Do not misled by the name of water chestnut, it is not at all a
member of the nut family but is about the size of a walnut.
Water chestnuts (荸薺 or 馬蹄 in Chinese) are the knobby root of an
aquatic plant that grow in areas also suitable for paddy fields.
That is why they are widely found in China and South East Asia,
where they are said to be planted between rice crops. Since
harvesting of water chestnuts is pretty labor intensive, no
doubt they are less common in regions of high costs of living
like Japan and Australia though these affluent areas also grow
abundant rice. Nice water chestnuts are firm with no rotten or
soft spot. Their skins, often muddy, have to be peeled off
before cooking. The flavor of water chestnuts is mild yet a
little bit sweet. Even after cooked, they are still crunchy and
juicy. Once peeled, do rinse and clean them thoroughly and cover
with cold water or their pale-looking flesh may turn rusty. If
chilled in fridge, and water is replaced daily, the peeled water
chestnuts can be stored