Easy Steamed Chestnuts: The Secret to Effortless Peeling
Steaming Chestnuts Like This Makes Peeling a Breeze
Autumn is the season for delicious chestnuts! I absolutely love them. While traditional markets often have machines to remove the outer shell, the tedious task of peeling off the inner skin remains. But with this steaming method, peeling chestnuts becomes incredibly easy and satisfying. Enjoy the sweet, tender texture of freshly steamed chestnuts!
Ingredients- 1kg Fresh Chestnuts
- 2 cups Water
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Prepare 1kg of fresh chestnuts. Rinse them thoroughly in clean water about three times to remove any dirt or debris. Then, place the chestnuts in a large bowl and pour 2 cups of hot water over them. Let them soak for approximately 20 minutes. This step softens the chestnut skins, making them much easier to peel later on.
Step 2
Make a slit on the outer shell of the softened chestnuts using a knife. The ideal cut is shallow, just through the outer skin, and should go across the chestnut. Since the chestnuts are already soaked, the skin will be softer and easier to cut. Be very careful when using a knife to avoid cutting your fingers. While a deeper cut might happen, aiming for just the skin is best.
Step 3
Place the scored chestnuts into a pressure cooker. Add 2 cups of water to the bottom of the cooker. Using too much water can make the chestnuts mushy, so stick to the recommended amount.
Step 4
Select the steam function on your pressure cooker and cook for about 25 minutes. Once cooking is complete, immediately remove the hot, steamed chestnuts and plunge them into cold water. This ‘cold rinse’ helps the skins to separate more easily from the flesh.
Step 5
Now for the fun part! Once the chestnuts have cooled slightly, smaller ones can often be peeled simply by gently rubbing them with your hands. For larger or firmer chestnuts, use a paring knife to effortlessly slide off both the outer and inner skins without much effort. Look how beautifully they peel! Now you can enjoy these delicious chestnuts to your heart’s content. This simple pressure cooker steaming method will surely make you want to cook chestnuts more often!
