My first chestnut rice, made with chestnuts I had picked myself. The hard outer shell is called onikawa, the demon skin, and the thin inner skin shibukawa, the astringent skin; a quick boil or a soak in hot water softens them before peeling. It is not easy work, but it empties the mind.
Ingredients
- Chestnuts (freshly picked)
- Rice
- Black sesame seeds
How I made it
- Soak the chestnuts in water for a while to drive out insects and soften the shells
- Boil briefly, cut a notch in the base, and peel off the hard outer shell
- Soak in hot water again, peel away the inner skin, and drop into water
- Cook with the rice, serve in bowls, and sprinkle with black sesame
This moment in the journey
An autumn feast
The chestnut rice turned out beautifully. When I lifted the lid of the pot, golden chestnuts tumbled into view. The foil parcel of mushrooms I grilled over the charcoal in the garden; opening it released steam and the smell of butter.
On the table: chestnut rice sprinkled with black sesame, the foil-grilled mushrooms, and the bonito and mandarin carpaccio. I poured a non-alcoholic beer, and the autumn feast began. Rich bonito and juicy early mandarin, together in one bite. Wakayama's strongest tag team, perhaps.
Seasonal flavors, made from ingredients I had harvested myself. It felt as if I had turned the page of the season with my own hands, and that made me very happy. Ah, autumn, the season of appetite. Out on the veranda, a lamp glowed in the night.
Watch this scene on YouTube4:54
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Charcoal-grilled saury with sudachi
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From: Chestnuts, saury and an autumn feast
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From: Chestnuts, saury and an autumn feast
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From: Chestnuts, saury and an autumn feast
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