Chestnut rice for autumn

In Anglo-Saxon culture, chestnuts are strongly associated with winter, especially Christmas, but in Japanese cuisine, they’re harbingers of fall.

Many Japanese ingredients that are considered to be evocative of a specific season are featured in a simple rice dish, and chestnuts – kuri, in Japanese – are no exception. (Ayu, sweetfish, is a similar ingredient in summer, and matsutake mushrooms are another autumn delicacy.) The kuri gohan pictured above also features sweet potatoes and dried shiitake mushrooms, and is garnished with toasted sesame seeds and some small daikon leaves from the garden.

How to make Japanese chestnut rice

Adapted from Japanese Cooking for the American Table by Susan Fuller Slack.

2 cups short-grain rice
2 1/3 cups water
2 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water until softened (about 30 minutes), then squeezed dry and diced
1 small sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 jar (200 grams) Japanese chestnuts in syrup (kuri kanroni), drained, rinsed and quartered
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu)
2 Tbsp. mirin
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
Daikon sprouts (optional)

Place rice and water in a medium saucepan and let soak for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except sesame seeds and daikon sprouts. Stir, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and, without removing the lid, let stand for 15 minutes longer. Gently stir rice to mix, then spoon into individual serving bowls and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and daikon sprouts.