荸荠 (bíqí) · Chinese water chestnut

Meanings

1 Chinese water chestnut

About the ingredient

蔬菜 Vegetables

A small, round corm with dark reddish-brown skin and a pointed tip; the white flesh is sweet and stays crisp even when cooked. Eaten raw once peeled, diced into meat fillings and meatballs for crunch, or ground into starch for cakes.

Also called 马蹄、地栗

Used in 6 dishes

山竹牛肉球 shānzhú niúròuqiú

鸡卷 jījuǎn

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

我买了一斤荸荠。

Wǒ mǎi le yì jīn bíqí.

I bought half a kilo of water chestnuts.

HSK 7-9

包饺子的时候加点荸荠，馅儿会更爽口。

Bāo jiǎozi de shíhou jiā diǎn bíqí, xiànr huì gèng shuǎngkǒu.

When making dumplings, add some water chestnut and the filling will be crisper.

Tips

usage

The northern name; in the south and on Cantonese menus it is 马蹄 'horse hoof', as in the dim sum 马蹄糕. 荠 is read qí only in this word; elsewhere it is 荠, as in 荠菜, shepherd's purse.