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Chicken with water chestnuts, vegetables and cashew nuts @ mirandablue |
I love water chestnuts. When we were kids, there was a swampy field near our house where neighborhood kids dug out something edible and sweet. One summer afternoon, my best-friend and I got curious, joined the other kids hunting for "tayok-tayok" and got our first taste of the crunchy, mild flavored bulb. We ate it peeled and raw, straight from the soil. It was not easy to find, and finding a bunch after minutes of digging got us all excited.
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tayok-tayok, apulid or water chestnuts |
It's been decades since I last heard of "tayok-tayok", an almost forgotten childhood memory. And although I've been eating water chestnuts in Chinese dishes for a long time, I didn't realize until a few years ago that water chestnuts are the "tayok-tayok" of my childhood.
I googled it a few times and "apulid" came up. However, nobody in the office or any of my friends ever heard of "apulid". Anyway, I always buy a can of water chestnuts when I see at the supermarket. I mix it with my favorite vegetables. I guess water chestnut is like mushrooms in a sense that virtually any and all seasonings go well with it.
Above is chicken (marinated in oyster sauce, salt & pepper), sauteed in garlic and onion, veggies (broccoli, young corn, carrots, celery) were stir-fried, a dash of white wine, sweet bell pepper and cashew nuts. Below is a dish of shrimps sauteed in garlic and onions, stir-fried vegetables (asparagus, young corn, celery, oyster mushrooms, cilantro, bell pepper), and oyster sauce. Both dishes have corn starch to thicken the sauce.
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Shrimps with water chestnuts and vegetables @ mirandablue |
The other day, I even added water chestnuts to pork adobo (my mother shook her head in disbelief).:p I just love the crunch!