Chestnuts Simmered in their Skins

Name: Chestnuts Simmered in their Skins
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 kg Chestnuts; 700 grams Sugar; 1 dash Baking soda

cookpad.japan @cookpad_jp

My grandmother makes this every year during chestnut season. This year, I learned the recipe from her and made some myself. It takes time, but the chestnuts are so delicious!

You just need about 5 rice grains worth of baking soda per batch. If the chestnuts are big, use twice the amount of baking soda. When taking the outer skins off the chestnuts (step2) and when taking the fibers off the inner skins (step 6), take care not to pierce the inner skins. When simmering the chestnuts, always do so over very low heat so that they don't bounce around in the pot and bump against each other. Don't cover the pot with a lid while cooking. When sterilizing the jars for long term storage, take care not to burn yourself! Recipe by Muuko

My grandmother makes this every year during chestnut season. This year, I learned the recipe from her and made some myself. It takes time, but the chestnuts are so delicious!

cookpad.japan @cookpad_jp

My grandmother makes this every year during chestnut season. This year, I learned the recipe from her and made some myself. It takes time, but the chestnuts are so delicious!

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Ingredients

1 kgChestnuts
700 gramsSugar
1 dashBaking soda

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Steps

1

Cover the chestnuts with boiling water, and leave until they've cooled down. This makes the outer shell easier to peel.
2

Remove the outer shell of the chestnuts. Be careful not to tear the inner skins. Soak the peeled chestnuts in water. Be careful not to cut your hands.
3

Put the peeled chestnuts in a pot, and add enough water to cover completely. Add baking soda and bring to a boil over high heat. When it comes to a boil, turn the heat down very low and simmer for 20 minutes.
4

After 20 minutes, the water will turn reddish-black. Throw out the water and drain the chestnuts into a colander or sieve. Rinse out the pot quickly (so that the chestnuts don't dry out.)
5

Return the chestnuts to the rinsed pot, and run clean water, allowing the water to overflow. Keep running the water until the water is clear.
6

Repeat steps 3 to 5 two more times (three times total). By doing this part properly, the finished chestnuts will not be bitter and will be delicious. If the chestnuts are big, they may still be bitter, so repeat the steps if needed. I've used user comments as reference.
7

When you've repeated steps 3 to 5 three times, soak in water while lightly rubbing the hard skin with your fingers to remove. Remove the thick fibers with a toothpick. Be careful not to pierce the skin itself. When all the fibers have been removed, soak the chestnuts in water.
8

Put 2 liters of water and 700 grams of sugar in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat off, and gently drop the chestnuts.
9

Heat at a bare simmer (it should just about bubble) over very low heat for 1 hour. Turn off the heat after an hour, cover with a lid and leave overnight.
10

Take the chestnuts out after soaking them overnight. Cover them airtight with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.
11

Simmer the syrup in the pan to reduce it to 2/3 (let it boil) and strain. If you don't mind little specks of fiber, you don't need to strain.
12

Put the chestnuts back in the strained syrup, and simmer over low heat to heat the chestnuts. Put the hot syrup and chestnuts in sterilized jars. If you add hot chestnuts to cold glass jars, they may crack so be careful!
13

(For long-term storage) Put the jars in a pot (the lids too) in water and bring to a boil. Simmer the jars for about 15 to 20 minutes to sterilize. Sterilize the spoon you'll use to put the chestnuts in the jars at the same time.
14

Let the jars and lids dry on clean paper towels. Boil a kettle of water in the meantime.
15

Put the chestnuts in the sterilized jars gently, add syrup up to about 1cm below the mouth of the jars, and cover with the lid (don't screw them closed yet). Line a pot with a kitchen towel, put the filled jars and pour boiling water to about 1/3 of the way up the sides of the jars. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
16

After step 15, close the lids up tightly. Add boiling water up to 2/3 of the jar, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Take the jars out of the pot and leave to cool down naturally. When the lids "pop" inwards, they're good.
17

I printed labels on my computer, glued them on the jars and wrapped them up as gifts.