Water Chestnuts
Water chestnuts are the crunchy, starchy corms of an aquatic sedge, prized across Chinese and Southeast Asian cooking for a crispness that survives even long cooking.
How to buy
Fresh water chestnuts -- small brown bulbs with visible rings, found at Asian markets -- should feel firm and heavy with no soft spots or mold. Canned, peeled water chestnuts (whole or sliced) are far more common in regular supermarkets and are a reliable, convenient substitute; just drain and rinse before using.
How to store
Fresh unpeeled water chestnuts keep in a cool, dry spot or the fridge crisper for a couple of weeks. Once peeled, store submerged in water in a sealed container in the fridge and use within a week, changing the water every day or two. Opened canned water chestnuts should be treated the same way, submerged and refrigerated.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Mild, faintly sweet, and subtly nutty -- it's a texture ingredient more than a flavor one, used as a crisp counterpoint rather than a seasoning.
- Texture
- Famously, uniquely crisp, almost like a raw apple or jicama, and that crunch holds up through stir-frying, steaming, or simmering, unlike nearly every other vegetable.
- Aroma
- Very faint, slightly sweet, starchy smell -- essentially neutral.
How to prepare
- Sliced into rounds — The standard cut for stir-fries, showing off the crisp cross-section.
- Diced or minced — Folded into dumpling and meatball fillings to add crunch against soft meat.
- Water chestnut flour — Ground into a starch used for crisp batters and as a thickener in East Asian desserts.
- Whole, bacon-wrapped — Skewered as a retro party appetizer, the crunch contrasting with crisp bacon.
Classic dishes
American
- Rumaki — A retro bacon-wrapped appetizer of water chestnut and chicken liver, broiled until crisp.
Chinese
- Kung pao chicken — Diced water chestnuts add crunch alongside peanuts and dried chiles in this stir-fry.
- Egg foo young — A pan-fried egg omelet studded with sliced water chestnuts and other vegetables.
- Moo goo gai pan — A mild chicken and mushroom stir-fry that often includes sliced water chestnuts.
- Egg roll filling — Shredded cabbage and pork filling gets textural contrast from diced water chestnuts.
- Ma tai go (water chestnut cake) — A steamed dim sum cake made from water chestnut flour, sweet and jelly-like.
- Lion's head meatballs — Large pork meatballs studded with minced water chestnut for bite against the soft meat.
- Shumai — Open-topped pork dumplings sometimes include minced water chestnut for crunch.
- Lettuce cup filling (san choy bow) — Minced pork filling for lettuce wraps relies on diced water chestnut for crunch.
- Buddha's delight (jai) — A vegetarian braise of mixed vegetables that typically includes sliced water chestnuts.
- Stir-fried snow peas with water chestnuts — A simple vegetable side pairing two crisp textures in a light stir-fry.
- Mu shu pork — The shredded pork and vegetable filling for these thin pancakes often includes water chestnut.
- Hot and sour soup — Sliced water chestnuts occasionally appear among the soup's mix of textures.
- Vegetable fried rice — Diced water chestnuts scattered through fried rice add pops of crunch.
- Chop suey — This Chinese-American stir-fry of mixed vegetables and meat commonly includes sliced water chestnuts.
Vietnamese
- Fresh spring roll filling — Pork and shrimp filling sometimes includes water chestnut for textural contrast.
Substitutions
- Bamboo Shoots — Similar mild flavor and Asian-pantry role, though bamboo shoots are softer and less crisp.