Here are two ways to eat chestnuts, absolutely delicious!

Candied chestnuts

Ingredients: chestnuts (1 jin)

Seasoning: sugar (500g), baking soda (2 tablespoons)

Steps:

1. Soak chestnuts in water overnight to soften the shell. Peel the shells the next day and try to keep the outer coat (the furry layer of skin) without peeling it off.

2. Put the chestnuts into a small pot, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda, and simmer over low heat for half an hour.

3. When the chestnut water turns red, turn off the heat; place the pot under the faucet and slowly pour cold water into the pot to cool down.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 two to three times until the water in the cooking pot turns wine red. Use a toothpick to peel off the outer shell of the chestnuts and take out the whole chestnuts.

5. Add water to cover the chestnuts into the pot again, add 60% of the sugar equivalent to the weight of the chestnuts, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.

6. After the chestnuts are cooked to taste, turn off the heat; store the chestnuts in the refrigerator and wait for time to give them more flavor and texture.

Cooking skills:

1. Although you can buy chestnuts that have been shelled and peeled in the market, you choose to keep the outer shell of the chestnuts so that they will not be cooked slowly for a long time. It will fall apart easily and maintain a relatively complete shape.

2. Cook over low heat and pour in cold water slowly, as you are afraid that too rapid alternation of hot and cold water will cause the chestnuts to break apart.

3. It is not recommended to eat candied chestnuts immediately after cooking. Put the sugar water and chestnuts together in the refrigerator for about 2 days. The chestnuts will taste more pink and waxy.

Chestnut braised pork

Ingredients: chestnuts (250g), pork belly (500g)

Ingredients: ginger, green onions

Seasoning: peanut oil , salt, cooking wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rock sugar/white sugar

Steps:

Wash 1.250g chestnuts, make a shallow cut or a cross cut, throw it into boiling salt water and cook for 3~ 5 minutes, remove the shell, soak in light salt water and set aside.

2. Cut the pork belly into small pieces and blanch it in water to remove the pig smell.

3. After heating the oil in the pot, add the ginger slices and scallions and saute until fragrant. Slowly fry the blanched pork belly until fragrant, so that the oil in the fat part of the meat is fried.

4. Add rock sugar/white sugar to the pot and stir-fry until the color turns brown. Add oyster sauce and light soy sauce to taste after the pork is browned.

5. Add chestnuts, pour water that has not covered the chestnuts, bring to a boil over high heat and then simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, allowing the chestnuts to slowly absorb the meaty flavor.

6. Pink and glutinous chestnuts are mixed with pork belly that is full of oily aroma but not greasy. It is most delicious when eaten hot.

Cooking skills:

1. Frying and coloring the pork belly is not only to look good, but also to make the pork belly firm and refreshing and reduce the greasiness.

2. The sweetness of rock sugar will be more mellow, but it will take longer to fry the color of the sugar; the time to fry the color of the sugar will be shorter, but you must pay attention to the heat to avoid scorching.

3. The sauce of this dish should be relatively rich. Chestnuts themselves contain starch. Finally, turn on high heat to reduce the juice to thicken the sauce.