Braised Chicken Amongst Chestnuts
Rabu, 16 Juni 2010
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My woman parent ever used dried chestnuts, thus I'm clueless nearly prepping fresh ones. Using my mutual sense, I figure boiling should hold out the correct method for tackling fresh chestnuts' vanquish in addition to peel. It seems similar the obvious affair to do, right?
Boiling 5 minutes or thus plant for the outer shell, which softens in addition to becomes tardily to cutting through in addition to tear off.
The fuzzy membrane underneath, however, is a dissimilar story. It's stubborn equally hell! It sticks resolutely to the nutmeat, thus I proceed boiling . . . in addition to and thus boil some more . . .
I examine peeling off the reddish peel whilst the nuts are hot. I examine i time again when they're cold. Nothing works.
As I fiddle inwards vain, the pot of chestnuts is bubbling away merrily on the stove. Eventually, later xxx minutes, I receive got to plow off the heat. Why? Because the chestnuts are cooked!
If boiling doesn't work, what nearly roasting? Roasted chestnuts are quite tardily to peel, right?
I purchase to a greater extent than chestnuts, cutting a slit inwards each one, in addition to chuck the lot inwards a hot oven. I in addition to thus hold off for the outer vanquish in addition to inner pellicle to ringlet in addition to delineate back, revealing delicious naked center underneath. Or rather, that's how it is alongside chestnuts that are sold roasted. The ones I roast inwards the oven are hellbent on defying my efforts. The fuzzy peel sticks to the nutmeat equally steadfastly equally ever.
*google . . . google . . . .*
How produce other people peel chestnuts? By boiling or roasting, they say. Some websites move out it at that; the to a greater extent than honest ones add together that the peeling is a hurting inwards the butt.
A professional person chef, inwards a video called How to Cook The Perfect Chestnuts, takes 5 minutes to peel ONE chestnut. If his livelihood depends on how many chestnuts he peels inwards a day, he'll certainly starve to death!
People who ready are clueless but certainly chestnut FARMERS should hold out to a greater extent than helpful?
Steve in addition to Patty over at Chestnuts USA, a chestnut farm inwards Washington, tell I should brand a cross inwards the nuts, in addition to and thus roast or boil them.
Well, I've already tried cutting a slit inwards the shell. Can chestnuts enjoin the departure betwixt '—' in addition to 'X'? Probably not, but I've tried alone the roasting method alongside the vanquish cut. Oh well, mightiness equally good examine the boiling method also, but to hold out sure. I cutting an 'X' inwards some chestnuts, in addition to thus popular them inwards a pot of boiling water. After xxx minutes, I realize farmers are but equally bad equally cooks.
How nearly shocking boiled chestnuts inwards H2O ice water? That plant for tomatoes, thus it may move for chestnuts too? Nope, it doesn't.
Ok, how nearly leaving the chestnuts inwards the refrigerator for a few days, earlier boiling them, thus that the fuzzy peel dries out? Makes no difference. Boiling doesn't work, period.
How many packs of chestnuts receive got I thrown away? Grrrrr . . . . Maybe the chestnuts other people receive got are American or Italian but the ones I receive got are, I presume, from China? Maybe Chinese chestnuts, for whatever reason, but can't hold out peeled?
😢 *wave white flag*
One day, i of the blogs I follow has a novel post. 輕鬆的幫栗子脫衣服, the championship says. Hmm, "undressing" chestnuts easily, eh? I'm skeptical because that's what the others tell equally good (minus the erotic connotation), but I receive got a await anyway.
小米桶 uses a really quick method: but soak shelled chestnuts inwards boiling H2O for threescore seconds. Yup, non 10, xv or xx minutes but but 1 minute. And it's soaking, non boiling. After the brief soak, take 3-4 nuts at a fourth dimension from the hot water, in addition to rub off the peel alongside a acre of cloth. That is ALL in that place is to it?!
Is it actually equally tardily in addition to equally quick equally 小米桶 says it is? I've tried her method and, yes, it is. The technique plant similar a charm because the peel expands later it's soaked inwards boiling H2O but the nutmeat underneath doesn't. This allows the peel to hold out rubbed off easily. It's thus obvious i time she explains it!
Why doesn't boiling work? Because the rigid estrus causes both the peel in addition to center to expand at the same time. When that happens, the alone agency to split upwards the 2 parts is past times surgical operation alongside a kitchen knife.
Living where I alive – which is due south of West Malaysia, due west of East Malaysia in addition to due east of West Sumatra – I tin purchase fresh chestnuts already shelled. And now, alongside but a towel in addition to some boiling water, I tin take the pesky pellicle inwards a duad of minutes. With the correct technique, it's drop-dead easy. Never halt learning, my woman parent ever said.
As a vantage for my Herculean inquiry efforts, I'm giving myself an extra helping of total monty nuts (!) braised alongside chicken, mushrooms in addition to oyster sauce.
Use chicken that's practiced for braising for this recipe. When the dish is done, it should hold out fairly dry. The sugary liquid released past times chestnuts should hold out thick plenty to stick to the chicken.
INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
INGREDIENTS
- 4 medium size Chinese dried mushrooms
- 300 g chicken
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 25 g practiced lineament oyster sauce, 2 tbsp rounded
- 1 tsp fermented soya beans, mashed
- 1 tsp sugar
- 16 chestnuts, shelled
- 2 tsp white sesame oil, or vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled in addition to halved
- 10 g ginger (half pollex size), sliced thinly
- 40 g mild leek (from Malaysia), or xx g if really garlicky (from China) – halved lengthwise in addition to cutting crosswise 7-8 cm (3 inches) long
- 10 g outflow onions, cutting 7-8 cm (3 inches) long
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 10 g coriander, cutting 7-8 cm (3 inches) long
- 1 bird's middle chilli, halved lengthwise
INSTRUCTIONS
- Rinse mushrooms in addition to snip off stems alongside scissors. Soak, including stems, inwards 1¼ loving cup warm water. Cook stems alongside chestnuts equally detailed below. When ready to stir-fry, squeeze dry out mushroom caps, reserving liquid. Cut each acre into 2.
- Rinse chicken in addition to chop seize alongside teeth size. Mix alongside marinade in addition to laid aside.
- Add boiling H2O to chestnuts, plenty to embrace past times 2-3 cm. Steep 1 minute.
- Remove 3-4 chestnuts from hot water. Place betwixt 2 newspaper towels. Rub to take peel. Soak inwards H2O to foreclose discolouring. Peel residual of chestnuts inwards the same way.
- Cut each chestnut into 2 pieces, trimming parts that are bad. Rinse thoroughly. Place inwards a pocket-sized pot. Add mushroom stems, in addition to plenty H2O to embrace past times 2-3 cm. Bring to a boil. Simmer gently for xxx minutes. Chestnuts should right away hold out cooked but non yet soft.
- In a really hot wok, estrus petroleum till but smoking. Add sliced ginger in addition to stir-fry over high estrus till lightly golden. Add garlic, mushrooms, leek in addition to white business office of outflow onions. Stir-fry till garlic in addition to mushrooms are lightly golden. Add chicken, minus marinade. Stir-fry till heated through in addition to wok is screaming hot. Drizzle alongside 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine. Continue stirring.
- When wok is really hot again, drizzle alongside marinade. Stir-fry till absorbed. Add mushroom water. Stir to deglaze wok. Add chestnuts summation liquid. Top upwards alongside H2O to almost embrace everything inwards the wok. Tuck greenish business office of greenish onions, coriander in addition to chilli or thus wok. Bring to a boil. Reduce estrus to low. Cover in addition to simmer gently till chicken in addition to chestnuts are tender. This should receive got nearly xxx minutes, stirring i time midway.
- Sauce should right away hold out but thick plenty to stick to chicken. If equally good watery, growth estrus to high in addition to trim back sauce. If equally good thick, drizzle alongside 1-2 tbsp water, in addition to thus stir in addition to estrus through. Discard mushroom stems if yous tin honor them! Taste in addition to adapt seasoning. Chestnuts should hold out slightly sweet. Add a fleck to a greater extent than carbohydrate if necessary. Turn off heat.
- Cover in addition to hold off 5-10 minutes. This allows flavours to prepare in addition to the center to absorb some liquid. Plate in addition to serve alongside steamed rice.