Pitpit in Coconut Cream

Pitpit, the tender shoots of a wild cane, is one of the highlands’ most treasured vegetables, picked young when it is sweet and crisp. The classic way to cook it is to simmer the shoots slowly with coconut cream and crushed peanuts until they turn meltingly soft and rich. It is the vegetable dish that highlanders miss most when they travel.

What makes pitpit in coconut cream great is its unusual sweetness and creamy depth. The shoots taste a little like a cross between asparagus and young corn, and they drink up the coconut and peanut sauce beautifully. It is wonderful beside roasted meats, grilled fish, or simply with rice.

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