Kuri Chestnuts Prepped for Stove-Top Roasting
Yay, with thanksgiving, the season of chestnuts is here!
I have already written how I was introduced to chestnuts here in US and how much I look forward to fresh chestnuts every year. The season is short, only 3 months. November, December and January is when you see fresh chestnuts in the market here. Also it is traditional for street vendors to roast chestnuts over charcoal fires and sell them in small quantities. See the image here. If you happen to find them in local winter festival fairs, do not miss a chance to taste them. You will be hooked like I did. I can compare the experience of fresh roasted chestnuts to murmura hot off from the munta in winter exhibition fairs-India.
Although they have a nut in the name, Chestnuts are anything but classic nuts. They are not oily like other nuts and they taste good. I gathered from the web that chestnuts have the lowest fat content of all major edible nuts, contain quality protein and no cholesterol. And they are high in carbohydrates, can be compared in nutritional value to brown rice.
In an article last year, I have written about roasting chestnuts in detail. Check it out. If this is your first time with chestnuts, do not forget to make a ‘+’ cut on one side of chestnut with a sharp knife (like shown in the image above), in order to avoid bursting the shell during cooking. Also use infrequently used cast iron skillet for roasting. My two tips.
Roasted Chestnuts (kuri) ~ Satisfying sweet snack to warm up winter days
How to roast chestnuts on stove-top: Method in detail
Kuri chestnuts purchased at Uwajimaya (asian grocery shop, Seattle)
Oh wow….Seeing chestnuts in the market means only one thing…the advent of Christmas and Holiday season! These are great…a wonderful treat indeed!
Kudos,Trupti
Comment by Trupti — November 24, 2006 @ 3:02 pm
wow! I have never tried Chestnuts,so it would be my first time and your tips would help me try them out with ease.
Thanks Indira! They look great!
Comment by Deepu — November 24, 2006 @ 4:39 pm
Indira,
You have hypnotized me enough! I can’t resist the (imaginary-sweet-potato-ish) taste anymore. Can you tell me where you found Chestnuts here in Seattle?
Thanks
Comment by Mythili — November 24, 2006 @ 5:18 pm
Hi Indira,
They are lovely.Never tasted chestnuts before, I happen to see at the store the other day. Really not sure what kind of nut that was and how it tastes.
Thanks so much for the info and showing how to roast it,now I can get some and roast it..
Comment by Madhu — November 24, 2006 @ 6:51 pm
Hi Indira,I got chestnuts this time too.I roasted them in the oven,as they said on the pack.They were not browned like yours,but still tasted very good.Kind of like Panasa ginjalu(jackfruit seeds)which my ammamma used to roast on “Kumpati”(open coals).I am planning to get some more this time and roast it for a little longer.(I did 10 mins in the oven).Unfortunately I cannot roast them on open fire because I have electric coil stove.But I will try once.Thanks for sharing the info.
Comment by Vini K — November 25, 2006 @ 3:54 am
Hi Trupti: They definitely bring warmth to this otherwise very cold season. Don’t they?:) Glad to see a fellow fan of roasted chestnuts.
Hi Deepu: Then you must try these this season. Let me know how you like them, my friend.
Hi Mythili: 🙂 I purchased these from Uwajimaya, China district. They are sold as Kuri chestnuts. Very sweet, give it a try.
You are quite welcome, Madhu.:)
ViniK: That’s another way to roast chestnuts but I am little bit afraid of oven cooking. They do jump around even with cuts.
I roasted them on electric stovetop this time in an iron skillet.
Comment by Indira — November 25, 2006 @ 9:44 pm
In Hongkong street venders used to “roast” chestnuts in this way – a giant wok heating up a lot of metal “sand” and chestnuts, the guys kept on stirring (a tough work as the “sand” was heavy), so the chestnuts had the roasting-appearance even they weren’t cooked in oven.
Indira, thanks for your post that brings me back the memory. And your photos, as always, are breath-taking!
Comment by gattina — November 26, 2006 @ 1:48 am
lovely , just lovely, can’t thank you enough!
Comment by lovely — June 16, 2007 @ 12:22 am