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 flo

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