On these chilly days, nothing says comfort like a hot bowl of food you can wrap your hands around. And nothing says easy comfort like a dish that’s cheap to make and simple to cook.
In Japan, gohan, rice, is synonymous with meal. It’s a cinch to toss a few seasonal ingredients into a pot of cooking rice to make an instant meal that utilizes all the season has to offer. And this is sweet potato and chestnut season, folks. Kuri (chestnuts) and satsumaimo (sweet potatoes) are two popular fall comfort foods in Japan.
Chestnut Rice with Sweet Potatoes
This dish makes use of both Japanese sweet potatoes and chestnuts. You can substitute Western sweet potatoes for satsumaimo and replace fresh cooked chestnuts with the precooked variety available in four ounce bags. If you have a rice cooker, this recipe practically makes itself, but it’s still easy to make on the stove top.
Satsumaimo Kuri Gohan
Satsumaimo Kuri Gohan
2 cups sushi rice*, washed
2 cups water
10 large chestnuts, cooked, shelled and halved*
1 large or 2 small satsumaimo *
2 1/2 Tbs mirin
1 tsp salt
1, 4″ piece kombu** (optional)
black sesame seeds, toasted (optional)
Dice the satsumaimo into bite-size pieces. Set aside. Wipe the white residue from the kombu with a damp, clean cloth. Set aside.
To a medium cooking pot, add all the ingredients (except the sesame seeds!), mix well and bring to boil. Cover the pot and let simmer for about 12-15 minutes. Let the rice sit for 5-10 minutes to absorb the flavors and to further cook the potatoes.
If you’re using a rice cooker- add all the ingredients, except the sesame seeds!, to the cooker, mix well and cook as per the directions. Letting the rice sit longer will result in very cooked potatoes- I let mine sit 45 minutes.
For both rice cooker and stove top- Remove the kombu, fluff the rice and spoon evenly into 4 bowls. Sprinkle with the black sesame and serve immediately.
Makes 4 Servings
Difficulty: Easy | Time: 30 minutes | Ingredient Availability: Easy
*You can substitute regular white rice for sushi rice, but it’ll lack the sticky texture of the Japanese variety.
*You may also use prepackaged chestnuts as long as they’re cooked and not in syrup or sweetened in any way.
*Satsumaimo are tastier than any home-grown sweet tater that I’ve ever had, but they’re also damn hard to find outside an Asian market. Substitute regular sweet taters for the Japanese variety if you can’t find ‘em.
**A sushi chef once told me that adding kombu to vegetables enhances their natural flavor. You won’t even notice a seaweed flavor, but you may notice some added depth to the dish.
I’ve had rice with chestnuts and man, that thing sticks like peanut butter! I imagine that 3 dry, rough textures would send me running for some water.
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Regarding the kombu: it does the same thing MSG does. In fact, I believe that’s where MSG is derived from! So that’s how it enhances the natural flavors.
The recipe sounds delicious though. I’ve had bagged chestnuts and sweet potato snacks and they are both very delicious. Making a meal out of them sounds even better.
@Caitlin, I can see this being too sticky for some peeps. But chasing it down with some hot tea makes it so much better!
@anji, yes, that’s exactly true! The gentleman I spoke to also told me about kakushi aji and how kombu plays a part in the “hidden flavor”.
thanks for sharing the recipe
I will definitely try this out!
I view this blog sometimes and one of the things I admire is that you go after the entirety of Japanese Culture, not just its cartoons.
This food looks pretty good. I normally just stick to what I know but I ought to give this a whirl sometime.
@Daquan Wright, thanks! I encourage everyone to try making Japanese food. It’s not as tough to make as it seems and is much healthier than some Western foods. Also, Japanese food is so unique, it really adds something to the day-to-day food repertoire!