{"id":32885,"title":"Chinese Water Chestnut: What Is It?","modified":"2025-06-10T14:16:37+02:00","plain":"A water chestnut is the tuber - the root of the plant, like a potato - of an aquatic plant that grows in marshes.\n\n\n\nSo it is not a nut, even though we call it a \"chestnut,\" simply because it looks like one: it has brown skin that covers white flesh.\n\n\n\nFrom a distance, it really does look like a chestnut!\n\n\n\nWater chestnuts are common in the Chinese cuisine - that is where they originate. They have been cultivated in freshwater marshes of semi-tropical regions since ancient times and need about seven frost-free months to mature.\n\n\n\nFresh or Canned Water Chestnuts\n\n\n\nYou can buy water chestnuts either fresh or canned. \n\n\n\nCanned water chestnuts are easier to find, but they are less flavorful.\n\n\n\nThat is not a problem if you mainly want them for garnish or crunch. Canned water chestnuts are also cheaper than fresh ones.\n\n\n\nFresh water chestnuts cost more, but they have their own advantages.\n\n\n\nIf they are the star of the dish, I recommend buying them fresh. They are far more flavorful, a little sweeter, and extra crunchy. They are well worth tracking down!\n\n\n\nUses for Water Chestnuts\n\n\n\nIn general, I suggest cooking water chestnuts, though you can eat them raw. Their greatest advantage is that they stay crisp no matter how long you cook them.\n\n\n\nI often toss them in a vegetable stir-fry, but you can also wrap them in bacon for an appetizer or stir them into creamed spinach for extra crunch. \n\n\n\nAnother idea: add thin slices to a side salad. You can even toss small cubes into a potato salad with parsley and garlic...\n\n\n\nRumor has it they will appear in an upcoming dim sum recipe.\n\n\n\nHow to Cook with Water Chestnuts?\n\n\n\nCanned water chestnuts are easier to use than fresh ones because they are already partially prepared. Simply open the can and rinse the pieces under running water to wash away any metallic taste. \n\n\n\nFor fresh water chestnuts, slice off the top and bottom, peel them with a standard vegetable peeler, and then rinse under cold water.\n\n\n\nWhether you use canned or fresh, add the water chestnuts near the end of cooking so they stay as crisp as possible.\n\n\n\nWhat Do Water Chestnuts Taste Like?\n\n\n\nPurists claim that canned water chestnuts are flavorless, and that is not entirely wrong (though it is fine if you are mostly after crunch). \n\n\n\nFresh water chestnuts, on the other hand, are full of flavor - slightly nutty, quite fruity, and a little sweet. I would place the taste somewhere between coconut and apple. \n\n\n\nIf you know lotus root, the flavor is similar. In terms of texture, fresh water chestnut feels a bit like a pear.\n\n\n\nHow to Store Water Chestnuts? \n\n\n\nStorage depends on their state. If they are fresh and unpeeled, keep them in the fridge for seven to ten days. \n\n\n\nIf you peel them in advance, keep the pieces submerged in cold water in the fridge and change the water daily. \n\n\n\nOnce cooked, treat them like any other vegetable: cover and refrigerate for up to a week.\n\n\n\nCanned water chestnuts are even simpler. As long as the can is sealed, you can store it for about a year in a cool, dry place such as a cellar. \n\n\n\nOnce you open the can, remove all the water chestnuts. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat them within three days. \n\n\n\nWhere to Buy Water Chestnuts?\n\n\n\nYou can find canned water chestnuts in most Asian groceries. Fresh ones are less predictable, so it is best to call ahead!","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}