Page 47 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2025 THAILAND

family, leaders in a regional co-op, gave us
a brief lesson in their cultivation, from
spring planting in mucky soil under water to
fall harvest by hand. Two brave members of
our group, Linda and Glen, took up their
challenge to gather some from nearby
growing grounds.
Suited up in over-the-knee rubber boots
and elbow-length gloves, they joined the
rest of us in the back of pickup trucks for
the bouncy ride to a green algae-slicked
pond. We happily waited along the banks as
Glen and Linda splashed into the water and
reached down, feeling for clumps of hard,
ready-to-harvest chestnuts. The work was
hot and back-breaking, but soon they filled
and cleaned a bucket full to bring back to
our host.
Most of us associate water chestnuts
with savory stir-fries, but in Thailand they
flavor sweets, like the a chilled sweet-tart
drink we drank to cool down after our “har-
vest.” Nearby in a make-shift kitchen, a
team of women turned the chestnuts into
“Red Rubies,” a popular treat some rank as
one of the world’s best desserts. Blanched
and peeled, the chestnuts are cubed, col-
ored red with grenadine or dye, and coated
with tapioca flour before being boiled.
Chewy and crunchy, they were delicious
when served with iced sweet coconut cream
on this steamy day.