Classic Rice with Chestnuts

Chestnuts, kuri, are available in Japan from the beginning of October through early winter. Their first appearance in local stores heralds entry into deep autumn. Japanese chestnuts are fairly large, about 1½ inches across, and their flesh is creamy and sweet when it is cooked.

Removing the tough brown shells and thin inner skins of chestnuts is a time-consuming process. When I was a child, my family enjoyed my mother’s chestnut rice, kuri gohan, so many times, without