Quick Answer: What Are Chinese Water Chestnuts?
Chinese water chestnuts, called biqi (荸荠, bíqí) and also mati (马蹄, mǎtí), are the edible corms of the aquatic plant Eleocharis dulcis. Good ones have crisp white flesh and a mild sweetness.[1][5]
- Fresh: Choose them when their delicate flavor is a central part of the dish.[2]
- Canned: Whole or sliced pieces are convenient for cooking and can contribute texture.[3][7]
- Starch: Water chestnut starch (马蹄粉, mǎtífěn) is a separate ingredient used to set cakes and thicken mixtures.[4]
Wash, peel and cook fresh water chestnuts thoroughly; peeling alone is not a reliable answer to the parasite risk associated with raw aquatic plants.[5]
The familiar white slices in a stir-fry are only one form of this ingredient. A fresh, brown-skinned corm offers sweetness as well as crunch, while a packet of starch performs an entirely different kitchen job. Start by checking which form a recipe actually requests.
Identify the Ingredient Before Choosing a Form
The edible part is a corm: a swollen underground stem used by the plant for storage. Chinese water chestnut belongs to the sedge family, so the culinary name does not make it a tree chestnut or another true nut. Its brown outer skin surrounds white flesh that can remain crisp after cooking.[1]
The same English name is also applied to water caltrops, the fruits of Trapa species. Those are different plants and ingredients.[1] When buying a Chinese recipe ingredient, the Eleocharis name, product description and form are more useful than the English words alone.
Fresh, Canned and Starch Have Different Jobs
| 形式 | What you are buying | Best reason to choose it |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh corms | Brown-skinned produce requiring preparation | Delicate sweetness and crisp flesh when the ingredient is prominent.[2] |
| Canned whole or sliced pieces | Prepared pieces sold in a can | Convenient pieces for a cooked recipe, including some cake recipes.[3][7] |
| Water chestnut starch | A fine powdered ingredient | Thickening or setting a mixture, rather than adding pieces of crunch.[4] |
A can is therefore a practical option when the recipe suits it. Check whether the quantities refer to drained pieces, and whether you need whole corms to cut yourself or ready-made slices. Do not replace a measured amount of starch with an equal amount of chopped produce.
How Chinese Dishes Use the Crunch
Sliced water chestnuts can provide crisp contrast in vegetable stir-fries. Finely cut pieces also appear in shrimp fillings for Chinese dumplings. Their contribution is a change of texture within the filling, rather than a flavoring that must dominate it.[3]
The ability to retain crispness after cooking is useful here: a cooked dish can still contain a fresh-feeling bite.[1] Cut the pieces to suit the dish and follow its cooking method. A recipe’s instruction to preserve crunch should not become a reason to leave fresh aquatic produce undercooked.[5]
If fresh water chestnuts are unavailable, jicama is one cookbook substitution for a similar crisp texture, although its sweetness differs.[2] Use that as a recipe-specific fallback, not a substitute for water chestnut starch.
Water Chestnut Cake and the Starch Behind It
Water chestnut cake (马蹄糕, mǎtígāo) shows how one ingredient can supply two textures. Pieces of water chestnut provide little crisp bites, while the starch sets the surrounding sweet mixture into a translucent, sliceable cake. It belongs to the sweet-cake repertoire associated with Cantonese cuisine.[4]
Both fresh and canned pieces appear in published versions.[4][7] Use the starch-to-liquid balance given in your chosen recipe.
Prepare Fresh Water Chestnuts for Cooking
- Scrub the outer surface under running water.[5]
- Cut away the top and bottom skin, then peel the sides with a suitable knife.[4]
- Wash your hands after handling the raw corms and avoid contaminating other foods.[5]
- Cut the peeled flesh as the recipe requires and cook it thoroughly before eating.[5]
Use sound fresh corms in the first place. Washing and peeling are preparation steps, while thorough cooking addresses the risk from parasites that can attach to aquatic plants.[5] For canned pieces, follow the package and recipe directions; drain them when the recipe calls for drained water chestnuts.[7]
Buying and Storing the Form You Have
Select firm, hard fresh corms, rejecting mushy ones or those with rotten spots. Refrigerate them, and aim to use peeled water chestnuts within a day or two.[2] Peeling only what you need keeps the rest ready for a later preparation.
After opening a can, refrigerate unused portions. General guidance for opened low-acid canned foods such as vegetables is three to four days in the refrigerator; follow a shorter product instruction if given.[6] Treat opening as a change in storage status rather than leaving the remainder in the pantry.
Keep starch according to its package directions.
FAQs About Chinese Water Chestnuts
Are Chinese water chestnuts a type of nut?
No. They are corms from an aquatic sedge, not the fruits of a chestnut tree.[1]
Can I use canned water chestnuts instead of fresh?
Yes, when the recipe suits canned pieces. Some water chestnut cake recipes explicitly use them; fresh corms offer a more delicate flavor.[2][7]
Is water chestnut powder the same as chopped water chestnuts?
No. The starch sets or thickens the mixture; the pieces contribute texture. A cake can require both.[4]
Can I eat fresh water chestnuts raw after peeling?
Cook them thoroughly. Peeling does not reliably remove the food-safety concern associated with parasites on raw aquatic produce.[5]
資料來源
[1] Jeffrey K. Brecht, USDA Agriculture Handbook 66. Waterchestnut: Scientific Name, Quality and Storage
[2] Ken Hom, Chinese Technique. Water Chestnuts
[3] The Woks of Life. Asian Vegetables: Water Chestnut
[4] The Hong Kong Cookery. Chinese Water Chestnut Cake
[5] Fujian Health Commission, China CDC. Is Peeling Enough Before Eating Water Chestnuts?
[6] USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. How Long Can Opened Canned Food Be Kept in the Refrigerator?
[7] Eileen Yin-Fei Lo, Epicurious. Water Chestnut Cake