Singharas are not only delicious to eat but healthy too
When I was growing up, water chestnuts, commonly called singharas (or shinghodas) were very often our family's default snack for car journeys, at least during the season when they were available.
I still remember how much fun my sister and I had chomping these juicy heart-shaped vegetables (yes, they are a vegetable seed, not a fruit or nut), and by the time we'd go through the lot we had bought, most journeys would be almost over. It was a tedious task, the peeling and eating, but that was part of the fun.
Unfortunately, even though I spotted singharas on carts every now and then, I did not somehow eat them for a couple of decades in between, waylaid by other, more interesting snack options available I suppose.
But suddenly last week, at the newly-opened pan Asian restaurant Twist, owner Simran Kochhar Dhingra insisted I try their roasted chicken salad to which they had added a twist. The salad came sprinkled liberally with water chestnuts - and was delicious. I loved the twist.
On the way back, I promptly picked up half a kg of these from the first cart I spotted and chomped on them happily all the way home. And that's how singharas, also called paani-phal (water fruit) by some, came back in my life and palate. And I realised how much I had missed their mild sweet taste and crisp, crunchy texture.
Singharas actually are good for us; we must eat more of them because they are not just super-delicious, but also a powerhouse of nutrients. The first benefit is that they are fat, cholesterol, and gluten free, and have very low sodium and calories (100 gram gives just 90 calories; one water chestnut is approximately nine calories) and a decent amount of fibre too. Tell me how many snacks can offer all this?
Plus, they are an excellent source of potassium, a mineral that is essential for proper functioning of muscles and nerves and also helps bust water retention and lower blood pressure by balancing sodium. They also deliver bone strengthening calcium and other minerals like iodine and manganese (which help in maintaining the function of the thyroid gland) and copper, zinc, B vitamins and vitamin E, all of which are extremely essential for us to stay healthy.
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| The best way to relish singharas is in their raw form. |
They offer umpteen medicinal benefits too; Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicines have recognised them for this. They help quench thirst and are perfect to beat the scorching heat of summers, thanks to their excellent cooling properties. They are a great detoxifying agent and help throw out toxins from the body, and have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-cancer and antioxidant properties too. Research has brought forth their neuroprotective properties too, and shows they may reverse oxidative damage in the brain caused by ageing.
Cook with them
While the best way to relish water chestnuts is in their raw form, peeled, they can even be steamed or lightly sautéed, and pair rather well with a few vegetables, and even chicken for that matter. The best part is that they don't lose their crunchiness on being cooked or canned and have been an integral part of Chinese cooking since ancient times.
We don't use them much in Indian cooking, except the singhara flour which is commonly used during the navratras, but maybe it's time to change that. I discussed this with a chef at a luxury wellness resort near Pune Atmantan where I had gone for a wellness retreat and challenged him to create a four-course meal of dishes with water chestnuts. He came up with this:
Roasted water chestnuts with raw papaya and lemon honey dressing
Pumpkin soup with water chestnuts
Millet roti with water chestnut, colocasia root and sarson ka saag
Water chestnut and beetroot halwa
He couldn't cook all this for me because of the place's philosophy of using only fresh ingredients, but these sure sound nice! Will try my hand at home maybe!
Worth the effort I feel, as incorporating water chestnuts in our cooking will not just make our everyday food more exciting, but also ensure a stockpile of essential trace minerals and vitamins for our body.