Water Chestnut

As the summer has already been started we need to drink more of water. Even we also love to have cold fruits and vegetable like cucumber,watermelon, shallots, papaya and water chestnut.Water chestnut also known as water caltrop,davil pod, buffalo nut, singhara( in hindi). In India it is known as singhara or paniphal and is widely cultivated in fresh water lake, the fruits are eaten raw or boiled. When fruit has been dried it is ground to flour called singhra ka atta is used in many religious rituals.

Water chestnut were introduced to North America in around 1874, and escaped cultivation in the eastern united state where they have been declared invasive species from Vermont to Virginia.

Water Chestnut Salad

Ingredients:

Water Chestnut                            500 gm
Green coriander Leaves               50 gm
Spring Onion                               50 gm
Lettuce(Ice-berg)                        100 gm
Cottage Cheese                           50 gm
Olive Oil                                     10 ml
Brown Garlic                               5 gm
Lemon                                        02 no.
Black Pepper(crushed)                05 no.
Salt to taste


Method:

• Boil water chestnut 
• Cut it into half
• Cut cottage cheese in small dices
• Roughly cut green coriander leaves, spring onion(1/2 inch),lettuce
• Take a separate bowl make dressing of lemon juice,crushed black pepper,olive oil & salt to taste
• Mix above ingredients along with cottage cheese dices
• Take a separate bowl add above dressing of cottage cheese along with coriander leaves, lettuce, spring onion
•  Mix it properly finish it with brown garlic.

In Ayurveda  and Unani system it is widely used as medicine. Ayurveda says it contains 22 percent more mineral compared to buffalo milk. Singhara is indigenous to India and used to care various diseases.    

It cures dehydration in winter and serves as coolant.

Singhara is very rich in carbohydrate 100 gm of it gives 115 calories.