As I type, my parents are probably peeling chestnuts. It's not because they're in their seventies and don't have anything to do, but rather that we eat a lot of chestnuts during our holiday meals. It's a tedious task, but they do it as a team and it's a ritual they share. (Chestnuts are enjoyed in China, Japan, Korea, and throughout Southeast Asia (as I learned from Robyn and Rasa Malaysia. They originally came from West Asia and have been cultivated in China for as long as they've been cultivated in Europe!)
Once the nuts are peeled, my mom simmers them in broth with butter, canned chicken broth and cilantro. Many years ago, when she forgot to buy parsley, she substituted cilantro and found the flavor to be extremely agreeable so we've made the chestnuts that way ever since. The buttery sweet results go into the sticky rice stuffing and are served as a side dish. She reserves the biggest whole ones to serve on the side and will likely say, "There's enough so that you each get X number." We savor each one because we know that we won't have them again on our menu until next year.
My parents are into feeding a crowd so they're working on several pounds of chestnuts. You don't have to be as over-achieving as they are. Here's my family chestnut recipe to launch you on your way:
Chestnuts Simmered with Butter and Cilantro
Makes about 2 cups
11/2 cups shelled and peeled chestnuts (¾ pound unpeeled), whole ones halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
5 sprigs cilantro
2 cups or more low-sodium canned chicken broth
Select a small saucepan in which the chestnuts may lay in more or less one layer. Add the butter, cilantro, and broth to cover by ½ inch. Bring to a simmer, partially cover, and simmer softly for about 20 minutes, or until the nuts are tender-firm and still holding their shape. Avoid boiling or the nuts will disintegrate. When done, some pieces will be intact while others will have broken apart. Set aside to cool. Use in your stuffing or serve as a side dish.
Related post: Tips on buying, storing, shelling and peeling chestnuts
Simon Bao says
Andrea, what is the "sticky rice stuffing" you refer to? Is it a stuffing that goes into a roasted bird? (Details, please.) Or some other form of a stuffing?
Robyn says
'Chestnuts are enjoyed in Vietnam, China, Japan and Korea'
And in Thailand, Malaysia, Sing, and the Philippines (maybe Indonesia too). It will always strike me as somehow strange somehow, to smell chestnuts roasting in hot, humid Southeast Asian air.
Happy Holidays!
Diane says
So do you steam the sticky rice first and then add these at the end? Or put them in with the raw rice when it goes in the steamer?
Mai Nguyen says
Andrea, thanks for your tip about how to prepare fresh chestnuts! I bought a fresh bag last Christmas and had to throw it away because I waited too long before doing anything with it. This year a thoughtful colleague gave me another bag from Whole Foods. The chestnuts seem to take a lot of effort although I am hoping the outcome is deliciously worth it.
Rasa Malaysia says
Hi Andrea, Malaysians eat a lot of chestnuts, too. I especially like the roasted ones which are cooked in these really dark-colored sands. We also use them in some Chinese Malaysian cooking. 🙂
Andrea Nguyen says
Robyn, aren't the chestnuts roasted with sand? I remember smelling them on Hong Kong street corners.
Diane, the sticky rice is soaked and steamed before it's mixed with the chestnuts and other seasonings. Think of the rice as a substitute for bread in your dressing.
One of the fun snacks to buy at markets are the packages of roasted chestnuts. They're already shelled and kinda sweet and buttery. I can't resist them when they're placed near the cash register as an impulse buy.
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Napoleon himself was once a crying baby.
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