One of the great excitements of autumn is eating chestnuts! Fresh chestnuts take time to prepare but they taste so good. To me, chestnuts are a symbol of cool autumn air and blue skies. Frozen chestnuts are available at most supermarkets throughout the year and they are also easy to prepare. I’m introducing a very simple recipe for chestnut rice but if you’d like to add more ingredients, chicken, burdock, carrot and deep-fried bean curd (aburaage) are great options.
Ingredients
- 25 Chestnuts, depending on size
- 13½ oz (400 ml) Washed Japanese short grain rice
- 13½ fl oz (400 ml) Water
- Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu)
- 2 tbsp Mirin
How to Make It
- Cut a small slit on chestnuts. Bring a pot of water to the boil and remove from heat. Add chestnuts and leave until water is cool, about 1 hour. Shell chestnuts and cut into halves. Soak in water for another 20 minutes.
- Put rice, water, soy sauce, mirin and chestnuts in a rice cooker and cook rice according to instructions on the rice cooker.
- When the rice is cooked, mix it lightly.
- Place cling wrap in a rice bowl and scoop 120 g (4¼ oz) of the rice into bowl. Pull out rice together with cling wrap and mould rice into a ball. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
