Li Yu, the best player in ancient and modern times, said in the famous leisure book "Xian Qing Ou Ji" that bamboo shoots are "the first vegetable food, fat sheep and tender hogs, how can they be compared with each other".

01

Chaozhou Jiangdong Town is located in the lower reaches of Hanjiang River, surrounded by water, bordering Chaozhou City to the north and Chenghai District of Shantou City to the south. It is rich in products and evergreen all year round.

Local bamboo shoots are very famous for being fresh, sweet, tender and crunchy. The whole bamboo shoot banquet at local farmhouses is a major specialty industry in Jiangdong.

As the Chaoshan saying goes, "Yangmei in April and bamboo shoots in May" are on the market in the fifth month of the lunar calendar, that is, in June and July.

Bamboo shoots do not last long, and overnight bamboo shoots are almost inedible.

The best time to eat is within an hour after being unearthed. Of course, those bought at the market are not as fresh as those eaten locally. In addition, bamboo shoots are in season at this time, and the meat is less tender and shredded.

A group of us drove for half an hour, and like many diners in the surrounding areas, we came here to try the bamboo shoot feast.

Most delicious diners like to drive to other places to find food.

Like the recent documentary "A String of Life", several diners drove for more than ten hours just to eat Abdul's roasted whole lamb. In addition, diners from the Pearl River Delta often go to Chaoshan to look for food.

The most famous and well-deserved gourmet is of course Mr. Chua Lam, who has traveled all over Chaoshan’s restaurants and restaurants.

02

Entering the border of Jiangdong, food stalls gradually began to appear on both sides of the county road. In a section with bamboo forests on both sides, the food stalls were one after another, and the signboards almost all said Bamboo Shoot Feast.

Most of these farmhouses are located next to bamboo groves. It’s hot in the summer, with three or four friends, and the forest breeze is gentle. It’s a pleasure to eat some fried bamboo shoots caught from the river that day.

So business is very prosperous. When I looked at the cars at the door, it turned out that they all had out-of-town license plates.

The one we chose was a fenced-in courtyard with a pond dug in the middle. Friends who came here to eat said that they had ducks before, but they didn’t see it. They joked that it was probably a temple for the five internal organs of the diners. .

There is a circle of tables placed around the pool, with a seating area surrounded by a half-height wall on one side and a large shed on the other side. We wanted to keep cool, so we sat under the shed.

Although the environment is simple, it has a natural and wild charm. And for foodies, the environment is never the most important thing.

03

Ordering and checkout are at the entrance. When you come in, you have already ordered bamboo shoot soup, fried shredded bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots cake, braised duck with bamboo shoots, and fried meat with bamboo shoots. There are always ten dishes.

I also ordered fried creek shrimps. The shrimps caught in Hanjiang River on the same day are directly fried. Although they are small, they are fresh and crispy.

There is also a freshwater fish, I don’t know what it is called. It is made like fish rice. It should be steamed and then refrigerated. After cutting into sections, the fish belly is still frozen, which is very delicious.

I have to praise the speed of serving. The food started to be served a few minutes after we sat down. It took about ten or twenty minutes to finish the dishes. Serving food too quickly is not a good idea, haha.

While chatting at the dinner table, a friend said that he had grilled bamboo shoots. I didn’t know how they tasted. I was surprised at first. Would grilled bamboo shoots be delicious?

On the way back, I remembered that Lin Hong, a scholar from the Song Dynasty, said in "Shan Jia Qing Gong": "In early summer, when the bamboo shoots are in full bloom, the leaves are swept and simmered on the edge of the bamboo. The taste is very fresh, and it is called Bonglin. Fresh.”

Isn’t this just grilled bamboo shoots?

Finally, let me talk about some knowledge points and the secret of cooking bamboo shoots.

Because eating bamboo shoots at home is sometimes bitter, I checked online and found out that it is because I open the lid of the pot or turn down the heat during cooking.

The correct way is to cover the pot tightly, bring to a boil over high heat, and wait a few minutes until the bamboo shoots are cooked and then turn off the heat.