Cooking in Korea: Roasted Chestnuts

Here's a quick, easy recipe that I was encouraged to try after a student shared her roasted chestnut with me.  In Korea, chestnuts seems to be everywhere: at the grocery store, open-air market, and vended at all the festivals.  In the states, with autumn setting in, they should be popping up in grocery stores very soon.

You don't need an open fire to make these rusty jems.  This is a simple at-home, stove-top technique. 

First, cut an x mark or drill a small hole in each chestnut with the point of a knife.  If you skip this step, the chestnuts will explode during roasting!

Put a layer of water in a pan, and heat the pan on high heat.  Once the pan seems nice-n-toasty, cover the pan with a layer of chestnuts and cover with a lid.

Roast the chestnuts for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. 

Dump the steaming chestnuts in a strainer, cool, and keep in the fridge for freshness.

To eat, bite into the shell (it'll be soft from the roasting process) to expose the edible flesh.

Roasted chestnuts have a similar texture to baked potatos, and they taste like a cross between a yam and a strong cashew.  Delicious! 



Roasted Chestnuts at the fairgrounds.