Water chestnut

Minced into the filling so it snaps. Bamboo shoot is the older way.

Diced through a soft meatball, it is the only texture in there.

Two textures of crunch, one wet, one dry, in the same spoon.

The chestnut brings no savour at all; the soy brings all of it.

Toasted fat on a vegetable that is basically sweet water and starch.

Warm pungency against cold sweetness; it stops the crunch reading blank.

Green allium is the aroma the chestnut never had.

Thick salt glaze that sticks to a slice too smooth for a thin sauce.

Raw and cold, sliced thin, dressed like a salad. Then it needs herbs.

Sweet crunch in warm coconut milk; the crunch survives the pudding.

Floral on clean sugar, and the snap gives the perfume something to sit on.