14 sweet chestnut recipes

Crispy fried spring rolls stuffed with pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, and fresh vegetables. A Filipino-style appetizer that fries up golden and crunchy, with a sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Pressed duck simmered with five spice, coated in water chestnut flour, steamed, then deep-fried until crisp. Served with sweet and sour plum sauce and toasted almonds.

Soft steamed buns filled with mushrooms, water chestnuts, bell pepper, and hoisin sauce, served with a soy-chili dipping sauce. Homemade Chinese bao that freeze beautifully for later.

Louisiana-style Christmas crawfish stuffing with cornbread, Creole seasoning, bell pepper, and water chestnuts. Stuff it in your holiday bird or bake it as a bayou-flavored side dish.

Lettuce cups with ground beef and tofu in a savory chili-garlic, hoisin, and sesame sauce. A lighter take on Chinese lettuce wraps with hidden tofu stretching the beef.

Crispy vegetarian egg rolls stuffed with spinach, cabbage, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. Fried golden and served with a homemade sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Oriental Treasure Soup is a DIY hot pot with homemade chicken broth flavored with soy sauce, sherry, and ginger, served with tofu, noodles, mushrooms, and fresh toppings guests choose themselves.

Microwave roasted chestnuts ready in under three minutes. Score an X on the flat side, zap on high, and peel while still warm for sweet, tender chestnuts without an oven.

Filipino lumpia filled with seasoned pork, shrimp, dried mushrooms, and water chestnuts, fried golden and crispy. Served with sweet and sour dipping sauce.

Low calorie seven layer salad with crisp lettuce, sweet peas, reduced-fat cheddar, turkey bacon, scallions, water chestnuts, and hard-boiled egg. Vinaigrette on the side keeps it light. A potluck classic, slimmed down without losing the layers.

Crunchy Asian chicken salad loaded with toasted almonds, sesame seeds, water chestnuts, and crispy chow mein noodles in a sweet vinegar dressing. No cooking required.

Boiled chicken in cream of mushroom sauce with mandarin oranges, sliced mushrooms, and water chestnuts. A retro casserole-style dinner with sweet citrus and savory cream sauce, served over rice.

Bacon-wrapped rumaki with water chestnuts, pineapple, and bay scallops glazed in honey teriyaki sauce. A retro party appetizer that's crispy, sweet, and savory in one bite.

Shibu Kawa-Ni: Japanese chestnuts simmered first in green tea, then in a light sugar and soy sauce syrup. A refined, minimalist appetizer with just 4 ingredients and subtle, earthy sweetness.