THE CHINESE WATER GARDEN - Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard - page 172

Even if you're growing plants not known to be invasive, it's a good idea to be careful. Never dump
exotic plants, seeds, or tubers (or fish!) into open bodies of water. Growing in containers is the safest way
to raise exotic water plants, especially if you compost the tops at the end of the season.
CULINARY USES
Water chestnuts are prized for two characteristics: their nutty flavor and their crispness.
They can be eaten both raw and cooked, but add toward the end of cooking so they
don't lose their crispness. They should be peeled before slicing. Once peeled, store in
water in the refrigerator, as the white flesh discolors quickly if exposed to air. If you
need to keep peeled water chestnuts more than a day, change the water every 24 hours.
(Unpeeled water chestnuts do not have to be stored in water.)
SALAD . Slice water chestnuts thin and add to a tossed salad with radishes and cucum-
bers; this makes one of the best salads ever.
STIR-FRY . For a good vegetarian stir fry, combine sliced water chestnuts with mush-
rooms, bamboo shoots, snow peas, bean sprouts, scallions, and taro root. Slice all the
ingredients or cut into small pieces so they cook quickly, in about 5 minutes. Cook in
stock seasoned with soy sauce, and thicken the gravy with cornstarch. If you like a
hotter version, add a chili pepper and some grated fresh ginger. For meat eaters, cook
shredded chicken or pork before adding the vegetables.
IN SAUCE . Make a sweet-and-sour sauce (rice vinegar and sugar) and cook water chest-
nuts along with bell peppers, celery, bamboo shoots, and Chinese cabbage. Like most
Chinese recipes, once the vegetables are prepared, the cooking time is about 6 minutes.
SOUP . A clear soup garnished with a few thin slices of water chestnut is an authentic
beginning to a Chinese meal, although it would work just as well before a roast beef
dinner.
DID YOU KNOW?
In China, water-chestnut flour is a valued cooking ingredient, but you probably won't
grow enough of your own chestnuts to use them in this way.