Bamboo, Oyster Mushroom, and Fish Stir Fry Recipe

Harvest of Oyster Mushrooms by Rudi Ardiansyah

Gilled underside of my oyster mushrooms

Bamboo and oyster mushrooms grow all over the place in New Orleans, and the rain we're currently seeing means it's a great time to "mushroom hunt" (I recommend the trees along the river) and to look for new, tender bamboo shoots.

I talked a bit about the health benefits of bamboo in my last blog, so I will focus more on oyster mushrooms here and then give a yummy stir-fry recipe at the end.

The first thing you should know (and that I learned): mushroom hunting is dangerous - if you don't know exactly what you're looking for. Some species are deadly, and others aren't deadly but will still make you very sick.

I know what oyster mushrooms look like because I have had a friend I trust with the knowledge point them out to me on multiple occasions, and I have seen him cut them off a tree, prepare them, and cook them, and I've eaten them with no dangerous results. Whole Foods also sells oyster mushrooms. Don't rely on photographs alone - either harvest them with someone whose knowledge you trust, or buy some and get familiar with the texture and varying sizes.

In Backyard Foraging, Ellen Zachos advises novice foragers to avoid mushrooms with gills (instead focusing on pored and toothed mushrooms. Deadly mushrooms tend to have gills. Unfortunately for beginners, oyster mushrooms also have gills.

The Recipe

These mushrooms are delicious and meaty. When I harvested some, along with the bamboo shoots, my partner and I decided to make a stir-fry. Here is our recipe (for 2 people):

Two small to medium size white fish fillets (we used tilapia)
Some bamboo shoots, boiled for 15 minutes and peeled with pointy ends cut off (I had about a half cup; anywhere from 1/3 cup to a cup is fine)
Some oyster mushrooms (we had about a cup)
Half an onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
Pinch of ginger powder (or 1/4 tsp minced or grated ginger)
Pinch of salt
1/4 ground black pepper
Garnish: black sesame seeds and scallions

Stir fry the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, onions and garlic in some olive oil, adding a dash of either minced ginger or ginger powder (which is what we used), salt, and fresh ground pepper. (You can adjust the seasoning measurements according to your taste preferences.)

Lightly sauté the fish filets in olive oil in a separate pan; then slice and briefly toss with the other ingredients.

Serve garnished with black sesame seeds and chopped scallions (if you have them).

Enjoy a healthy, nutritious and tasty meal.

Harvesting and cooking bamboo

Bamboo shoots ready for harvesting. Photo by Leonora Enking

One of the books I came across when I first started reading about foraging was Ellen Zachos's Backyard Foraging. While Samuel Thayer's book focuses on venturing out into the woods or swamp to forage, Zachos's focuses more on plants you likely already have for ornamental purposes.

Zachos lists bamboo as one of these edible plants. Foragers should harvest the young shoots (which look a little like asparagus), about 6-12 inches tall.

In New Orleans, bamboo grows all over the place - in front and backyards of uptown homes, along the canals in Gentilly and the Lower Ninth Ward, in storefront displays and along the river. I came across a grove in public domain uptown and harvested a couple shoots to sample the flavor.

Don't eat the shoots raw. Zachos cautions that "some species contain a toxic cyanogenic glycoside called taxiphyllin" (31), which foragers can remove by boiling the shoots.

To prepare: cut off the tips of the shoots, slice gently through the outer skin (just the surface), and boil the shoots until tender. Remove the shoots and cool. Peel the layers and slice the core.

After this process, I tried stir-frying the shoots with a little butter and salt. They were yummy! When I harvest more, I will try mixing them with honey-garlic chicken and cashews. You can also add the shoots to salads, rice, or whatever suits your fancy.

Bamboo is very nutritious. It is high in fiber and rich in protein. Various studies have revealed other medicinal and health benefits: bamboo can help prevent cancer, aid in weight loss and improved digestion, and treat hypertension, hyperlipemia, and hyperglycemia.

As an added foraging benefit, bamboo is considered an invasive species, so you don't have to feel guilty about harvesting the shoots. It will keep spreading.