Nan Yue Guanyin Bamboo Shoots

Nan Yue Guanyin Bamboo Shoots

　　Nan Yue Guanyin Bamboo Shoots are a specialty delicacy from Mount Heng (Nan Yue). The mountain is high and densely forested with bamboo, and the monks and Taoists in the temples and monasteries on the mountain mostly follow a vegetarian diet, placing great emphasis on the preparation of bamboo shoot dishes. Methods such as pan-frying, stir-frying, pickling, and boiling produce a wide variety of styles. The most distinctive among them is oil-braised bamboo shoots.

Legend has it that around the birthday of the Goddess Guanyin (the 19th day of the second lunar month), people pick a type of tender and plump young bamboo shoot from the mountains, peel and wash them, briefly boil them, then dry them in the sun before soaking them in tea seed oil for storage. The longer they are kept, the better their quality and the more fragrant their taste. The finished product is strip-shaped, resembling a phoenix tail, with a light yellow, glossy color, tender texture, crisp and refreshing mouthfeel, and an extraordinary aroma.

When eating, simply add a little salt and pepper for an incredibly delicious flavor. There are also salt-boiled bamboo shoots, which are boiled in salt water, dried in the sun several times, steamed repeatedly, and then stored in jars. These salted bamboo shoots also have a unique taste. Another variety known as "Full-Jar Bamboo Shoots" involves covering bamboo shoots as they emerge from the ground with a jar and placing a stone on top. By the time other bamboo shoots sprout new leaves, these shoots have grown to fill the jar, resulting in white, tender, and sweet shoots that can be sliced and stir-fried. The shoots can also be boiled, mashed into a paste, mixed with other ingredients, and made into bamboo shoot cakes or bamboo shoot blocks, each with its own distinctive flavor.