Beef with Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots, or 双冬牛肉 (shuāng dōng niúròu) is a hearty Chinese dish. The literal translation is “double winter beef,” where “double winter” refers to two ingredients: winter shiitake mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots.
While this is a seasonal dish, you can find winter bamboo shoots canned or in the freezer section and use rehydrated dried shiitakes to enjoy it anytime!
What are Winter Bamboo Shoots?
Winter bamboo shoots (冬筍 – dōngsǔn), are harvested while still underground in late winter, before they emerge and become tough.
You can tell them apart from spring shoots because they are short and squat in shape. Spring bamboo, on the other hand, are young shoots that have broken through the soil later in the season, so they tend to be more elongated.
Cold weather produces more sugar in root vegetables, which makes winter bamboo shoots sweeter. These tender sweet shoots have to be dug from the cold ground and offer a crunchy texture and mild flavor. They’re a delicacy in Asian cuisine for stir-fries, soups, and braised dishes.
Like all bamboo shoots, they require peeling and boiling before you can eat them.
What is a Winter Mushroom?
Winter mushroom (冬菇 – dōnggū), is a general term referring to shiitake mushrooms. That said, there are different varieties of shiitake mushrooms harvested in the late fall and winter months that the Chinese sometimes refer to as “fa gu” or flower mushrooms, because of the flower-like white lines and cracking patterns on the mushroom cap.
The Japanese also call these mushrooms donko because this high quality variety grows during the winter, yielding a thicker cap, a more intense flavor, and better texture from slow, cold-weather growth.
The other warm weather variety of shiitake mushrooms may also be called 冬菇 (dōnggū), but they are not grown in the winter. Koshin Shiitake mushrooms are grown and harvested in the spring and early summer. These shiitake mushrooms usually have a wider and thinner cap with a uniform brown color. They do come dried in various sizes but the clear difference is that they have thinner caps and don’t have that signature flowery white cracks and lines.
The next time you visit your local Chinese grocery store, check the aisle with the dried shiitakes. Look for these two types. If you’re lucky enough to have a store that stocks fresh shiitakes, pay attention to the color and thickness of the mushroom caps. You will see that the winter mushrooms or “fa gu” are available during the colder months. The warm weather variety with the thin caps and a uniform brown color is often available after springtime.
Now let’s get to the recipe for this Beef with Mushrooms and Bamboo. It’s a great one-plate meal during the week. You can prepare and slice the bamboo and mushrooms and velvet the beef ahead of time, so the dish comes together quickly at the wok!
Recipe Instructions
Add the sliced beef to a bowl along with the baking soda and water. (If you don’t want to tenderize beef, omit baking soda.) Massage the beef with your hands until all the liquid is absorbed. Mix in the cornstarch, neutral oil, and oyster sauce. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Combine warmed stock with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and ground white pepper.
Heat your wok until it’s just smoking. Spread 1 tablespoon oil around the perimeter, and add the beef. Use your wok spatula to spread the beef out, and sear for 30 seconds. Stir-fry the beef for another 30 seconds until it’s 80% done. Transfer the beef back to the bowl.
Without washing the wok, turn the heat back on to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok, and immediately add the ginger, white portion of the scallions and garlic. Stir-fry for 15 seconds, and add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
Next spread 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok and stir-fry everything for 20 seconds.
Add the stock and sauce mixture to the wok. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to deglaze the wok and heat the sauce. Once the mixture starts to simmer, add the beef, any juices from the bowl, and the rest of the scallions. Stir everything to combine and let the sauce come up to a boil. If it looks like too much liquid, continue cooking on high heat to reduce.
Stir up your cornstarch slurry. Slowly drizzle about two thirds of the slurry into the sauce while stirring. Add more cornstarch slurry if you like your sauce thicker. Add more stock or water if the sauce is too thick. (Remember your sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.)
Tips and Notes:
- If you are using rehydrated shiitake mushrooms, use some of the soaking liquid with your chicken or beef stock to make 1 cup.
- Turning up the heat just before adding the cornstarch is a good way to concentrate flavor and reduce the liquid to the volume of sauce you like.
- You don’t have to use all of the cornstarch slurry! If you achieve the proper thickness when adding the slurry gradually, save the rest for another dish.
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Recipe
Beef with Mushrooms and Bamboo Shoots
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 12 ounces flank steak (sliced ¼-inch/6mm thick)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda (optional)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil (plus 3 tablespoons, divided)
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
For the rest of the dish:
- 1 cup beef or chicken stock (warmed)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 pinch white pepper
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or avocado oil)
- 1 slice ginger (⅛-inch thick/3mm; smashed to release flavor)
- 2 scallions (cut into 2-inch/5cm pieces at an angle, white and green portions separated)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 7 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms (sliced; can also use 3.5 ounces/100g rehydrated dry shiitake mushrooms)
- 7 ounces winter bamboo shoots
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)
Instructions
- Add the sliced beef to a bowl along with the baking soda and water. (If you don’t want to tenderize beef, omit baking soda.) Massage the beef with your hands until all the liquid is absorbed. Mix in the cornstarch, neutral oil, and oyster sauce. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Combine warmed stock with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and ground white pepper.
- Heat your wok until it’s just smoking. Spread 1 tablespoon oil around the perimeter, and add the beef. Use your wok spatula to spread the beef out, and sear for 30 seconds. Stir-fry the beef for another 30 seconds until it’s 80% done, and transfer the beef back to the bowl.
- Without washing the wok, turn the heat back on to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok, and immediately add the ginger, white portion of the scallions and garlic. Stir-fry for 15 seconds, and add the mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
- Next spread 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok and stir-fry everything for 20 seconds.
- Add the stock and sauce mixture to the wok, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to deglaze the wok and heat the sauce. Once the mixture starts to simmer, add the beef and any juices from the bowl along with the rest of the scallions. Stir everything to combine and let the sauce come up to a boil. If it looks like too much liquid, continue cooking on high heat to reduce.
- Stir up your cornstarch slurry. Slowly drizzle about two thirds of the slurry into the sauce while stirring. Add more cornstarch slurry if you like your sauce thicker, or add more stock or water if the sauce is too thick. (Remember your sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.)
