An aquatic vegetable grown in muddy ponds — a small, round corm with crisp, white flesh that retains its crunch even after cooking; a key ingredient in Chinese stir-fries, dumpling fillings, and Southeast Asian desserts.
Not a nut
Despite the name, water chestnuts are not nuts at all — they are the underground corms (swollen stem bases) of an aquatic sedge plant that grows in shallow, muddy ponds and marshes. The plant looks like a grass; it’s the small, round corm below the waterline that is harvested. They are called “chestnuts” for their brown papery skin.
The crunch that survives cooking
The defining characteristic of water chestnut is its texture — it remains crisp and crunchy even after extensive cooking, stir-frying, or steaming. This is unusual: most vegetables soften significantly when cooked. The firmness is attributed to the high starch content and relatively thick cell walls of the corm’s flesh.
Chinese cultivation
Water chestnuts have been cultivated in China for over 3,000 years. They are grown in flooded fields and harvested by hand or by machine wading through the muddy water. China’s Guilin region in Guangxi province is particularly famous for its water chestnut production.
Water chestnut flour
Dried and ground water chestnuts produce a fine white starch (ma tai fun) used in Chinese desserts and as a thickening agent. It creates a silky, slightly glossy texture in sweet soups and puddings. Water chestnut jelly (ma tai gao) is a classic dim sum dessert.
Find more vegetables by letter
Water Chestnut starts with W and ends with T. Browse other vegetables along the same letter.
Vegetables that contain a letter from "Water Chestnut":