How To Prepare Canned Water Chestnuts

Water chestnuts, the crunchy vegetables found in many Chinese dishes like chow mein and stir-fried rice, can be a culinary dividing ground. You either love their mild flavor and distinctive texture, or think they're not worth the valuable meal-time real estate that they occupy. But even those who love the still-crispy-when-cooked ingredient don't necessarily know how easy it is to prep delicious-tasting water chestnuts at home. The secret lies in revitalizing them once they're out of the can with a quick rinse or, even better, a long soak.

So what are water chestnuts anyway? As you can probably guess from their taste and texture, they're not nuts at all. The small brown tuber vegetables that grow below the surface of the water in marshes and ponds just happen to resemble the type of chestnuts that roast on an open fire. While you can find fresh water chestnuts in specialty Asian markets, most shoppers are likely more familiar with the pre-peeled, pre-sliced versions that you can find in 8-ounce cans. Although you might overlook them when reaching for your next jar of chili crisp, water chestnuts bring more than just taste to the table — they're high in fiber and potassium, and low on calories and fat. And, luckily for us, the canned version can still taste amazing with a few easy tricks.

Water chestnuts are super absorbent, which is great when you're topping them with powerhouse condiments, but less than ideal when they've been sitting in a can in water. As soon as you open your can of chestnuts, give them a thorough rinse under cold running water at a minimum. An even better option is to let your rinsed chestnuts rest in a fresh bowl of water with a teaspoon of baking soda mixed in while you chop up your other ingredients. Just 10 minutes will go a long way to remove any lingering metallic flavor. After that you're free to chop and stir-fry them with abandon.

Because water chestnuts are porous and take on the flavors that surround them, they're also a perfect candidate for marinating. Soak your sliced chestnuts in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, and red pepper flakes in the fridge for a few hours to upgrade them from a neutral but crunchy component to a truly flavor-packed powerhouse ingredient. While the crisp crunch of water chestnuts can stand up to high heat, they will eventually break down over time, so be sure to add them toward the end of your cooking process to retain that perfect bite.