Recipe : Kuri Gohan (Chestnut Rice)
Kuri Gohan (栗ごはん) is an indispensable taste on Japanese tables in autumn. My family and I look forward to eating delicious chestnut rice made at home, as it is only available at this time of the year. It is hard work to peel the chestnuts, but I feel that the taste is exceptional because of the hard work. Our family style is to mix normal Japanese rice with glutinous rice called “Mochi-gome” and enjoy the slightly sticky texture.
Ingredients (4 servings):
2 Rice-cups (360ml) Normal & glutinous rice mix *The ratio is 1:1.
300g Chestnut *About 15 pieces
2 Cups (400ml) Water
1 tsp Salt
For topping:
Goma-shio, to your taste *Black sesame and salt
Directions:
1. Wash the outer skin of chestnuts well and soak them in water.
*If you have time, soak them in water for a few hours.
2. Cut a little off the top and bottom of the chestnut and peel the outer skin.
3. The thin skin of the chestnut is also shaved outward using a knife. Then, cut into bite-size pieces.
*The chestnut skin is hard, so be careful and peel off the rest of the skin as well.
4. Pour the water over the rice and immediately dump it out, stirring well. Then, discard the rice rinse water.
5. Put rice into the pot and pour water. Then, add salt and stir gently.
6. Heat a pot over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Then, turn off the heat and steam as is for 15 minutes.
7. When cooked, add black sesame seeds on top of the dish to complete.
YUCa’s Tips :
1. Chestnuts should be soaked for 2-3 hours if possible to soften them.
2. Take special care with chestnuts because their skins are hard.
3. When cooking rice with chestnuts, do not forget to add salt.
