While visiting friends in Frankfurt, Germany, Ingrid cooked the most delicious stroganoff-over-rice that included bamboo shoots and coconut milk. Kindly, she sat down one morning, when the two of us were home together, and told me how she had made it. I’m happy to share it with you.

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups basmati brown rice
  • 1 cup baby green beans, whole
  • 1 cup carrots, sliced slantwise ¼ inch
  • 1 cup small zucchini, sliced ¼ inch
  • 1 cup broccoli florets cut in small pieces
  • 1 cup onion chopped fine
  • 1 cup leeks or scallions, sliced fine
  • 1 clove garlic sliced very fine
  • 1 cup sprouted soy beans
  • 1 cup raw cashews, cut coarsely
  • 1 cup tofu (I use firm silken tofu) diced in ½ in squares.
  • 1 cup sliced bamboo shoots*
  • 3 cups of coconut milk (or slightly less if you want it thicker)
  • 1 Tbsp chicken-style seasoning
  • ½-1 tsp green curry seasoning or fresh grated ginger, if preferred
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • Additional small amount salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Put 3 cups water in a saucepan with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Add basmati brown rice, turn heat down to medium and cook until soft. Stir periodically. Takes about 20 minutes. When soft, set aside.

While the rice is cooking, place baby green beans in a saucepan with small amount of water and steam until soft. Set aside.

Place coconut oil or olive oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Add all other vegetables and cashews. Cover and sauté until al dente. Stir periodically.

Add coconut milk, tofu, and seasonings. Reheat and allow to simmer for a few minutes.

Add the baby green beans. Reheat as needed.

Serve

Place ½ cup of basmati brown rice in a shallow soup bowl. Pour over a cup or so of coconut mixture.

 

*Bamboo shoots are the edible portions (new bamboo culms) that come out of the ground of bamboo species. They add bulk and texture to foods without adding hardly any fat and calories. Canned bamboo shoots are available in many stores. (You can also purchase fresh bamboo shoots but you would need to peel, slice, and boil them before adding them to recipes.) About ¾ of a cup contains less than 20 calories, little to no fat, sodium, or cholesterol, and 1/6 grams of protein. They contain minerals and vitamins including copper, manganese, vitamin B-6, riboflavin, phosphorus, and zinc. The phytochemical, lignans, is reported to provide some antifungal and antiviral properties.

References (accessed March 2015)

http://www.livestrong.com/article/530223-nutritional-information-on-bamboo-shoots/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboo_shoot