Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts (Kuri Okowa)

Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts (Kuri Okowa) is an expensive model of Rice with Azuki Beans (Osekihan). It is likely one of the consultant autumn rice dishes in Japan due to the harvesting time of chestnuts.

It’s so occurred that college sports activities carnival in Japan is usually held in autumn that household of the college youngsters come and watch the competitions and actions, bringing bento containers with Kuri Okowa in it.

The distinction between the purple rice and the yellow chestnuts is so fairly and makes it an ideal dish for completely satisfied events similar to Osekihan. On condition that chestnuts can be found solely in autumn, it makes at this time’s dish extra particular.

I’ve a fond reminiscence of chestnuts. My father is from Ibaraki prefecture which ranks no. 1 in chestnuts manufacturing. His mother and father have been farmers and had an enormous mountain filled with chestnuts timber.

My father grew to become a trainer in Tokyo as a substitute of taking up his father’s enterprise. However in each autumn, he took us children to his father or mother’s house to select chestnuts in a sharp sea urchin-like shell. It actually fascinated me to see lovely shiny chestnuts contained in the shell lined with needles.

Two Forms of Kuri Okowa

I put down ‘Kuri Okowa’ (栗おこわ) as a Japanese identify for Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts, nevertheless it’s not 100% correct. As a result of the phrase ‘okowa’ (おこわ) means cooked glutinous rice and ‘kuri’ (栗) means chestnut.

So, the rice doesn’t need to be purple with azuki beans. In truth, there are a white model of Kuri Okowa and a purple model of Kuri Okowa.

If you happen to Google search ‘栗おこわ’, most recipes are simply glutinous rice with chestnuts in it. Peel chestnuts, place them on the washed glutinous rice, and cook dinner in the correct quantity of water with a small quantity of salt and cooking sake. Typically they’re steamed, as a substitute of cooked in a pot or a rice cooker.

Since my Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts is manufactured from glutinous rice, the cooked rice may also be known as okowa even whether it is purple and has azuki beans in it. Google search will convey up a number of purple Kuri Okowa amongst white Kuri Okowa.

What’s in my Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts (Kuri Okowa)

The components are mainly the identical as Rice with Azuki Beans (Osekihan), with addition of chestnuts.

• Sticky rice/glutinous rice
• Dried azuki beans
• Chestnuts
• Water
• Gomashio for serving

Gomashio is sprinkled over Kuri Okowa nearly by no exception. The salt goes so nicely with candy chestnuts.

Learn how to make Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts (Kuri Okowa)

You may truly observe the instruction for Rice with Azuki Beans (Osekihan). The one additions are peeling chestnuts and placing them on the rice.

1. Peel chestnuts (discuss with the next part for peeling chestnuts) and depart them in water for 1 hour. This can take away the cruel style from the chestnuts.
2. Wash and soak glutinous rice in water for at the least half-hour to let it soak up water. Drain.
3. Boil azuki beans in a saucepan for about 20 minutes to al dente.
4. Separate the beans and liquid into bowls.
5. Scoop the liquid with a ladle and pour it again gently into the bowl, permitting the purple color of the liquid to accentuate.
6. Place the rice and beans in a rice cooker, combine, then add purple liquid to the water degree required for sticky rice.
7. Drain chestnuts and scatter them on the rice, then cook dinner.

Learn how to Peel Chestnuts

Eradicating the onerous and tender pores and skin of recent chestnuts utilizing a knife is kind of an effort. It is because chestnut flesh is tightly lined in a skinny bushy pores and skin contained in the very onerous brown shell.

I attempted two completely different strategies to peel my chestnuts, which I described beneath. There are execs and cons in each strategies.

The primary technique is how my father taught me to peel the onerous shell and tender pores and skin. This can be a laborious manner of peeling chestnuts, however the finish outcomes are superior.

The second technique works like a magic. You make an incision on a chestnut and cook dinner barely to let the incision open up. The onerous and tender skins come off simply without delay. Nevertheless, the cooked chestnuts don’t look as engaging as the primary technique because of the discolouration.

Technique 1 :

1. Soak chestnuts in water for a few hours.
2. Take one chestnut at a time from the water and peel the underside of the chestnut utilizing a knife, barely revealing the flesh.
3. Ranging from the underside a part of the onerous shell, which is now displaying the flesh, peel the onerous shell upwards piece by piece.
4. It’s best to now see a chestnut with tender pores and skin intact.
5. Put the chestnut again within the water.
6. Repeat above for the remainder of the chestnuts.
7. Take one chestnut from the water and peel the tender pores and skin utilizing a knife.
8. Delicate pores and skin is usually embedded in slim vertical cracks. Make a v-cut utilizing a knife alongside the crack and take away the tender pores and skin.
9. Put the peeled chestnuts again within the water.

Technique 2:

The key is to make an incision on the pores and skin and let the incision open up. Right here is how:

1. Make a horizontal incision on the spherical facet of chestnut. The incision wants to succeed in to the tender pores and skin.
2. Put the chestnuts in a pot of water and boil them for a few minutes. You’ll discover that the incision begins opening barely.
3. Drain and place them on a kitchen towel to take away moisture round them.
4. Place the chestnuts within the pot and warmth over excessive warmth for a minute or so, with a lid on. The chestnut pores and skin dries, and the incision opens up additional.
5. Flip the warmth off and switch the chestnuts onto the kitchen towel.
6. Take one chestnut at a time, maintain the chestnut positioning the incision vertically, dealing with up, positioning the incision vertically.
7. Utilizing your thumbs, open the incision by pulling the shell outwards. It ought to peel the shell in addition to the tender pores and skin.

The pores and skin peels like a attraction. If bushy skinny pores and skin is caught to the flesh, which occurs when the chestnuts are nonetheless moist, use a knife to peel it off. You will need to peel the shell and pores and skin whereas the chestnuts are nonetheless sizzling or at the least heat.

Typically, the tender pores and skin runs within the center, dividing the flesh into two when peeled. That’s OK because the chestnuts will break anyway when blended with rice earlier than serving.

As a result of the floor of the peeled chestnut is barely cooked, it develop into brownish when cooked with rice.

Chestnuts are seasonal meals, and you may nonetheless purchase them at vegetable outlets and supermarkets in Australia in the intervening time. I hope you attempt Kuri Okowa whereas it’s in season.

Yumiko

Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts (Kuri Okowa)

Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts (Kuri Okowa) is an expensive model of Rice with Azuki Beans (Osekihan). The distinction between the purple rice and the yellow chestnuts is so fairly and makes it an ideal dish for completely satisfied events similar to Osekihan.

I included two strategies of peeling chestnuts. The primary technique takes time, however the cooked chestnuts retain shiny yellow. The second technique allow you to peel the skins simply, however the color of the cooked chestnuts is just not engaging. There isn’t any distinction within the flavour of the dish.

Complete Time relies on Technique 1.

Do not forget to see the part ‘MEAL IDEAS’ beneath the recipe card! It offers you a listing of dishes that I’ve already posted and this recipe that may make up a whole meal. I hope it’s of assist to you.

Recipe Kind:

Rice

Delicacies:

Japanese

Key phrase:

azuki beans recipe, chestnut recipe, kuri gohan, okseihan

Serves: 5

Writer: Yumiko

Components (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)

• 2
  rice cups
  glutinous rice
  (360ml/0.8pt)
• 150-200g/5.3-7.1oz
  chestnuts
• 50g/1.8oz
  dried azuki beans
• 500ml/1.1pt
  water

Directions

Peeling Chestnuts – Technique 1 (observe 1)

1. Soak chestnuts in water for a few hours to melt the onerous shell.

2. Take one chestnut from the water and peel the underside of the chestnut utilizing a knife.

3. Ranging from the underside a part of the onerous shell, which is now displaying the flesh, peel the onerous shell upwards piece by piece. It’s best to now see a chestnut with tender pores and skin intact.

4. Put the chestnut again within the water. Repeat above for the remainder of the chestnuts.

5. Take one chestnut from the water and peel the tender pores and skin utilizing a knife. Put peeled chestnut again within the water.

6. Delicate pores and skin is usually embedded in slim vertical cracks. Make a v-cut utilizing a knife alongside the crack and take away the tender pores and skin.

Peeling Chestnuts – Technique 2 (observe 1)

1. Make a horizontal incision on the spherical facet of chestnut (observe 2). The incision wants to succeed in to the tender pores and skin.

2. Put the chestnuts in a pot of water and boil them for a few minutes. You’ll discover that the incision begins opening barely (observe 3).

3. Drain and place the chestnuts on a kitchen towel to take away moisture round them.

4. Place the chestnuts within the pot and dry roast over excessive warmth for a minute or so, with a lid on. Shake the pot occasionally. The chestnut pores and skin dries, and the incision opens up additional.

5. Flip the warmth off and switch the chestnuts onto the kitchen towel.

6. Take one chestnut at a time, maintain the chestnut positioning the incision vertically, dealing with up.

7. Utilizing your thumbs, open the incision by pulling the shell outwards. It ought to peel the shell in addition to the tender pores and skin (observe 4).

8. As you peel chestnuts, place it in a bowl crammed with adequate quantity of chilly water to submerge them.

9. Depart the chestnuts within the water for 1 hour to take away the cruel style them.

Getting ready for Crimson Bean Rice

1. Wash rice and soak in water for at the least half-hour. Drain utilizing a sieve.

2. Wash azuki beans and switch to a saucepan with water (not in components) simply to cowl the beans.

3. Carry it to a boil, then drain the water.

4. Add 500ml water to the pan with azuki beans and produce it to a boil over excessive warmth.

5. Scale back warmth to medium to medium low and cook dinner for about 15-20 minutes till the beans are cooked to al dente (observe 5). Take away scum (white bubbles) occasionally whereas cooking.

6. Drain and preserve the beans in a sieve and the purple liquid in a bowl.

7. Scoop the liquid within the bowl with a ladle and pour it again gently into the bowl 4-5 occasions, permitting the liquid to be uncovered to air (observe 6). This can brighten the purple color of the liquid. Let it cool to room temperature.

Cooking Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts in Rice Cooker

1. Combine rice and azuki beans in a rice cooker. Add the purple liquid to the extent required for sticky rice/candy rice. Add water if not sufficient purple liquid.

2. Drain the chestnuts and place them on the rice and switch the swap on.

Cooking Crimson Bean Rice with Chestnuts in a Pot

1. Combine azuki beans and rice in a heavy-bottomed pot, then add 300ml of the purple liquid to the pot. Add water if the purple liquid is just not sufficient.

2. Place the lid on and cook dinner over excessive warmth for 5-6 minutes till it begins boiling.

3. Then scale back the warmth to low and cook dinner for 12-13 minutes till the liquid evaporates.

4. Flip the warmth off and depart for 10 minutes.

Serving

1. Combine the rice and chestnuts gently utilizing a spatula, breaking the chestnuts into half or quarter items (observe 7).

2. Serve with gomashio both sprinkled over the rice or in a separate container for people to sprinkle.

Recipe Notes

1. There are execs and cons in each strategies. Technique 1 is a laborious manner of peeling chestnuts, however the finish outcomes are superior. Technique 2 peels the skins like a attraction, however the cooked chestnuts are brownish. They each style nice, although.

2. Press the blade of your knife down on the shell and shift the reducing place to make an incision, slightly than utilizing a slicing movement. I discover that urgent technique is simpler and safer. It cuts the shell higher.

3. In case your chestnut doesn’t open after began boiling, it’s in all probability as a result of the incision is just too shallow. You may take it out of the water and make the incision deeper, then put it again into the boiling water.

4. Do that whereas the chestnuts are nonetheless sizzling or heat. After they quiet down, peeling turns into troublesome.

5. The centre of the bean is a tiny bit onerous. It is because the azuki beans are additional cooked with rice.

6. Use a fan to ship extra air to the liquid in order for you.

7. a few of them break into smaller items whereas mixing. That is fairly alright.

8. Vitamin per serving, not together with the garnish, gomashio.

serving: 206g energy: 296kcal fats: 0.9g (1%) saturated fats: 0.2g (1%) trans fats: 0.0g polyunsaturated fats: 0.3g monounsaturated fats: 0.1g ldl cholesterol: 0mg (0%) sodium: 43mg (2%) carbohydrates: 66g (24%) dietary fibre: 2g (7%) sugar: 0.8g protein: 5g vitamin D: 0mcg (0%) calcium: 20mg (2%) iron: 1.4mg (8%) potassium: 259mg (6%)