushrooms.) They’re tied in a sheaf with a shiny white nylon cord, and they resemble nothing so much as a pale, slim loofah, the skin scrubbers made from natural materials.
Fresh from the package, the dried bamboo hearts have a mild but distinctive scent, like dried weeds, only earthier--the strong, sweetish stinkhorn fragrance. Before they can be used in recipes, the hearts must be soaked in water for as long as 20 minutes, and it is in the soaking water that their original beauty reconstitutes. Adrift, the hearts are as translucent, delicate and intricate as jellyfish.
Bamboo hearts have only a faint, subtle meatiness and therefore rely on companion ingredients for flavors, which they absorb with an alarming capacity. Stir-fried with onions, they’ll taste like onions. Add soy sauce, they’ll taste like onions and soy sauce, concentrated. They are found most often in soups, stews and hot pots, where they add their unique bulk and texture.
We ate bamboo hearts in Rowland Heights at the Hong Kong Palace, where they are stewed in a mild chicken-based gravy and then spooned atop fried tofu and surrounded by steamed bok choy. It is a mild dish, far more about texture than flavor, and a revelation. Like many world-class delicacies--oysters, aged cheeses, caviar, foie gras--bamboo hearts walk a fine line between being lushly sensual and too physiological. The net-like element stretches over your tongue and snaps free as you bite; it’s like eating lace woven from soft, cartilaginous thread. The stalk, cut in sections, has a slightly rough, nubby surface and--in this particular dish--even a human warmth and juiciness. The subtle, knuckly crunch of both stalk and web contrasts well with the crisped-and-custardy tofu and firm bok choy. Bamboo hearts are also remarkably filling.
Whether or not bamboo hearts become another cross-cultural hit, like pork belly, with Los Angeles’ upscale restaurant establishment, they do deserve a chance with the health-conscious: In addition to 19 amino acids, a single serving provides a whopping 9 grams of dietary fiber.
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Hong Kong Palace, 19101 Colima Road, Rowland Heights, (626) 854-9829.
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Bamboo Hearts
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From Hong Kong Palace, Serves 4 to 6
1/2 pound soft tofu
1 1/2 ounces bamboo hearts*
Cornstarch, as needed
Vegetable oil, as needed, about 2 cups
6 baby bok choy, trimmed
Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
Pinch of sugar
Two drops of sesame oil
About 1 teaspoon cornstarch to thicken
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Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch-thick slices using a 1 3/4-inch (or smaller) round cutter. Drain and roll in the cornstarch; deep fry until the skin is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Steam the bok choy until it’s bright green and tender, 4 to 7 minutes. Set aside. Boil the bamboo hearts until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes; drain and set aside. To make the sauce, heat a small wok or saucepan. Add the chicken stock, salt, white pepper, sugar and sesame oil; mix in the cornstarch. Heat to boiling until the liquid has a slightly syrupy consistency, about 1 to 2 minutes. Plate with the bamboo hearts in the center, then arrange a circle of fried tofu around the hearts, followed by a circle of bok choy around the tofu. Pour the sauce over the entire dish.
*Bamboo hearts (sometimes called wild or bamboo fungus) are available at 99 Ranch Market stores; Tak Shing Hong, 1457 S. Nogales St., Rowland Heights; and other Chinese markets.
