Roasted chestnuts is a national dish of Bulgarian cuisine. If you are tired of the same dishes and don’t know how to surprise your loved ones - this delicacy perfectly diversifies the everyday menu. From our recipe, you will learn how to roast chestnuts in different ways - it's easy and affordable even for beginners.

What chestnuts can be fried

We are used to the fact that chestnuts grow almost everywhere - large trees with beautiful white "candles" of flowers. Is it possible to eat their fruits? Unfortunately not. What we used to see is horse chestnut, it is inedible and can perform exclusively decorative functions.

Chestnuts, which are eaten, grow in the southern regions of our country. This plant is called a sowing chestnut, its fruits are easily distinguished from those that can be found in every yard. In a box densely covered with thin spikes, there are several fruits at once, while the horse chestnut shell contains only one fruit, and there are much fewer thorns, and they are not so sharp. Horse chestnut is not toxic, but has a very bitter taste, which makes it completely inedible.

The fruits of sowing chestnut are imported to us mainly from Bulgaria, Abkhazia, Azerbaijan, Sochi and other warm southern regions. Unfortunately, they are not always found on sale, especially in small cities. You can find them in large supermarkets or in markets. The season of chestnuts is autumn, so it is easiest to purchase them in October or November.

What taste do roasted chestnuts have?

The chestnut fruit has a very interesting taste - slightly sweet, a bit like the taste of a nut. They have a specific smell. Some note that chestnuts taste like baked potatoes with a slight aroma of peanuts or pistachios.

 

Hot edible chestnuts taste different from cold ones, and chestnuts cooked on charcoal have a more pronounced taste than those that were fried in a pan.

Interestingly, these fruits combine equally well with salt and sugar.

Chestnuts can also be eaten raw - they look like slightly unripe walnuts.

It is difficult to describe the taste of these wonderful fruits, it is better to cook them yourself and try.

A simple recipe in a pan

The easiest way to cook at home is to fry the chestnuts in a pan.

The ingredients we need are very simple:

  • chestnuts;
  • salt;
  • water.

But the cooking process should be treated very carefully.

  1. Prepare the chestnuts: rinse them with running water and make a cross-shaped incision on each of them with a sharp knife or scissors. The fact is that chestnut is a juicy fruit, and when heated, the boiling juice creates pressure, due to which they will begin to burst and explode.
  2. Take a cast-iron frying pan with thick walls - dishes with Teflon coating will not work, because it is easy to damage it with a hard shell.
  3. Put the chestnuts in a pan in one layer and cover with a clean, damp cloth or towel - this is necessary so as not to dry the fruits. Instead of using a napkin, you can pour a few tablespoons of water into the pan.
  4. Cover the pan and place on the fire. Stir the chestnuts from time to time so that they do not burn and fry evenly.
  5. As soon as you notice that the shell begins to darken and leave, and from under it you can see a light flesh, the chestnuts are ready. Remove them from heat, let cool slightly and peel. It is better to clean the chestnuts while they are hot - after cooling it will be more difficult to do.

Oil is not used in the preparation of roasted chestnuts. Serve warm - so the taste will be more saturated.

How to roast chestnuts on charcoal

Coal-fried chestnuts have become the hallmark of many southern cities, where they are sold right on the street. This method of preparing chestnuts is considered a classic, the fruits acquire a unique taste and aroma.

Here's how to do it:

  1. Rinse the chestnuts well and soak for 10-15 minutes, after which make cuts on the shell, exactly the same as in the previous recipe.
  2. Put the chestnuts down in a notch in a cast-iron pan or pot with a thick bottom and walls.
  3. Prepare the brazier - you need to lay the coals in a sufficiently dense high layer, ignite and wait until they begin to smolder, and not burn.
  4. On top of the coals, put the dishes with chestnuts, cover and fry for 6-8 minutes. Every two minutes, the pan must be shaken so that the fruits are fried evenly. Then turn the chestnuts to the other side and fry for the same amount of time.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and cool them a little.

Perhaps the only negative of this cooking method is the lack of the possibility of repeating it at home, you can fry chestnuts on charcoal in nature, in the countryside or in the country.

Cooking chestnuts in the oven

Another interesting way to cook chestnuts at home is to bake them in the oven. Fruits prepared in this way are softer and juicier.

  1. Cut the skin on one side or make a few deep punctures with a fork.
  2. Put the chestnuts on a baking sheet covered with foil or cooking parchment.
  3. Preheat the oven to a temperature of 220 degrees, put a baking sheet with chestnuts in it.

After a while you will notice that in the place where the incision was made, the shell opened like a flower - this means that the chestnuts are ready. Carefully remove them from the oven and clean.

Roasted Chestnuts - Microwave Cooking

This recipe is suitable for those who do not want to spend a lot of time cooking.

  1. Do not forget to cut the chestnuts, and then place them in a special dish designed for microwave ovens.
  2. Salt, pour water (enough two or three tablespoons) and tightly cover with a lid with an opening for the release of steam.
  3. Set the regulator to the highest power of 800 watts. Set the timer for 6-8 minutes.
  4. After the time has passed, check the readiness of the chestnuts (they should be soft), if necessary, hold in the microwave for a few more minutes.
  5. After that, they can be cleaned and slightly fried in oil.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in cooking edible chestnuts, special ingredients and skills are not required, this is available to everyone.

In conclusion, we can say that chestnuts are not only very tasty, but also extremely useful - these fruits contain many minerals and vitamins, have a fairly low calorie content (130 Kcal per hundred grams), so they are suitable even for those who follow a diet.

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