Simmered chestnuts with inner skin
Cuisine: Japanese
Region: 埼玉県
Servings: 4人分
Simmered chestnuts with inner skin, also called shibukawani, are a wagashi made by peeling only the hard outer shell, leaving the thin inner skin, and slowly simmering the nuts in sugar syrup.
At a glance
About 110 minutes (plus a half-day soak) · 4 servings · fairly involved · about 530 kcal per serving (estimate)
Simmered chestnuts with inner skin, also called shibukawani, are a wagashi made by peeling only the hard outer shell, leaving the thin inner skin, and slowly simmering the nuts in sugar syrup. Hidaka in Saitama Prefecture is one of the prefecture's leading chestnut districts, and because the recipe uses a lot of sugar it was long a festival or celebration sweet, not everyday food. It is not the same as sieved kuri kinton.
Ingredients
- Chestnuts (large ones are best, if possible) 1 kg
- Baking soda 1 tablespoon
- Sugar 450 g
- Salt 1 teaspoon
Steps
- Chestnut shells are hard and difficult to peel, so cover the nuts with plenty of water in a bowl and soak them for about half a day. If you are in a hurry, soak them in hot water for a while to soften the shells. This half-day soak is in addition to the later boiling and syrup simmering (about 110 minutes).
- Insert the tip of a knife at the pointed end and pare away only the thick outer shell. If the blade cuts into the thin inner skin, the nut is more likely to break apart later in the simmering. Leave the inner skin on and peel the chestnuts one by one, keeping their shape.
- Put the peeled chestnuts in a pot with enough water to cover them and 1 tablespoon of baking soda, and boil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. When the water turns very dark, turn off the heat, discard the water, replace it with fresh water, and rinse away any scum that floats up.
- Drain in a colander. With a bamboo skewer or a soft-bristled brush, carefully remove the veins and fuzzy hairs left in the grooves, one chestnut at a time. Do not press so hard that you tear the inner skin; rinse under running water as you work.
- Cover the chestnuts with fresh water again, bring to a boil, simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, and discard the water; repeat this 4 to 5 times. When dark scum no longer appears readily and a bamboo skewer slides in easily, the chestnuts are tender; drain them in a colander.
- In a clean pot, cover the chestnuts with fresh water, add one-third of the sugar (150 g), and simmer for about 10 minutes over moderately low medium heat. A drop lid or a paper lid keeps the nuts from poking above the surface and helps the sweetness enter evenly.
- Add the remaining sugar in two further thirds, simmering about 10 minutes after each addition (3 times in total). Adding all the sugar at once can make the surfaces shrink suddenly, so add it in stages.
- Finally add 1 teaspoon of salt to balance the flavor and turn off the heat. Let the chestnuts cool in the syrup in the pot, and take them out once the gloss has settled. Serving them with a little of the syrup helps keep the shine.
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Notes
Kuri kinton is a wagashi paste made by sieving steamed chestnut flesh and working it with sugar. Shibukawani is a different sweet: whole nuts are slowly simmered in syrup with their wrinkled inner skin left on, so do not peel that skin off or crush the nuts.
Larger chestnuts hold their shape better, and big nuts from growing areas such as Hidaka are a good fit. Smaller nuts will work too, but you must be even more careful not to nick the inner skin when peeling the outer shell.
If you skip the baking-soda boil and the repeated changes of water, bitterness and a dark color are more likely to remain. Keep going until the water no longer turns cloudy, and the finished color and flavor will be more reliable.
Adding the sugar in three stages lets the sweetness reach the center of each nut and reduces sudden shrinking of the surface.
This is a good sweet to make in quantity at harvest time, freeze in the syrup in small portions, and thaw naturally in winter. In the refrigerator, kept submerged in the syrup in a sealed container, they last a few days to about a week.
The finishing salt tightens the sweetness, so do not skip it; just add a small amount. If the nuts have been boiled until they are too soft, stop stirring and let them cool in the syrup; they will keep their shape more easily.
Time and temperature
Soak half a day (or hot water to soften shells) · peel 30–40 min · baking-soda boil 10 min medium heat · change water 5–6 min x 4–5 times · sugar in 3 stages, 10 min each · salt, then cool in syrup
Nutrition
530 kcal · Protein 5 g · Fat 1 g · Carbs 125 g
1 of 4 servings (several nuts plus a little syrup), estimate
Substitutes
- 1 kg large raw chestnuts → the same weight of medium nuts (handle more gently)
- 1 tablespoon baking soda → skip it only if you change the water more often
- 450 g sugar → white or caster sugar (brown sugar makes a darker, richer color)
- Half-day soak → a short hot-water soak if you are in a hurry, then peel
- Finishing salt 1 teaspoon → 1/2 teaspoon if you want it sweeter
Storage
Keep the chestnuts submerged in the syrup, sealed, in the refrigerator for a few days to about a week. For longer storage, freeze them in the syrup in small portions and thaw naturally for a few hours before serving (rapid microwave heating makes them fall apart). Leave them in the syrup until serving so the surface does not dry.
FAQ
- Why does the inner skin tear and the nut fall apart?
- The knife often nicked the thin inner skin while the outer shell was being peeled, or the nuts were stirred too hard when the water was changed. Leave the inner skin on, handle them gently, and cool them in the syrup.
- What if they still taste bitter or look dark?
- The first baking-soda boil or the later water changes may have been too few. Repeat until the water no longer turns dark, and clean the veins and fine hairs out of the grooves.
- Can I make them a day ahead and store them?
- Yes. Once cool, seal them in the syrup and refrigerate, then serve the next day. At harvest time you can also freeze a larger batch and thaw it naturally in winter.
- Is this the same as kuri kinton?
- No. Kuri kinton is a paste of steamed, sieved chestnut flesh worked with sugar. Shibukawani keeps the nuts whole, with their wrinkled inner skin, in syrup.
- Can I add all the sugar at once?
- You can, but the surfaces often shrink suddenly. Adding it in three stages, about 10 minutes apart, lets the sweetness enter more evenly.
Origin and history
Shibukawani, or chestnuts simmered with their inner skin, is a wagashi made by peeling only the hard outer shell, leaving the thin inner skin, and slowly simmering the nuts in sugar syrup. Hidaka in Saitama Prefecture is one of the prefecture's leading chestnut districts, and in autumn people come to farm stands for large nuts. Sugar was once expensive, so this glossy, sugar-rich sweet was made less as everyday food than as a treat for festivals and celebratory tables. It is not the same as kuri kinton, which is steamed and sieved; the pleasure here is the texture of whole nuts that have taken up syrup under their wrinkled inner skin. Many households prepare a large batch at harvest time and freeze it to thaw in winter, so it is also a preserving sweet. This recipe uses 1 kg of chestnuts and 450 g of sugar and serves 4. After a half-day soak to make peeling easier, the repeated boiling and the syrup simmer take about 110 minutes.