Autumn flavors special: Recipes using chestnuts and matsutake mushrooms

Autumn is known as the season of appetite, and as the seasons change, many delicious ingredients come into season. In particular, autumn flavors such as chestnuts, matsutake mushrooms, and saury add color to the Japanese dining table and warm the body and soul. In this article, we will introduce some easy recipes using these ingredients, as well as gourmet fairs held around the country.

1. Recipes using chestnuts
【【Chestnut rice】
Chestnut rice is a classic autumn dish. The sweetness of the piping hot chestnuts permeates the rice, and the fragrant aroma whets the appetite.
material(Serves 4): 2 cups of rice, 15 chestnuts, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of sake, kelp (about 5 cm)How to make it:
1) Peel the chestnuts and soak them in water.
2) Wash the rice and soak it in water for about 30 minutes, then add the sake and salt and mix lightly.
3) Place the chestnuts and kelp on top of the rice and cook in the rice cooker as usual.
4) Once cooked, remove the kelp and gently mix the chestnuts and rice together.

【【Chestnuts boiled in their skins】
Boiling chestnuts in their skins is a time-consuming dish, but the result is a rich, sweet, and deep flavor. It is perfect as a dessert or with tea.
material: 1kg chestnuts, 500g sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, appropriate amount of water
How to make it:
1) Peel the chestnuts and boil them in plenty of water with baking soda added.
2) Boil until the skin is soft, then drain and simmer, changing the water several times.
3) Once the chestnuts are soft, add sugar and simmer further to thoroughly infuse the flavor.

2. Recipes using Matsutake mushrooms
【【Matsutake mushroom in earthenware pot】
Dobinmushi, where you can fully enjoy the aroma of matsutake mushrooms, is a luxurious dish for autumn. The flavor of the dashi soup and the aroma of matsutake mushrooms are a perfect match, filling your mouth with the taste of autumn.
material(Serves 2): 1 matsutake mushroom, 50g chicken, 4 ginkgo nuts, appropriate amount of mitsuba, 300ml dashi stock, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon mirin, a little salt, 1 sudachi citrus
How to make it:
1) Remove the stems from the matsutake mushrooms and slice them thinly. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2) Add soy sauce, mirin, and salt to the soup stock to adjust the flavor, then add the chicken and ginkgo nuts and bring to a simmer.
3) Place matsutake mushrooms and mitsuba in a clay pot and pour in the reduced stock.
4) Place the clay pot on the fire and once the matsutake mushrooms are cooked, serve with sudachi citrus.

【【Matsutake rice】
Matsutake rice, made with fragrant matsutake mushrooms, is a delicious dish that allows you to enjoy the flavors of autumn. The aroma of matsutake mushrooms spreads through the freshly cooked rice, creating a simple yet deep flavor.
material(Serves 4): 2 cups of rice, 1 matsutake mushroom, 400ml of dashi stock, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of sake, a little salt
How to make it:
1) Cut off the stems of the matsutake mushrooms and thinly slice them.
2) Wash the rice, add the stock, soy sauce, sake and salt and mix lightly.
3) Place the matsutake mushrooms on top and cook in a rice cooker.
4) Once cooked, mix lightly before serving.

3. Recipes using Pacific saury
【【Grilled salted saury】
Grilled salted pacific saury, a representative taste of autumn, is a simple dish that allows you to fully enjoy its fatty flavor. It tastes even better when served with grated daikon radish.
material: 2 saury fish, a little salt, grated daikon radish, lemon
How to make it:
1) Remove the innards from the saury, wash it lightly, and drain the water.
2) Sprinkle salt on both sides and grill or cook over medium heat.
3) Once both sides are browned, garnish with grated daikon and lemon and it's done.

4. A gourmet fair where you can enjoy the flavors of autumn from all over Japan
Nationwide Autumn Taste Fair
In autumn, gourmet fairs are held all over Japan where you can enjoy the flavors of autumn. For example, Hokkaido holds the Autumn Taste Festival, where you can enjoy dishes made with fresh seafood and vegetables. Nagano Prefecture also holds the Chestnut Festival, a popular event where you can taste a variety of chestnut dishes. These fairs allow you to enjoy dishes that make generous use of local specialties, so it's a great idea to combine your autumn trip with a visit to one of these fairs.

Regional Autumn Taste Tour
Tours that allow you to taste local specialties are also popular in autumn. For example, in Aomori Prefecture you can take a tour of sweets made with apples, and in Hyogo Prefecture you can take a cooking class using black beans from Tamba, and you can learn about the culture and history of a region through its ingredients.

Autumn in Japan is a season of abundant food. Dishes using seasonal ingredients such as chestnuts, matsutake mushrooms, and saury allow you to feel the change of seasons and enrich your dining table.
Another way to enjoy the autumn season is to visit gourmet fairs held all around the country. Please use this article as a reference and enjoy the flavors of autumn in Japan.

PLATCLOVER also recommends autumn spots around Japan.movieYou can also watch it on . Please check it out.