Comments for Tess's Japanese Kitchen

Comment on Chicken and Chestnuts by Tess

Tess — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:14:57 +0000

I found the chestnuts in the little Korean store on the corner. They are seasonal, I think, because they weren’t there in the summer.

Maybe the Japanese store here also carries them.

Before I made this recipe, we’d buy chestnuts around Christmas and roast them in the oven because J. has fond memories of chestnut vendors in NYC and Spain. But I don’t think we roasted them properly. They were not so delicious.

The Korean store also has peeled chestnuts in syrup, but I don’t know what to do with them. I just googled chestnuts glacé and found some recipes. Never paid attention because places like Whole Food$ have them but are pricy. hmm…

Comment on Chicken and Chestnuts by ellaella

ellaella — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:54:36 +0000

I don’t think I’ve ever seen frozen chestnuts. Do you get them in a regular supermarket? What part of the frozen aisles are they in? I’m not a big fan of chestnuts but…

I do love the aroma of chestnuts roasting. Vendors are on almost every corner in NY this time of year, roasting away and selling them by the small bag. it’s an olfactory memory I cherish.

Comment on Ramen Toppings: Garlic Paste by Tess

Tess — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:23:18 +0000

No it was not “leftover” fat.
I used raw, uncooked fat cut from pork belly. Pork shoulder also has a lot of fat that you can cut off cleanly to use for this.

I suppose you could use fat from raw pork chops. The chops I find here don’t have much fat on them so it would take a lot of chops to get 2 ounces of fat.

Comment on Ramen Toppings: Garlic Paste by Sally

Sally — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:13:06 +0000

Thanks for sharing your culinary adventures. I have been researching miso ramen and would like to try this recipe. What dis you use for pork fat (i.e. was it leftover from a pork chop, etc)? Thank you.

Comment on Chicken and Chestnuts by Tess

Tess — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:17:09 +0000

Oh! Hey!
Hi Joseph~

Thanks for reminding me. Somehow I lost track of your most interesting blog. And you, a fellow fan of Ms. Shimbo!

Yes, this is a very nice recipe featuring chestnuts in a savory meal. I’ll look forward to how you like her recipe and any variations you try!

I read online that chestnuts are popular in Japan, but all the recipes are for cooking them with rice, or glutinous rice, or for sweets…

I don’t have a sweet tooth, so I’m curious how you go about caramelizing the sugar—whether you like just browning the chicken in the sugar as in Ms. Shimbo’s recipe, or if you make the extra step I added. I think there are more refined techniques to brown the sugar than I used here… Or perhaps you will think it not necessary.

your fellow cook, T