Stir-fried Water Chestnuts with Chinese Celery
Stir-fried Water Chestnuts with Chinese Celery is a classic, quick-cooked Chinese dish that highlights a delightful contrast of textures and fresh flavors. It typically features sliced water chestnuts for a signature crispness, aromatic Chinese celery, and often includes thin slices of pork or dried shrimp for umami, all tossed in a light, savory sauce.
🍽️ Nutrition at a glance
This dish is generally low in fat and moderate in carbohydrates, with a modest amount of protein if meat is included. It provides a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin K, with a rough ballpark of 150-250 calories per serving.
Nutrition breakdown
| Calories | 85 kcal |
| Protein | 2.5 g |
| Carbs | 15 g |
| Fat | 2.5 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Sodium | 350 mg |
| Potassium | 380 mg |
| Manganese | 0.4 mg |
| Vitamin K | 30 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 8 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg |
| Phosphorus | 70 mg |
| Magnesium | 25 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg |
Per 1 cup (150 g) · estimated, varies by recipe
💡 What's interesting
Culturally, it's a staple of Cantonese home cooking, prized for its 'kou gan' (mouthfeel) and the way it embodies the Chinese culinary principle of balancing textures. Nutritionally, water chestnuts are unique for retaining their crispness even after cooking, thanks to a cell structure rich in a starch called phyllostachys.
