Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
A few days ago on the Stuffed Grape Leaves post, a reader left a comment empathizing with how tedious it is to make individually prepared appetizers. He said he agreed, and he got that same feeling whenever he made rumaki.
Rumaki?!
What is rumaki???
I did a quick Google search and went Ohhhhhhh as I realized it’s that appetizer made from water chestnuts wrapped in bacon.
I have to thank John E Baker III for leaving that comment because I had completely forgotten about this addicting appetizer. My mom made them all the time when I was a kid, but I hadn’t eaten them in years!
That needed to be fixed, immediately.
I called my mom and asked what exactly she put into the recipe, and then I ran out to the store to pick up all the ingredients. If you still don’t know what to make for Memorial Day, add this one to your menu my friends! People will go crazy for it.
There are endless variations for rumaki, but this is the one my mom makes, and I love it.
The bacon is pressed with brown sugar on one side, and spread with a little bit of whole grain dijon mustard on the other:
Then you wrap the bacon around the water chestnut like a cozy little blanket, with the brown sugar layer on the outside, and secure with a toothpick.
20 minutes in a 375 degree oven and you’re ready to fight over them! Or if you’re alone…eat them all by yourself.
No shame.
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Ingredients:
- 8 oz can whole water chestnuts*
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp whole grain dijon mustard
- 10 strips center cut bacon
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Soak the toothpicks in water as you prepare the other ingredients so they don’t burn in the oven. Rinse and drain the water chestnuts.
- Spread the brown sugar out on a plate or shallow bowl. Cut the bacon strips in half (right in the middle), and press one side of each bacon strip into the brown sugar. Spread the other side of bacon with 1/8-1/4 tsp of the whole grain dijon mustard. Place a water chestnut on top of the mustard side of the bacon strip and roll it up, securing the bacon with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Place all of the bacon wrapped water chestnuts onto a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until the bacon has cooked through and the brown sugar has caramelized. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes:
*Look for the biggest water chestnuts you can find. Look for words like “jumbo” or “fancy” on the can.
The most ‘international’ Rumakis I know, and probably the best known, are made with either a prune or a chicken liver (soaked or not in port wine) wrapped in bacon and cooked exactly the same way.
Hi Pablo, thank you for sharing that. I did see that it is traditional to include some kind of liver. Maybe if I work up some courage I will try that lol.
Yep… Pablo has my recipe: Water Chestnuts & chicken liver, wrapped in bacon and liberally sprinkled with soy sauce & brown sugar. Baked at 350ยฐ for 30 minutes and then broiled until the bacon is done.*
*Or, the smoke alarm goes off, whichever comes first! ๐
FYI: This is one dish that my sister LOVES!!
It is only 8:00 in the morning and I think I’m drooling already! I always thought that rumaki was bacon wrapped chicken livers? Or maybe rumaki is generic for something small and yummy wrapped in bacon? I do have one question though, Joanne. You indicated that you press the mustard onto one side of the bacon and press brown sugar onto the other side but the photo doesn’t look like there’s anything on the outside of the bacon. Have I misunderstood?
Yes, I believe it is traditionally made with liver but I didn’t grow up eating that version. Livers scare me a little LOL. And yes, there is brown sugar there. It dissolved a bit, but it is there =) Mustard on one side and brown sugar on the other.
We’re living in Panama where water chestnuts are a tad difficult to find, but I found a recipe for which we can get local ingredients easily: a box of dates (remove the pits) and place an almond inside, then wrap with bacon and bake. It’s become a requested favorite when we’re attending parties. Just another option. Found your website yesterday and absolutely love it. It kept me up until the wee hours of the morning drooling over the many scrumptious recipes in your repertoire. Love it and thank you!
Hi Patti, I LOVE bacon wrapped dates. Oh my goodness. They’re so good! And happy you are enjoying Fifteen Spatulas so far =)
Looks fabulous!
Thanks Nessa! They are fantastic little party bites.
My mom used to make these all the time! She made a sauce of soy sauce and ketchup (i think) to go with them. Thanks for reminding me!
Oh yes, I have seen that version. I haven’t tried the soy sauce ketchup version. I’m a sucker for the brown sugar and mustard lol.
I love Rumaki but haven’t had it in years. Yes it is so ad ducting and wonderful. My version if I remember is different from your but this sounds dynamite. I will give it a try.
Quite simply this sounds amazing! I want to be sitting at your table ๐
You’re always invited =)
I will bring these with me to Fiesta island on Memorial Day. Thank you for the recipe!
I feel silly….everyone here’s talking about how much they love rumaki…and I’d never heard of it before this. It sounds a bit strange: water chestnuts and bacon? But I’ll take your word for it. ๐
Joanne, thanks so much for reminding me of these, we get so tied up with fancy we forget the simple, I making these this week-end, some with waterchestnuts and some with dried apricots. Nummm!
I know what you mean, Dianne. I think that’s true for life in general! The dried apricots idea sounds great, love that!
These are so good. Fresh, simple food, well prepared wins the day over frilly overdone dishes for me.
My mom makes a version that is cooked in bbq sauce that I adore. But I’m definitely going to have to try this version – I’m a mustard addict!!
This is SUCH a good appetizer! I love water chestnuts; and who doesn’t love bacon? I don’t think I’ve had it with mustard before. I love the look of whole grain mustard. Maybe I’ll have a party just so I can make some appetizers. Ha! Your pictures are always so pretty.
My mother made them, too! The late 60s and early 70s had these goin’ ON! I’m glad you brought them back….while they can be a wee bit labor intensive, it’s nice to have an appetizer that doesn’t include a cracker or chip for those who don’t indulge!
These are one of my fav appetizers, so addicting!
My mom is famous for her bacon wrapped water chestnutS. They always make me think of her!
Wow, these really are a throwback. ๐ I don’t have much patience for fussy little appetizers but these are fairly simple and a great flavor combo. Sometimes the classics need to be revived.
New to the site and browsing all your great recipes, this one reminds me of my In-Law’s New Years special: Bacon-wrapped Olives! All you need are green olives stuffed with pimentos, wrap in partially cooked bacon then bake for 10 minutes @ 350.
Hi Joelle, welcome! Those bacon wrapped olives sound delicious! I will try those soon, I have all the ingredients in my fridge actually!
Mmmm! Can’t wait to try them. I’m curious though if they would travel well to bring as an appetizer to a party? They sound best right out of the oven, but will they keep well and be alright to serve if driving over to a friends with them (as in, do they still taste good cooled a bit, or if they sit out at a party)? Thanks for the great recipe and awesome photos! The pics always win me over when deciding on recipes and your’s a great. ๐
Hi Erin, I do think these would travel well. I actually think they taste really nice at room temperature (and they don’t taste as good when they’re super hot). Happy holidays!