The other day I saw some chestnuts (kuri 栗 in Japanese) in the Japanese store I go to, so I grabbed some feeling nostalgic about fall ingredients in Japan. I put them on the kitchen counter thinking that I would make Kuri Gohan (Chestnut Rice) later on that evening. But the next time I saw them, they were in the BBQ grill nicely being roasted by my husband.
He also had some memories of enjoying chestnuts while growing up with his grandmother. He saw chestnuts on the kitchen counter and he couldn’t resist the urge to roast them. We end up eating these as a snack with our children and they loved it, especially my daughter.
By the way, if you are thinking of traveling to Japan, I think fall and spring in Japan are the most beautiful seasons, and I’d definitely recommend end of March to early April for cherry blossom viewing and mid November to early December for fall foliage (the time varies depends on the location in Japan).
Fall used to be my favorite season before coming to San Francisco. Here we don’t see too many trees turning colors like how it is in Japan. My husband is on the plane to Tokyo right now for business and I’m so jealous! He gets to meet my mom one night and he also gets to eat some seasonal food!
The four seasons are very distinct in Japan (similar to US East Coast) and the Japanese enjoy different seasonal ingredients. On Wednesday I will share another fall ingredient/recipe that is popular in Japan.
But for now, check out this easy roasted chestnut recipe from my husband. Have a great week everyone!
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Roasted Chestnuts
Ingredients
- chestnuts
Instructions
- Start the grill. You don’t need as much charcoal as you might need for grilling steak or fish.
- Using a small, sharp knife, cut a cross into the skin of each chestnut (my husband did not do this process, but the chestnuts luckily didn’t explode.).
- Roast over the BBQ grill covered for 15-20 minutes, or until you see the skin opens up.