Crunchy, fresh takenoko (bamboo shoots) are one of the quintessential spring flavors in Japan. While ready-to-use parboiled bamboo shoots are easily accessible at any supermarket, nothing beats the flavor and fragrance of fresh bamboo shoots, eaten as close to the time they were dug up as possible.
This recipe is for Tosa-ni, a traditional way of enjoying the crunchy vegetable. After parboiling, the shoots are simmered with lots of umami-rich katsuobushi (skipjack tuna flakes). The name comes from Tosa (present-day Kochi Prefecture), which has been famous for its katsuobushi for hundreds of years.
When picking a fresh shoot, avoid ones where the base has turned brown. Oval-shaped shoots are said to be tastier and tenderer than neat round ones. Parboiling with unrinsed rice, or rice bran and chili pepper, is thought to reduce the bitterness of the bamboo shoots even more, and some stores sell fresh bamboo shoots with a little packet of rice bran.