Japanese chestnut rice (kuri gohan 栗ご飯) is seasoned to perfection and cooked with fresh chestnuts nestled into the tender grains. The flavour is rich and nutty. This very tasty and unique side dish is the perfect way to enjoy these seasonal nuts.
This dish is wonderful for enjoying in the fall and especially in the winter. Pair it with your favourite protein for a festive way to enjoy the season.
I think you will also really enjoy my Thai coconut rice recipe, which infuses fragrant jasmine rice with coconut milk.
Ingredients
- Chestnuts
- Japanese short-grain rice
- Water
- Mirin - A rice wine, similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content from the fermentation process. It has a sweet, tangy flavour.
- Hondashi - Comparable to bouillon, it is the instant form of dashi. Dashi is made from smoked and dried bonito fish and it is a very common ingredient in Japanese dishes.
- Sake - Cooking sake or drinking sake is fine to use. Cooking sake is slightly pre-seasoned with salt and vinegar.
- Salt
- Toasted black sesame seeds
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
Bring water to a boil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add chestnuts and boil for 3 minutes. This is to soften the peel and skin, making them easier to clean.
Meanwhile, add rice into rice cooker bowl. With the bowl in your sink, add cold water and gently rub the rice grains together to wash them. The water will become a milky white.
Pour the cloudy water down the drain and repeat this washing process 4-5 times until the water becomes almost completely transparent.
Fill the rice cooker bowl with the normal amount of water recommended for cooking, dry off the outside of the bowl, and place it back into the rice cooker.
Strain the chestnuts once they have finished boiling. You have to completely remove the peel and inner skin. It will be easier to do this while they are still warm. Cut around the edge of the nut's base and peel outwards.
Use a knife to clean out anything stuck in the crevices. This takes a bit of effort, but the delicious rice will be worth it.
Lightly rinse and strain the completely cleaned nuts and set them aside.
Stir mirin, sake, and salt into the rice cooker with the rice. Place the chestnuts on top of the rice. It's ok if they are poking out of the water. Sprinkle the hondashi on top, close the lid and let sit for 30 minutes.
Start the rice cooker and cook on the normal white rice mode.
Once it is finished, gently stir the rice. Serve in individual serving bowls topped with toasted black sesame seeds.
Substitutions
Sake - I used cooking sake (ryōri shu 料理酒), but you can also use drinking sake for this recipe. The difference is that cooking sake is slightly pre-seasoned with salt and vinegar.
Equipment
This Japanese chestnut rice (kuri gohan 栗ご飯) is made using a rice cooker, though you can find versions made by steaming in a pot. I love cooking with my Zojirushi rice cooker; it is such a reliable brand and the rice always comes out perfectly. It makes this dish a breeze because you can just do the prep, then set it and forget it until it's done cooking.
Buy Now → Storage
This Japanese chestnut rice dish will keep for up to 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, the rice will continue to dry out and will be best if enjoyed within a day of cooking it.
📖 Recipe
Japanese Chestnut Rice (Kuri Gohan)
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Rice
- Cuisine: Japanese
Description
Japanese chestnut rice (kuri gohan 栗ご飯) is seasoned to perfection and cooked with fresh chestnuts nestled into the tender grains. The flavour is rich and nutty. This very tasty and unique winter side dish is the perfect way to enjoy these seasonal nuts.
Ingredients
15 chestnuts
2 cups Japanese short-grain rice (180ml standard rice cooker cups)
water
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake *
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hondashi **
toasted black sesame seeds, to taste
Instructions
Bring water to a boil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add chestnuts and boil for 3 minutes. This is to soften the peel and skin, making them easier to clean.
Meanwhile, add rice into rice cooker bowl. With the bowl in your sink, add cold water and gently rub the rice grains together to wash them. The water will become a milky white. Pour the cloudy water down the drain and repeat this washing process 4-5 times until the water becomes almost completely transparent.
Fill the rice cooker bowl with the normal amount of water recommended for cooking, dry off the outside of the bowl, and place it back into the rice cooker.
Strain the chestnuts once they have finished boiling. You have to completely remove the peel and inner skin. It will be easier to do this while they are still warm. Cut around the edge of the nut's base and peel outwards.
Use a knife to clean out anything stuck in the crevices. This takes a bit of effort, but the delicious rice will be worth it.
Lightly rinse and strain the completely cleaned nuts and set them aside.
Stir mirin, sake, and salt into the rice cooker with the rice. Place the chestnuts on top of the rice. It's ok if they are poking out of the water. Sprinkle the hondashi on top, close the lid and let sit for 30 minutes.
Start the rice cooker and cook on the normal white rice mode.
Once it is finished, gently stir the rice. Serve in individual serving bowls topped with toasted black sesame seeds.
Equipment
Buy Now → Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 230
- Sugar: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 627.7 mg
- Fat: 1.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 45.5 g
- Protein: 3.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Emi says
Loved the nutty tone of this dish. I served the rice with grilled wild salmon.
Other than cutting my finger slightly skinning the chestnuts, this recipe was a success.
Asha says
Ouch! Hope your finger is feeling better. This rice combo with salmon sounds great.
Megan says
Wasn't sure I would like the chestnuts. Actually suprised.
Asha says
That's great, I love trying new things. Glad you like them!
Barb says
This rice is delicious.
Asha says
Thank you ❤️
Sasha says
I like the nutty flavor.
Asha says
Thank you
Karina says
Enjoyed this recipe.
Asha says
Thank you
Greta says
Wow the chestnuts take the rice to a whole new level of flavour. Great recipe.
Asha says
Thanks!
Will says
Chestnuts are back.Amazing in this dish.
Asha says
Thank you
Brenda says
Simple yet really tasty. I like it.
Asha says
Thank you
Kirk says
Great dish. Will be a keeper.
Asha says
Thank you! 🙂
Brenda says
My family really enjoyed this rice dish.
Asha says
So glad to hear, thank you.
Maria C says
Enjoyed this dish. Thanks for tips on peeling the chestnuts. Very helpful.
Asha says
Thank you, I'm glad you found it useful 🙂
Denise says
Great flavorful recipe. I was looking to use the remainder of my Christmas chestnuts.
Asha says
Thank you Denise 🙂
Nicola says
Loved this rice dish. Thank you.
Asha says
Thanks Nicola 🙂
Rick says
Great dish. Love the chestnuts.
Asha says
Thank you! The chestnuts are so tasty in this dish.
Mark says
Tasty. The chestnuts are quite difficult to peel even after following the instructions. I would add 15-20 minutes of time.
Asha says
Hi Mark, the chestnuts certainly don't make it easy but the flavour is definitely worth the effort 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the dish.
Lily says
Peeling the chestnuts is a bit of work but so worth it! Adds so much flavor to the rice - yum!
Asha says
Thank you 🙂 yes well worth the effort!
Vanessa says
What a cozy dish for fall! I have never made anything like this before and really enjoyed it!
Asha says
Thanks so much!
Bernice says
What a unique comfort food dish. I've seen chestnuts at T & T but didn't know how to eat them. Also, thanks for the tips on hondashi, I didn't know there was an 'instant' form!
Asha says
Glad you enjoyed. They have a wonderful flavour that I really enjoy when the weather gets cooler.
nancy says
I never made Japanese chestnut rice before myself. This was an easy recipe to follow and it was so tasty!
Asha says
Thank you! 🙂
Marie-Pierre Breton says
Never heard of chestnut rice before! This looks delicate and flagrant indeed! I'll keep an eye out for chestnuts! Yum!
Asha says
Thank you, they make for a very tasty rice dish 😋
Holly Hon says
The chestnut might be absorbing water as my rice came out drier than usual with the same cooking water that I always used and turns out perfect. Should I have added more cooking water to account for that?
Asha says
Hi Holly, sorry to hear that your rice came out a bit dry. I haven't had that happen anytime I've made this recipe. It's possible that your chestnuts were stored improperly before purchase, causing them to become overly dry. If that was the case I would suggest trying adding a bit extra water to compensate.