This time around, I used the chestnuts I picked up at Hattori Ryokuchi Park.
I checked online and Martha had an "easy" method for roasting the chestnuts...well, nearing 5 minutes before the time was up in the oven, one of the chestnuts decided to explode!
Chestnut matter all over the oven. It wasn't pretty, not to mention it scared the bejeezus out of me as I was standing nearby.
What also wasn't pretty was the fact that the fuzzy skin closest to the chestnut did.not.come.off.easily....sigh.
So, it took me over an hour to peel these even getting some of the fuzzy skin in between my nail and the softest part under it (ow!) . (Thank goodness I didn't wait until right before I wanted to cook the rice to do the roasting!)
I started with about a cup of unpeeled chestnuts but by the time I was done "peeling" (read scraping and digging at) them, I had about a 1/2 a cup.
I ended up with more bits than whole pieces.
1.5 cup rice
1/2 cup mochi rice
2 cups water
1 tablespoon sake (cooking rice wine)
1/2 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/2 teaspoon shoyu (soy sauce)
I served this with sanma (saury) and kinpira. Can you believe that the market had sold this sanma with a packet of lemon juice?!
I couldn't see myself using the packet, so I used part of the fresh lemon I had on my table. (Actually this type of fish is usually served with sudachi (a type of lime) I had forgotten to buy some and thought my neighborhood co-op would have some, but sadly they didn't, so I used the fresh lemon that I had.)
Still, whether I bought it with or without the head it was the same price...198 yen each, so of course I went "without".
NOTES: The rice was good despite all the stress, you had a little chestnut in every bite. The flavors were light, and since Satoshi has to watch his sodium, I think it all balanced out because the fish was grilled with salt.
Note to self: find bigger chestnuts (maybe some that are already peeled or someone to peel them for you)...ahem.
All in all though, this was a good experience, and Satoshi enjoyed this.
Whoa?! it is Friday already...enjoy your weekend!
4 comments:
I give you credit! I love eating chestnuts (esp the cooked ones you can buy at Shirokiya :) but never once thought to roast them myself!
Thanks Kathy, love those pre-roasted ones too!
Take care.
Kat
I'm shocked. Martha didn't say anything about making a slice/cut in the chestnut to allow steam to escape? It's one of those no-brainer things to do when it comes to roasting chestnuts.
It was interesting to read the part about the fish costing the same with or without the head. Last night I was given a fish head for free at the fishmonger...apparently the magic word was "soup". I was looking for a fish that would make good soup and bought a big cut of pike and she threw in the head for free.
no no Rowena, Martha did say to make a slice and I did, though I maybe didn't make them deep enough...
Take care.
Kat
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