Kuri Gohan Chestnut Rice Autumn Preparation

Ingredients

• 300 g Japanese chestnuts (kuri, Castanea crenata), outer shell scored on flat side
• 360 g Japanese short-grain rice, soaked 30 minutes, drained
• 480 ml dashi
• 30 ml sake, divided: part for chestnut seasoning, part for cooking liquid
• 1 tsp mirin, used sparingly
• 1 tsp salt, divided: part for chestnut seasoning, part for cooking liquid
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds, for finishing

Method

1. 1
   Score a shallow cross on the flat side of each chestnut. Submerge in cold water and bring to the boil; cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and, working with one chestnut at a time while the water remains warm, peel away the outer shell and the inner papery skin with a sharp knife. The dish is done at this stage when the inner skin lifts cleanly without tearing the flesh — it will not release if the chestnut is allowed to cool.
2. 2
   Place the peeled chestnuts in a bowl. Add a small measure of sake and a pinch of salt; turn gently to coat. This light pre-seasoning prevents discolouration and carries flavour into the nut before cooking. Leave to stand while the rice is prepared. The chestnuts are ready when they have taken on a faint sheen.
3. 3
   Rinse the soaked and drained rice once more under cold water. Combine the dashi, remaining sake, mirin, and salt in the rice cooker bowl; stir briefly. Taste the cooking liquid — it should be lightly savoury and barely sweet, never cloying. This is where the dish lives or dies: too much mirin here and the base sweetness will compete with and overwhelm the chestnut's own natural sweetness, producing a cloying result; too little liquid and the chestnuts' starch absorption will leave the rice dry.
4. 4
   Add the rinsed rice to the seasoned cooking liquid and place the pre-seasoned chestnuts on top of the rice in a single distributed layer. Do not stir. Cook on the standard rice setting. The preparation is complete when the cooker signals and the lid, when lifted, releases a fragrant plume of chestnut-scented steam.
5. 5
   Allow the rice to steam, lid closed, for 10 minutes after the cooking cycle ends. Open the lid and fold the rice gently from the bottom with a rice paddle, taking care not to break the chestnuts — they should hold their shape and offer a gentle resistance distinct from the surrounding grains. The rice should appear amber-gold where it has been in contact with chestnut starch.
6. 6
   Serve into bowls. Scatter black sesame seeds and a light pinch of salt over each portion at table. The sesame should be just audible when pressed lightly against the roof of the mouth — a finish of texture and faint bitterness against the earthy sweetness.