This is a great recipe for bamboo – a vegetable (tree?) that has an amazing texture when cooked, a fantastic tender crunch!

I eat this often, topped with a fried egg and served with plenty of steamed jasmine rice and ice cold water - much needed to douse the chili-ignited flames in my mouth – this is a spicy one, one for the true chili heads out there!

Spicy Thai Stir Fried Bamboo with Chicken

• 1/2 lb of chicken breast, thinly sliced
• 1 lb of fresh or canned bamboo shoots, julienned
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed flat with the side of your knife, but not chopped
• 10-15 Thai bird chilies - This will make for quite a spicy dish, so if you'd prefer something a bit milder, use less (or omit). These would traditionally be smashed in a mortar and pestle, but you can just cut them small if you'd rather
• 2 Tbls of oyster sauce
• 3 Tbls of fish sauce
• 2 Tbls of oil
• ½ tsp MSG (you can omit the MSG if you'd prefer too, although you may need to up the fish sauce a touch to compensate - wait until the end and taste for seasoning)
• 4 lime leaves, chopped in half
  
• 2 green onions, chopped into one inch sections
• A little water as necessary

1. The julienned bamboo shoots need first to be boiled, or they will be unbearably bitter. Canned bamboo shoots need only about 20 minutes of boiling, but fresh bamboo will require between 1 and 2 hours of steady simmering. Taste as you go, and when the bamboo no longer tastes biter, it is ready for the recipe. When ready, drain and reserve.
2. In a skillet or wok heat the vegetable oil up over medium high, and when hot, toss in the smashed cloves of garlic, stir frying for 20 seconds or so, or until the garlic has turned slightly golden and is fragrant.
3. Add in the chicken slices and continue stir frying, until the chicken has just barely cooked through, about another minute or two.
4. Once the chicken has cooked, add in the remaining ingredients and the reserved bamboo, stirring for a minute or so to heat it all together. If it looks too dry, add in a little water as needed.
5. Taste for seasoning and add more fish sauce if necessary.
6. Serve with fried eggs (really, they complement this, and many other spicy Thai dishes, perfectly) and steamed jasmine rice.

Delicious!