Hi friends, to day is a great day and a great season for finding a newly sprout bamboo shoot (Dabong) for my family’s vegetable soup.
Bamboo shoots are nutritious young stems of bamboo grass. Bamboos are considered grass since its characteristics qualifies as grass or shrubs except for its height. Dabongs are edible and very nutritious food usually served as fried or by soup together with moringa olifira (malunggay). Dabong is rich in protein, fiber and multivitamins and minerals. Not only the shoot can be consumed but also the water inside a young bamboo stalk is also very good for thirst like the coconut water.
Dabong are quite hard to get especially when the area around the bamboo plant is left unscraped or untouched for months. Thorns and dead stems block the way of the ground soil where Dabong usually sprouts. Usually Dabong tends to grow at the east and north side for waters usually flow towards south and or water dries up from west to east (base on elders).
Dabong are as hard as corn when being cooked. It must be boiled thoroughly to soft and to avoid unnecessary toxins which could result to digestive issues.
This is how Dabong looks like after grated or chopped.
This is how it looks when cooked as soup.
Dabongs are a nutritious and versatile ingredient that can be used in various dishes especially on soups. With its unique flavor and texture, they're a great addition to many meals.
With this mission on finding at least 1 Dabong, I manage to search 7 bamboos in our area. I encounter lots of Lampinig (yellow jackets), geckos, green lizards and Kokok bird. But my eagerness to obtain Dabong for my lunch is not hindered. I just shoo them and continue delving and bugging under. I was confident for I always bring my invincible bolo. haha!
At last I successfully obtained 2 fat Dabongs and happily ate my lunch with such delish side dish.