At the table
Take small pieces of pork and bamboo shoots together and let them cool. Cut long or firm shoot strips into shorter pieces and chew carefully; the shoots can remain fibrous.
Contains salt-cured pork and can be salty. Ask about all seasonings and any added stock if you have allergies or dietary restrictions. Bamboo-shoot strips may be fibrous or chewy, and the steamed serving may be hot.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
The same pairing can also be simmered together. Shoot shape, saltiness and meat-to-shoot proportions vary.
Typical ingredients
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Salty, rich pork flavor absorbed by the bamboo shoots.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Soft pork with fibrous, pleasantly chewy bamboo shoots.
- How it’s made
- Soften the dried shoots and precook the pork, arrange sliced pork and shoots in a bowl, then steam together and invert to serve.
The same pairing can also be simmered together. Shoot shape, saltiness and meat-to-shoot proportions vary.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Shanghai.
About this regional connection
Shanghai: Associated with Pudong’s traditional home and festive cooking in Shanghai.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有咸肉水笋吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A steamed bowl on Pudong’s festive table
In this Shanghai food context, shuisun means dried bamboo shoots that have been soaked and softened. Cooked with salted pork, they take up the meat’s rich flavor. The pairing appears in Pudong’s festive “old eight”, a group of traditional hot dishes. Many are steamed in bowls and turned out for serving, a practical way to bring several hot dishes to the table together. Slice thickness and the balance of pork and shoots shape each serving.