After frying the pork belly, He Kao used the leftover oil in the pan to make a stir-fried dish with chopped bamboo shoots.
Many people have only seen spring bamboo shoots emerging from the ground, or winter bamboo shoots that have not yet surfaced, but have never eaten another type of shoot—the tips sprouted from bamboo rhizomes, known as bianqiao or whip bamboo shoots, which are even fresher and crisper in taste.
Bianqiao will not grow into bamboos above ground but will develop into new bamboo rhizomes hidden beneath the soil. Whether stir-fried or stewed, bianqiao is best not prepared as a vegetarian dish; a little bit of meat can significantly enhance its flavor.
The pan had just been used to fry pork belly, and the wild boar oil extracted was mixed with Jade Phoenix Tree Seed Oil. When stir-frying bianqiao, He Kao used his divine sense to collect the juice, not wasting a drop.
The bianqiao wasn't bought from outside; it was freshly dug from his own courtyard.
