Cool Tip: A Little Trick with Jicama

 

I love fresh water chestnuts.  But fresh water chestnuts have about as much in common with the ones that come in a can as beautiful fresh green beans have with canned green beans--there is no comparison. 

Fresh water chestnuts have a sweetness and crunch that adds a wonderful touch to Asian (or any) soups and salads.  The only problem is that it is really difficult to find fresh water chestnuts, even at the Asian grocery stores.  So, we had to look for a substitute.  And we found one that was pretty close in both taste and crunch: jicama!
It's sweet, it's crunchy...and it's easily available.
So here's what you do:
Take your apple corer and drill into the jicama, extracting cylinders of crunchy goodness.
Then just slice it into rounds...

and you have a great substitute for the elusive fresh water chestnut!