Water Chestnut

Water chestnuts

Not really a nut at all, the water chestnut is actually a corm (bulb-like root). They are flat and round and usually about 3cm in diameter, have papery dark brown skins and are peeled before use to reveal their white flesh.

Fresh water chestnuts are popular in Chinese cuisine, but canned, peeled chestnuts are more commonly used in Western cookery. Water chestnuts are prized in Chinese cookery not for their flavour which is quite bland, but for their crunchy texture which is retained if cooked quickly.