How to Make Kuri GohanJapanese Chestnut Rice Seasoned with Just Salt

Kuri gohan, chestnut rice, is a comforting taste of autumn in Japan. We season it with just salt so you can enjoy the flavor of the chestnuts themselves.

Here’s how we make it, step by step.

When to make	September–October
Amount	360 ml (1½ cups) of rice, with 300 g (10½ oz, about 20) chestnuts
Seasoning	Just salt

Ingredients

Chestnut rice (makes about 4 bowls)

• 300 g (10½ oz) or more chestnuts in the shell (about 20)
• 270 ml (generous 1 cup) Japanese short-grain rice
• 90 ml (⅓ cup) glutinous (sticky) rice (adjust the ratio of rice to sticky rice to taste)
• 1 tsp salt
• Water for cooking the rice

How to make chestnut rice

Peel the chestnuts

To make them easier to peel, soak the chestnuts in hot water at about 50°C (120°F) for 30 minutes.

Cut off the flat bottom of each chestnut.

Starting from the cut, peel the hard outer shell (onikawa) off toward the tip by hand.

Peel off the astringent inner skin (shibukawa) with a knife, following the shape of the chestnut. Be careful not to cut yourself.

Keep the peeled chestnuts in water.

Cook the rice

Wash the rice and sticky rice, add water to the line for 2 cups (2 go) on your rice cooker, and soak for 30 minutes.

Add the salt and stir gently to dissolve.

Lay the peeled chestnuts on top and cook.

Done cooking. The sweet smell of chestnuts fills the air.

Let it steam

If you like, sprinkle 1½ tsp of sake over the rice once it’s cooked and let it steam for extra flavor.

You can skip this.

Done

Fold gently from the bottom so the chestnuts don’t break, and serve.

Sprinkle with black sesame if you like. Lightly salted, comforting chestnut rice.