Sweet, Savory Beef-Bamboo Shoot Rolls

By Miho Kibiki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:30 JST, June 17, 2023

This week, restaurant owner Satoshi Ogino recommends an easy-to-cook bento recipe perfect for warmer weather.

To make the dish, all you have to do is wrap slices of takenoko bamboo shoots in beef and cook the rolled shoots in a frying pan.

Ogino said he recommends making dishes for bento saltier and sweeter compared to dishes eaten at home because bento is usually consumed cold.

The recipe features miso yuan, which is used as a marinade for grilled fish, among other dishes. Miso yuan is made by adding white miso, which has a sweet taste, to a mixture of mirin, sake and soy sauce. The mirin and sake are simmered to remove the alcohol content, then soy sauce is added and the mixture is combined with white miso.

“You can marinate the ingredients before cooking, but it’s better to coat them while cooking to enjoy the tastes of the ingredients,” Ogino said.

The recipe uses pre-boiled bamboo shoots, but if you’re using raw takenoko, make sure to boil it first and remove any residue before cooking.

Use the outer layer of the base of the bamboo shoots, which has a delightfully crunchy texture that pairs well with tender slices of beef.

Boil the bamboo shoots in water before rolling them up in the beef. The key to this recipe is to cool the shoots on something like a colander after boiling, rather than cooling them in water. This helps to remove the excess water from the bamboo and makes the shoots absorb more flavor.

When the bamboo shoots have cooled, tightly roll them in slices of beef. You can choose to either wrap the bamboo shoots entirely with the beef or leave the ends of the bamboo shoots uncovered.

Place the rolls in a frying pan, tossing and coating them with the miso sauce.

Ensure they are thoroughly cooked, especially if they are intended for a bento as they will not be eaten immediately. Once cooked, cut the rolls into bite-sized pieces.

The kinome leaf garnish provides a perfect balance with the sweetness of the sauce.

Buying raw bamboo shoots and boiling them yourself instead of using pre-boiled ones might make the dish even more delicious.

Tips for another dish

Ogino shared another recipe using the tips and middle part of bamboo shoots that were unused in the beef-bamboo roll recipe. Slice 100 grams of bamboo shoots into 5-millimeter-thick pieces, boil for 1 minute and spread them on a colander. When cooled, mix them with ½ tsp light soy sauce. Toss them with 1 tbsp ume plum paste and a handful of dried bonito flakes. It goes well with rice or as a side dish with alcoholic drinks.

Beef-bamboo shoot rolls

Ingredients (8 rolls)

• 200 grams pre-boiled bamboo shoots (use outer layer of base)
• 8 slices of beef (for sukiyaki)
• 90 cc mirin
• 30 cc sake
• 45 cc soy sauce
• 40 grams white miso
• Kinome leaf (as required)



Directions:

1. Heat mirin and sake in a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer for about 1 minute. Add soy sauce when it has cooled.

2. Pour 50 cc of mixture into a bowl, add white miso and stir, add another 50 cc and continue stirring.

3. Cut the bamboo shoots into triangular slices, about 7-8 centimeters long.



4. Boil water in a pot, heat bamboo shoots for about 3 minutes, drain and spread on a tray.

5. Spread the meat slices lengthwise, place a piece of bamboo at one end and roll it towards the other end, with the end of the roll facing down.



6. Lightly oil a frying pan and place the rolls in the pan with the ends facing down. Sear the surface over medium heat, using chopsticks to turn the rolls around.

7. When the rolls are browned on all sides, pour the mixture from Step 2 over the rolls and cook over low heat, tossing constantly.

8. Remove the rolls from the pan, cut into bite-size pieces. Condense the remaining sauce in the frying pan to the desired thickness and drizzle over the rolls. Garnish with kinome leaf.