Chestnut Rice, or Kuri Gohan, is a standard Japanese combined rice recipe made within the fall when candy and nutty Japanese chestnuts are in season. This aromatic and comforting dish is ideal for cozy autumn evenings.
Autumn brings an abundance of scrumptious seasonal produce like Japanese chestnuts. Every fall, I eagerly anticipate the particular dishes we make with them like as we speak’s recipe for nutty and candy Japanese Chestnut Rice (Kuri Gohan). It’s one of many signature dishes that marks the arrival of autumn in Japan—a aromatic, comforting dish that brings again fond reminiscences.
For extra rice dishes that includes fall produce, strive my Japanese Candy Potato Rice, Matsutake Gohan (Wild Pine Mushroom Rice), and Japanese Mushroom Rice subsequent!
What’s Chestnut Rice (Kuri Gohan)?
Chestnut rice, or kuri gohan (栗ご飯), is a standard Japanese dish made with rice (gohan) and contemporary Japanese chestnuts (kuri), two autumn crops in Japan. Kuri is culturally important in Japan, serving since historical occasions as an vital meals supply throughout autumn and winter. It’s additionally believed to carry good luck and fortune. Immediately, we take pleasure in their deep nutty aroma and candy flesh in scrumptious dishes like kuri gohan as a beautiful strategy to welcome the season.
Why I Love This Recipe
- What a particular, seasonal dish! Chestnuts are a valuable cultural ingredient in Japan. Once I make this dish, it sparks dialog and a cultural reference to my youngsters.
- Easy but strikingly spectacular. The great thing about this rice dish lies in its simplicity. The looks of chestnuts captures the essence of fall and evokes a way of nostalgia.
- Its fragrant taste and fluffy texture are irresistible. There’s nothing like the mixture of contemporary Japanese chestnuts and new crop short-grain rice. I hope you give this recipe a strive!
Components for Chestnut Rice
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
Substitutions
- Japanese rice: I extremely advocate utilizing Japanese short-grain rice right here, as its texture and taste differ considerably from different varieties. You too can use Korean short-grain rice, which is the closest different.
- Glutinous rice: I add Japanese short-grain glutinous rice to the combo for a barely chewy and extra tender texture. In the event you don’t have it, you need to use Japanese short-grain rice as an alternative.
- Sake: We add sake to infuse the rice and elements with taste that enhances the richness and umami of the combined rice. In the event you don’t have it, you may simply skip it.
Key Tools
- A heavy-bottomed pot – I exploit a Hario Gohangama donabe, a Japanese ceramic/earthenware pot, however you need to use a Dutch oven as an alternative. You too can make this recipe utilizing a rice cooker; merely press begin and cook dinner as regular.
How To Make Chestnut Rice (Kuri Gohan)
Preparation
Step 1 – Take away the robust outer shell and the skinny, papery inside pores and skin. Soak the chestnuts in heat water for half-hour. For every chestnut, use a knife to take away the robust backside, then peel off a strip alongside one aspect shifting towards the tip. Peel away the outer shell together with your fingers. The papery pores and skin normally comes off with the shell.
Step 2 – Peel away the bumpy flesh and form the chestnuts. For a extra engaging presentation, it’s greatest to make giant cuts on the floor of the chestnuts to resemble the sides of a diamond.
Step 3 – Soak the chestnuts in water for not less than half-hour. This helps take away astringency and yields a phenomenal creamy yellow colour. Don’t skip this step.
Assemble
Step 4 – Put the whole lot within the pot. Add the rinsed and well-drained rice, measured water, and seasonings to the pot. Then, place the chestnuts on high in a single layer in order that they cook dinner evenly. Soak for 20–half-hour earlier than cooking to permit the rice’s core to soak up moisture.
Cooking
Step 5 – Cook dinner and steam the chestnut rice. For my donabe rice pot, I cook dinner on medium-high warmth for 12–13 minutes. When the cooking time is up, take away it from the warmth and let it steam with the lid on for 15–20 minutes.
Step 6 – Fluff the rice. Put aside a number of stunning chestnuts for serving, then gently fluff the rice with the remainder of the chestnuts.
Step 7 – Serve. Serve in particular person rice bowls and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and salt.
Nami’s Recipe Suggestions
- Get contemporary chestnuts and use them inside 3 days. I like to recommend storing them within the fridge in a breathable bag.
- Soak in heat water earlier than peeling for half-hour. Some Japanese recipes use chilly water, however I discover that heat water helps. To maintain the chestnuts moist and aromatic, we sometimes don’t boil or roast them earlier than cooking with the rice.
- Soak in chilly water after peeling for half-hour. This helps create a phenomenal yellow colour. With out soaking, the chestnut will flip brown. Remember to change the water just a few occasions throughout this soaking interval.
- Reserve some chestnuts for presentation. As soon as the chestnut rice is completed steaming, take away a number of stunning chestnuts from the pot to make use of for presentation when serving. They break simply after fluffing the rice, so it’s a good suggestion to put aside some complete chestnuts.
Variations and Customizations
- Improve the flavour with dried kelp seaweed. Some individuals add a small piece of kombu between the rice and chestnut layers throughout cooking to extend umami and aroma.
- Add extra seasonings. I maintain my seasonings easy to let the naturally candy and nutty chestnut taste shine. If you want, you may add a little bit of soy sauce and/or mirin (Japanese candy rice wine) to the cooking liquid along with the sake and salt. Simply remember to cut back the quantity of water within the recipe; you’ll need to maintain the general measurement of cooking liquid the identical.
- Skip the glutinous rice. You can also make chestnut rice with out glutinous rice. It is going to be much less tender and tender total, however it gained’t turn out to be too onerous the following day since there isn’t any glutinous rice in it.
What To Serve with Chestnut Rice
I take pleasure in serving aromatic chestnut rice with varied aspect dishes to create a full meal. Listed below are some strategies, however be at liberty to combine and match:
Storage and Reheating Suggestions
To retailer: You’ll be able to maintain the leftovers in an hermetic container and retailer within the freezer for as much as a month.
To reheat: Take out the glass container of frozen rice from the freezer. Take away the lid and loosely cowl the rice with a paper towel. Then, microwave till the rice is scorching all over.
Regularly Requested Questions
I can normally peel a chestnut shell by holding it in a single hand and a pairing knife within the different. Nonetheless, if the shell is hard and cussed, place the chestnut on a reducing board to chop off the underside, after which decide it as much as peel off the shell.
Relying on the chestnut, the outer shell and papery inside pores and skin could come off collectively. If the inside pores and skin remains to be hooked up to the yellow flesh, then thinly peel off the bumpy flesh and papery inside pores and skin along with the knife.
Sadly, no. I developed this recipe to make use of Japanese chestnuts, that are a lot bigger than American/European chestnuts. Their cooking strategies differ as nicely, since American/European chestnuts are sometimes roasted, not boiled. If you find yourself attempting with them, tell us the way it went. Please watch out eradicating the robust pores and skin!
Extra Combined Rice Recipes
There are such a lot of methods to arrange Japanese combined rice, and I feel you’re going to take pleasure in these scrumptious recipes, too:
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To Put together the Chestnuts
Soak 20–25 chestnuts in heat water for not less than half-hour. Some Japanese recipes use chilly water, however I discover heat water helps. To maintain the chestnuts moist and aromatic, we sometimes don’t boil or roast them earlier than cooking with the rice.
Maintain a chestnut in a single hand and a pairing knife within the different. Rigorously insert the nook of the knife underneath the underside of the chestnut the place the flat sides meet. Then, peel and take away the whole backside. Tip: When the shell is hard and cussed, place the chestnut on the reducing board, minimize off the underside, after which maintain it to peel off the shell.
Subsequent, peel off a strip of shell alongside the aspect towards the chestnut tip.
You need to be capable of peel off the outer shell together with your fingers. Relying on the chestnut, the outer shell and inside pores and skin could come off collectively, exposing the yellow flesh. The inside pores and skin is the skinny, papery brown layer that adheres to the nut itself.
To create a phenomenal presentation, peel away a skinny layer of the bumpy chestnut flesh utilizing the pairing knife. It is best to create just a few extensive, giant cuts just like the sides of a diamond reasonably than many small cuts. Soak the peeled chestnuts in a bowl of water for not less than half-hour, altering the water just a few occasions. Peel and soak the remainder of the chestnuts.
This one nonetheless has the skinny, papery inside pores and skin remains to be hooked up. Thinly peel off the bumpy flesh and inside pores and skin collectively.
Some chestnuts have folds and crevices the place the outer shell is wedged. Use the sting of the knife to take away them. After soaking in just a few modifications of water, the chestnuts are a phenomenal colour. Tip: In case your chestnuts are huge, and minimize them in half in order that they cook dinner evenly.
To Put together the Components
Put 1⅞ cups raw Japanese short-grain white rice and ⅓ cup candy rice/glutinous rice (mochigome) in a big bowl. Gently wash the rice with chilly water and discard the cloudy water. Repeat this course of about 3–4 occasions till the water turns into nearly clear. Drain nicely.
- Put the well-drained rice and 2¼ cups water in a heavy-bottomed pot; I used a Hario Gohangama donabe, however you need to use a Dutch oven as an alternative. Tip: You too can cook dinner this in a rice cooker.
Add 1 Tbsp sake and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the pot. Gently combine all of it collectively, then degree the rice.
Place the chestnuts on high in a single layer, with the rounded sides going through up. Cowl and let it soak for 20 to half-hour.
To Cook dinner the Chestnut Rice
Convey the rice to a boil over medium warmth. Take a fast peek to see if the water is boiling (in any other case, don’t open the lid). As soon as the water is boiling, flip the warmth to low and cook dinner lined for 12 to 13 minutes, or till the water is totally absorbed (take a fast peek). If there’s nonetheless water left, shut the lid and proceed cooking for a bit longer. In the event you’re utilizing the Gohangama, cook dinner on medium-high warmth till it begins to whistle, then cook dinner for an extra 1 minute. Tip: If utilizing a rice cooker, merely press Begin and cook dinner as regular.
Take away the pot from the warmth. Hold the lid on and let the rice steam for 15–20 minutes. This steaming time is an important a part of the cooking course of, so please don’t skip it.
To Fluff and Serve
Open the lid and put aside the best-looking chestnuts on a plate for serving.
To fluff the rice, insert a rice paddle vertically into the cooked rice. Flip over a scoop of rice from the underside. Then, use a slicing movement to separate the grains and gently incorporate the chestnuts. Repeat till fluffed. Serve the rice and high with the reserved chestnuts. Optionally, sprinkle Diamond Crystal kosher salt and toasted black sesame seeds on high.
Energy: 391 kcal · Carbohydrates: 86 g · Protein: 6 g · Fats: 1 g · Saturated Fats: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fats: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fats: 1 g · Sodium: 227 mg · Potassium: 231 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Vitamin A: 9 IU · Vitamin C: 14 mg · Calcium: 27 mg · Iron: 4 mg
Editor’s Be aware: This publish was initially printed on November 27, 2013. It was republished on November 4, 2024, with new photos, a revised recipe, and extra useful data.