Indian water Chestnut (سنگھاڑہ)

Water chestnut,  known as ‘Paniphal‘ پانی پھل or ‘Singhara‘ سنگھاڑہ in Urdu  is a vegetable that
is native to China. Unlike its name, it is not related to chestnut in anyway.  In fact it is not a nut but an aquatic vegetable that is grown on marshes, ponds and seasonal and perennial lakes.

Though, it is a seasonal vegetable, canned water chestnut is available throughout the year. It belongs to the family of plants called sedge, a type of marshy grass with the edible part at the bottom. More than 2/3rd of the plant remains submerged in water whereas the upper leaves float on the surface of water. The fruit or water chestnut is found under the leaves when they mature. The seed is the edible portion of this plant. This seed has a triangular shape, is thick and white with a mild sweet taste and flavour. The seed coat is quite hard with 2 or 4 blunt projections and can only be removed either by slicing them into two pieces or by boiling them which makes the seed coat softer .

The crunchy texture and fresh mild flavour of water chestnut sets this vegetable apart. It does not lose its crunchiness on being cooked or canned. It can either be eaten raw or boiled besides being used as a filling addition to dishes. In India, street vendors are often found selling water chestnuts. They are highly nutritious as well as low in calories and fat free. Fresh water chestnuts have double the amount of potassium, zinc, B vitamins and vitamin E in comparison to the canned varieties. Indian water chestnut or ‘singhara’ is generally available in deep green, red and a blend of these colours.