Kathmandu Valley (Newar)
Samay Baji
Newar festive platter from the Kathmandu Valley: chiura, choila, bara and bhatmas
2 h·4 servings
fermented bamboo shoots (tama)
Young bamboo shoots, cut into strips and lacto-fermented, sour, strong-smelling and pleasantly crisp.
Caution: Bamboo shoots contain cyanide-forming compounds when raw, so tama and any substitute shoots should be cooked thoroughly before eating.
Tama are young bamboo shoots cut into strips or slices and lacto-fermented for several weeks, a staple of Nepali and northeast Indian hill cooking. They taste distinctly sour, with a strong, somewhat pungent fermented smell that mellows with cooking and gives a stew depth. The strips keep their bite and do not turn soft. Because the sourness and aroma are strong, they are usually rinsed before use and added with some restraint. They are sold in Nepali and Indian grocery shops and by mail order, often in jars; Asian grocers carry sour pickled bamboo shoots from Thailand or Vietnam, in jars or vacuum packs, which are very close.
Substitute:
Sour pickled bamboo shoots from the Thai or Vietnamese shelf are a near-equivalent substitute. Ordinary canned bamboo shoots with a little lemon juice or vinegar match the crunch and acidity but not the fermented aroma that defines the dish; the result is fresher and flatter.
Used in · 2 recipes
Nepal
Thakali Khana
A Nepali set meal: rice in the middle, dal, chicken curry, aloo tama and pickle
90 min·4 servings