Creamy Bamboo Shoot Soup with Asparagus

Takenoko no Surinagashi

For me, bamboo shoots are mostly about the crunchy, fibrous texture. This recipe purees the bamboo shoots to shift the focus to their mild, woodsy flavor.

The soup is enriched with kombu stock, thickened with pureed tofu, garnished with blanched asparagus, and seasoned with light soy sauce, white miso, and sansho pepper.

After pureeing, the soup remains somewhat grainy - bamboo shoots have a lot of fiber! But, I enjoyed the focus on the flavor of fresh bamboo shoots. The umami-rich earthiness of this soup contrasted nicely with the fresh asparagus and the bite of the sansho pepper.