What is the Chinese Water Chestnut?

The Chinese water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis) is a tuber vegetable, or more accurately, the corm of the plant. A corm is an underground swollen stem that provides nutrition to the plant. The plant is a sedge, looking like tall grass. The stems, which do not have any leaves on them, can grow to around four feet tall or so. But it's the corm that is eaten as the chestnut, not the plant itself. From its name, we can see that it is a native plant of China. They grow it similarly to how they grow rice, in water logged paddies. The water chestnut isn't only grown in China, but it many other parts of Asia as well.

The corm, or water chestnut, is whitish, small and round. It's somewhat hard, giving it a crisp texture that can be eaten with or without cooking. These corms are a great source of fiber, vitamin B6, and other nutrients like potassium, calcium, iron and riboflavin. They are a great vegetable since they're low in fat. They are composed mostly of starch, which makes sense since they are primarily a nutrient storage system for the plant. The water chestnut is used extensively in Chinese cooking and is either eaten raw, sliced, or cooked in a wok for stir fry.
Due to their bland taste, they make an excellent addition to many food dishes since they won't add unnecessary flavors to the dish. They also tend to stay crisp when stir fried, adding a delicious crunch to Chinese food. The water chestnuts are not only used in vegetable stir fry, but can be mixed in with rice, added to soup and even added into corn bread stuffing.

These days, at least in most Western countries, Chinese water chestnuts are found in cans, but they can also sometimes be found in specialty or health food markets. If buying fresh water chestnuts, make sure they're fresh or they won't taste as good or crisp. Water chestnuts can be kept fresh in the refrigerator for a week or so, but they must be kept in fresh water or they will dry out.

Whether cooked in a stir fry dish or eaten raw, Chinese water chestnuts are a healthy and nutritious food product. For people who are watching what they eat, or for vegetarians, the water chestnut is a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals as mentioned above, all without much fat. They also give you that terrific satisfying crunch.