The autumn charm is always intoxicating, the earth is gently breezed, and the leaves fade golden in the sun, giving off a faint fragrance. And in this intoxicating season, chestnuts have become the most anticipated delicacy. As an autumn ingredient, the plump exterior of the chestnut wraps around the sweet kernel, as if it were a gift from nature.
However, the hard skin of the chestnut is hard to peel off, and every time you enjoy the delicious food, you have to peel it hard, which not only affects the mood, but also makes the whole dining experience cumbersome.
However, today I am going to share a magical way to peel chestnuts with half the effort.
First, we need to blanch the chestnuts in boiling water. Blanching has a unique effect, it makes the skin of the chestnut soft, so that we can easily peel off the hard shell. Prepare a pot of boiling water, put the chestnuts in when the water is boiling, bring to a boil and cook for another 10 minutes. During this process, the heat in the water is able to penetrate the chestnut's rind and make it softer.
Subsequently, when the chestnuts have been blanched, we quickly remove them and put them in cold water. This step may seem simple, but it's crucial. The effect of cold water is to quickly freeze the heat inside the chestnut, preventing the chestnut from being overripe and difficult to peel.
Chestnuts that have cooled will become easier to peel. With these two simple steps, we can finally start peeling chestnut shells with ease.
Take a chestnut, hold it in your hand, press firmly on both ends of the chestnut, and push it firmly in the middle with your fingers. It's as simple as peeling off the wrapper of a candy.
When the skin of the chestnut is peeled off, the sweetness and glutinousness inside spread, making it mouth-watering. Not only is it easy to peel, but the skin and kernel are perfectly separated, making the whole chestnut eating experience more enjoyable.
After this magical peeling method, we can use the peeled chestnuts to make a delicious chicken stew with chestnuts.
First, we prepare fresh chicken and carefully selected chestnuts. Cut the chicken into cubes, blanch it with boiling water until it is seven or eight ripe, then pick it up and set aside. Next, take a casserole, add an appropriate amount of water, add ginger slices and green onions, bring to a boil, add chicken pieces, and simmer over low heat.
When the chicken is cooked through, add the chestnuts and simmer again for a while. Then, season with salt, chicken essence and a little cooking wine, stir well and simmer for a while. Finally, sprinkle an appropriate amount of pepper on top and simmer over high heat for another 2 minutes.