Chestnuts Rice ( kuri gohan )

Kuri gohan （栗ごはん）

A dish made by cooking chestnuts and rice together with a little salt.

With a simple seasoning, you can fully feel the umami of chestnuts, which can be said to be a representative of the taste of autumn.

栗 (=kuri) means chestnuts in English, and ごはん (=gohan) means rice in English.

This chestnut rice is made by combining regular rice and glutinous rice. Rice mixed with glutinous rice is called okowa. Therefore, this dish is also called “Kuri Okowa”.

Chestnuts are difficult to peel. Soak the fruit in water overnight, peel off the skin with a knife, and soak the fruit in water for 30 minutes to remove the lye.

It takes a lot of time, so I use pre-processed frozen chestnuts.

What is the difference between non-glutinous rice and glutinous rice?

The biggest difference is in the starch composition. There are two types of starch in rice: amylopectin and amylose. The higher the amylopectin content, the stronger the stickiness.

Non-glutinous rice is a common rice that is used on a daily basis. The non-glutinous rice eaten in Japan is the Japonica variety. There are three types of non-glutinous rice: the Indica variety called Thai rice, and the Javanica variety, which is eaten in parts of Southeast Asia, Italy, and Brazil.

The ratio of amylose to amylopectin content in non-glutinous rice is said to be 2:8.

In Japan, there are various varieties such as “Koshihikari”, “Akitakomachi” and “Hitomebore”, which have been improved in various places.

Indica rice and Javanica rice have a high amylose content and are suitable for fried rice, pilaf, curry, etc.

Glutinous rice is used for mochi, sekihan, okowa and chimaki. The starch of glutinous rice consists only of amylopectin.

It is popular for its unique springy texture, and it does not harden even when cold, so it retains its deliciousness for a long time.

Tips for cooking

Soak non-glutinous rice in water for 30 minutes before cooking. As the rice absorbs moisture, it will be fluffy.

Glutinous rice absorbs water easily, so there is no need to soak it in water. Also, glutinous rice reduces the amount of water slightly when cooking.

Amylopectin, which is a component of glutinous rice, absorbs water and swells when it is heated with water added.

Glutinous rice is soft and fragile, so in the past it was steamed instead of being cooked with water.

Let’s take advantage of each feature and use them properly.