Apakah Water Chestnut Baik Untuk Anda? Bagaimana Cara Memakannya?

2024 Pengarang: Cecilia Ryder | [email protected]. Terakhir diubah: 2023-12-17 14:21

Tahukah Anda bahwa beberapa sayuran juga tumbuh di bawah air ?

Kacang air adalah contoh yang bagus. Berdasarkan namanya, Anda mungkin mengira mereka milik keluarga chestnut. Salah! Chestnut tumbuh di pohon, sedangkan chestnut air tumbuh di bawah air.

Mereka lebih seperti buah dari tanaman air yang tumbuh di dangkal perairan. Mereka digunakan dalam masakan India, Cina, dan beberapa masakan Eropa. Penelitian membuktikan mereka untuk menjadi gudang dari mineral dan antioksidan. Tapi, bagaimana mereka membantu tubuh Anda? Bagaimana cara mengkonsumsinya? Apakah mereka aman? Bagaimana rasanya?

Terus gulir untuk menemukan jawabannya!

Daftar Isi

• Apa Itu Water Chestnut? Apa Varietas Mereka?
• Mengapa Water Chestnut Populer?
• Apa Manfaat Kacang Air?
• Profil Gizi Kacang Air
• Cara Menggunakan / Mengkonsumsi Water Chestnut
• Cara Membeli Kacang Air
• Cara Menyimpan Kacang Air
• Bagaimana Anda Bisa Tahu Jika Water Chestnut Menjadi Buruk?

Apa Itu Water Chestnut? Apa Varietas Mereka?

Kacang air bukanlah kacang. Mereka adalah sayuran air / bawah air (atau umbi) yang tumbuh di Cina, India, dan sebagian Eropa. Dua spesies ditanam dengan nama chestnut air - Trapa natans (alias water caltrops atau Jesuit nut) dan Eleocharis dulcis (1), (2).

Trapa natans (water caltrop atau 'ling') tumbuh di Eropa Selatan dan Asia. Eleocharis dulcis ditanam secara luas di Cina. Oleh karena itu, Trapa natan disebut kastanye air Eropa, sedangkan yang terakhir dikenal sebagai kastanye air Cina (1), (2)

The European berangan memiliki 3-4 runcing, miring, orthogonal, buah-buahan yang besar. Bagian yang dapat dimakan adalah inti bagian dalam seperti kacang. Sebaliknya, kastanye air Cina lebih mirip umbi berbentuk lobak - bulat dan lebih lembut.

Kedua spesies ini merupakan gulma invasif dan agresif. Mereka tumbuh dengan cepat dan membentuk tikar yang padat di kolam, danau, dan badan air yang dangkal (2).

Namun, penduduk setempat menikmati makan sayuran air ini. Kacang air yang sudah dikupas dipanggang, direbus, dikukus, digiling, dan dimasak dengan berbagai cara. Anda dapat melihatnya digunakan secara luas dalam masakan Asia, terutama dalam makanan Cina asli.

Pernah bertanya-tanya kenapa?

Teruskan membaca!

Mengapa Water Chestnut Populer?

Kacang air adalah gudang mineral, vitamin, pati, serat, dan senyawa fenolik. Kandungan pati dan seratnya menjadikannya tambahan yang bagus untuk diet rutin Anda.

Karena memiliki nilai gizi yang tinggi, kastanye air dikaitkan dengan beberapa manfaat kesehatan. Ini adalah komponen penting dari Ayurveda. Ia dikenal karena sifat diuretik, antiseptik, dan pencernaannya.

Sediaan kastanye air dapat membantu mengobati disentri, diare, perdarahan, patah tulang, dan gangguan inflamasi (3). Untuk mengetahui lebih banyak tentang manfaat kesehatan dari water chestnut, gulir ke bawah!

Apa Manfaat Kacang Air?

Kacang air kaya akan antioksidan dan senyawa anti-inflamasi. Senyawa ini membantu memperbaiki masalah pencernaan, anemia, dan kelelahan. Mereka juga dapat membantu mengurangi demam, nyeri, dan pembengkakan.

1. Meredakan Nyeri Dan Peradangan

Menurut uji klinis, ekstrak kastanye air menghambat produksi senyawa inflamasi seperti interleukin dan oksida nitrat. Bahan kimia aktif dalam buah ini downregulate yang gen yang bertanggung jawab untuk memproduksi senyawa ini (4).

Antioksidan fenolik dalam water chestnut mengais radikal bebas di sistem Anda dan mencegahnya menyebabkan kerusakan organ, peradangan, dan nyeri. Karenanya, kastanye air memiliki efek pereda nyeri (analgesik) yang kuat pada tubuh Anda (4).

With these properties, this aquatic vegetable can be used to treat skin irritation, stomach ulcers, fever, and age-related brain disorders (3), (4).

2. May Help In Managing Diabetes

Root vegetables like water chestnuts store water and nutrients and supply them to the plant. Hence, they are rich in fiber, minerals, antioxidants, and starches. Making water chestnuts a part of your diet may help manage diabetes (5), (6).

Though this vegetable has fair amounts of starch, its fiber and antioxidant content have the upper hand (5), (6).

3. Possess Antioxidant And Anticancer Effects

Potent antioxidant effects have been identified in various parts of water chestnut. Multiple experimental studies showed that the fruit and peel extracts of water chestnuts scavenged free radicals in subjects (7).

Hence, water chestnut can prevent/slow down lipid peroxidation, tumor proliferation (growth and metastasis), and DNA damage induced by free radicals. Flavonoids like luteolin, fisetin, and diosmetin are responsible for this property (7), (8).

According to lab trials, Chinese and European water chestnuts may exert anticancer activity against human breast, lung, and colon cells (8).

4. May Lower Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Water chestnuts are high in minerals. Compared to wheat flour, water chestnut flour has higher potassium, magnesium, zinc, and copper content. This flour also retains its antioxidant properties, unlike wheat flour. Including it in your diet can help in regulating blood pressure (9).

Along with water chestnuts, adding dark green leafy and cruciferous vegetables also enhances heart health. Such high-potassium foods are known to relax your heart muscles and prevent stroke (10).

Moreover, these vegetables are low in calories and carbohydrates. They may help people with hypertension to lose weight (10).

5. Exhibit Antimicrobial Activity

Water chestnut extracts can eliminate bacterial strains like Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes. Shigella sonnei and Bacillus cereus were also found to be susceptible in another study. Water chestnut extracts inhibited the growth of helminths (worms and insects) as well (11), (12), (13).

These studies prove the antibacterial nature of green and red water chestnuts. Since they can kill several pathogenic strains, their extracts can be used to treat bacterial infections (11), (12).

Moreover, this antibacterial activity is comparable to the effect of standard antibiotics (like kanamycin). Therefore, adding water chestnut to your food may increase its shelf life (11). This plant may also purify water bodies with this antimicrobial effect.

Such health and ecological benefits are attributed to the mineral, vitamin, and phytochemical content of water chestnuts.

Find out more about their nutritional value in the following section.

Nutritional Profile Of Water Chestnuts

The water chestnut plant contains minerals like calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.

The fruit kernels contain vitamins A, B, and C, and functional proteins.

The water chestnut fruits contain carbohydrates, minerals, and fair amounts of phenolic compounds. The flavonoids, flavones, saponins, phytosterols, oils, and tannins in them contribute to their antioxidant properties. It is these polyphenols that scavenge free radicals from your system (14).

Consuming water chestnuts means supplying your body with all these phytonutritional components.

How can you do it? Can you eat raw water chestnuts or should they be processed?

Keep reading for answers!

How To Use/Consume Water Chestnuts

Freshwater chestnuts can be eaten raw after peeling and washing them well. They are crispy and taste mildly sweet, similar to lotus root.

No matter how long you cook or steam them, these corns have a magical power to remain crunchy.

Therefore, you often see them added to soups, ramen, stew/stocks, and any broth-like preparation for a fresh and crunchy twist.

Don’t you want to taste water chestnuts? Let’s stir up something quick with them!

Here’s a simple recipe you can try in your kitchen right away!

Water Chestnut And Veggies Stir Fry

What You Need

• Olive oil: 1-2 tablespoons (enough for a stir fry)
• Water chestnuts: 1 ounce (canned or fresh), sliced
• Broccoli florets: 5-6, washed and cleaned
• Snow peas: 1 pound, fresh, trimmed
• Baby corn kernels: 6-8, fresh, sliced into halves
• Bell peppers: 1-2 medium-sized, sliced long
• Fresh mint: 1 tablespoon, chopped
• Sesame seeds: 2 tablespoons
• Salt: to taste
• Pepper: to taste
• Skillet: 1, medium-large

Let’s Make It

1. Place a large skillet over a medium-high flame and add olive oil.
2. Once the oil is hot, stir in the broccoli, snow peas, baby corn, and bell peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Toss in the water chestnuts, mint, and sesame seeds.
4. Cook and stir well for about 3-5 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender.
5. Sprinkle salt and pepper and give a final stir.
6. Serve hot alongside rice, noodles, or flatbreads.

Such sides or stir-fries are a super healthy and tasty way of incorporating these nutty water vegetables into your diet.

This dish can give your body a boost of antioxidants and much-needed micronutrients.

You can find a horde of such quick, simple, and nutritious recipes with water chestnuts. They go very well with greens, chicken, and meat dishes.

You can dry water chestnuts and get them milled for flour. Water chestnut flour can be used in baking and cooking, similar to wheat flour.

But before you think about cooking with it, let’s talk about how to pick the best water chestnuts at the grocery store.

How To Buy Water Chestnuts

You can find fresh water chestnuts if you live close to a pond or a lake that has been invaded by this plant. If not, you can get them from supermarkets that sell international foods or Asian grocery stores.

Pick the hard and glossy ones. Ensure that they have no pits, bruises, or mushy spots. Good quality and healthy water chestnuts should look bright and white on the inside. They should taste sweet and nutty.

How To Store Water Chestnuts

After buying water chestnuts, store them unpeeled in paper bags in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze them in suitable containers. They last up to 5-6 months at 0ºF.

It is better to peel water chestnuts just before use. Storing peeled ones in water may rob them of their fresh taste and texture.

If you still wish to do so, keep them in this condition only for 2-3 days. Change the water every day.

Some of us find it convenient to cook and store such vegetables. The best way to do so is to boil water chestnuts, peel them, pack them in freezer bags/suitable containers, and freeze.

Label the bags with the date of packing. Leave enough headspace in each bag to prevent rotting or partial freezing.

Cooked, peeled, and frozen water chestnuts will last up to a year if stored the right way.

Another fuss-free option is using canned water chestnuts. Good quality water chestnuts are washed, peeled, and stored in brine (saltwater) before canning. You can buy them here.

You can use canned water chestnuts just like the fresh ones. They taste similar. Once opened, the leftovers need to be stored in fresh, filtered water. Change the water every day.

How Can You Tell If Water Chestnuts Have Gone Bad?

Water chestnuts spoil quickly if not stored well. Do not use the canned contents if they smell off and feel slimy.

Fungal molds may develop in the containers if you don’t change the water. This can also happen in the cans.

Be careful when you are buying water chestnuts – fresh or canned ones.

Sometimes, the fresh ones may be picked from a lake/pond that has polluted/contaminated water. Therefore, stick to a trusted source/brand.

Also, check the expiration date and storage conditions before purchasing canned water chestnuts.

In Summary

Water chestnuts are aquatic corns that grow in shallow water bodies. The plant and its fruits are rich in minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, and starches. This is why they have been traditionally used to treat dysentery, diabetes, and blood pressure.

Their antioxidant activity is also thought to reduce the risk of cancer. However, there is not enough information about its safety and side effects.

Hence, talk to your dietitian or healthcare provider about water chestnuts. If permitted, try cooking and baking with it. Follow our storage tips to recreate that favorite Chinese dish of yours any time of the year! Share your feedback in the section below.

14 sources

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