How to fry chestnuts at home

Roasted chestnuts are considered to be a universal dish. It is served in many countries of Europe as an independent snack or added to salads, soups, side dishes. Many still do not know how to fry chestnuts at home, let's try to figure it out together. We give practical recommendations and consider different cooking methods.

Positive features of chestnuts

1. Not many people know that chestnut belongs to legumes. However, in nature there are several types of fruits suitable for eating. The remaining species threaten with serious complications, so the choice of raw materials should be considered carefully.
2. A standard (useful) product includes the following ingredients: carbohydrates (simple and complex), starch, protein, Beta-carotene, fiber, vitamins A, B, C, tannins. The fat and protein included in chestnuts is especially appreciated by athletes whose main goal is to gain muscle mass and improve performance.
3. If we talk about the energy value of the product, it varies between 165-175 Kcal / 100 gr. In addition, roasted chestnuts contain potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium and manganese. Due to this, the product is often used by people with diseases of the cardiovascular system, diabetes mellitus, and renal failure. Roasted chestnuts are also diet foods, which is why dieters love them so much.
4. The undeniable benefit of beans is that they have a beneficial effect on the respiratory tract, help relieve swelling of the limbs and the body as a whole, facilitate the course of varicose veins and reduce pain. The product is valuable for those who suffer from disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, have faded skin and wrinkles.

How to roast chestnuts in the microwave

The recipe for making chestnuts in this way saves time, so it makes sense to consider the technology in more detail.

1. Go through the chestnuts, exclude all spoiled and cracked. Wash whole specimens, then soak them in water for 15 minutes. After this period, dry the beans with towels, leave until the moisture evaporates.
2. Make 3-4 holes in the surface of chestnuts with a knife or an awl, and prepare a deep plate for microwave. Place the beans in a bowl in a row, cover with wet wipes or a cloth dampened with water.
3. Microwave the maximum power and time on the order of 3-5 minutes. Every 1.5 minutes, pause the oven and mix the chestnuts.
4. At the end of the period, pour a little vegetable oil into the microwave container, set the time for another 10-15 minutes. As in the previous case, get the chestnuts every 1.5-2 minutes and mix.

How to fry chestnuts in a pan

The classic recipe is to roast chestnuts in a pan, nothing else. Later, experienced chefs found an analogy for baking a product in the oven or microwave, we will also consider these methods below.

1. Before you start cooking, get chestnuts that are suitable for eating. Edible fruits have one flat surface, they are much smaller in size than wild (horse) chestnuts.
2. After selecting the right raw material, proceed to processing. Sort the fruits, discard all the rumpled, cracked and spoiled specimens, leave only whole chestnuts. Wash them thoroughly with a kitchen sponge.
3. Pour room temperature water into a wide basin, place the beans in it. If chestnuts pop up, they are not suitable for cooking. Give preference only to those products that drown.
4. After selection, place the beans in a container of cool water, leave for a quarter of an hour. Dry the products with cotton towels, pierce several holes over the entire surface with a knife, fork or awl. Such a move will prevent shell rupture and, as a result, spoilage of the product.
5. Pick up a deep pan with thick walls and a bottom. Pour a large amount of oil into the dishes so that it covers the beans almost completely. Place some dense, wet wipes on the chestnuts, this step will prevent drying out.
6. Cover the pan to prevent beans from popping out if they start to explode. Turn the burner on to the middle mark, fry the chestnuts for about 25-30 minutes, not longer.
7. Shake the dishes periodically without opening the lid, or stir the composition with a slotted spoon / wooden spatula. At the end of cooking, spread a few paper towels on a plate, lay out the chestnuts, cool to an acceptable temperature.
8. Peel the chestnuts by pressing lightly on them. You will see how the beans begin to crack, it remains only to remove the peel. Serve the finished product in the form of a snack or add it to salads, first and second courses.

How to roast chestnuts in the oven

In recent years, the preparation of chestnuts in the oven has been gaining special popularity. This process involves baking fruits, preserving their beneficial properties.

1. Turn on the oven, heat it to 200-210 degrees. Align the groove of the device so that the temperature is maintained at the same level.
2. While the oven is heating, prepare the chestnuts. Go through them, remove the chapped and spoiled, wash thoroughly under the tap. Place in a container, soak in water for about 10 minutes, then dry with a towel.
3. After that, make a cross-shaped incision in the flat part of the fetus (you can replace 2-3 punctures with a fork). Such a move will not allow the beans to crack, and also give an outlet to the steam that forms under the shell.
4. Wash the baking sheet, grease it with vegetable or corn oil, put the chestnuts in one row, keeping to the middle. Place the raw materials with the flat part up (where the cut is). Sprinkle the fruit with clean water.
5. The time of roasting / baking is about 15-20 minutes. During this period, the beans should become soft. In the cooking process, move the chestnuts from one place to another every 2 minutes so that they do not burn. When the shell becomes malleable (will crack easily), turn off the oven.
6. Cool the chestnuts for 3 minutes, then peel them. To properly remove the shell, wrap the fetus in a cotton towel, push on it, then leave to cool for 5 minutes, remove the peel. Repeat the previous manipulations with each instance.
7. Do not forget to get the inner shell with the peel. Chestnuts need to be cleaned in the first 10 minutes after cooking, while the product is still warm. After the allotted time, the shell hardens, which greatly complicates the task.
8. If one or more fruits are difficult to clean, send them to the oven for another 5 minutes, then repeat the procedure again. Do not try to chop the fruit with a knife, the peel should easily move away.

How to roast charcoal chestnuts

If you want to have a picnic or surprise your friends with an original dish, use the technology of cooking chestnuts on charcoal.

1. Carefully sort out the fruits, excluding unnecessary ones (spoiled, cracked, with mold and dents). After that, wash entire copies under cold water, soak them for 10 minutes, dry with towels or napkins.
2. Prepare a thick-walled pan with a dense bottom (a cast iron one will do) or a pot. Make a cross-shaped hole in the flat part on each chestnut.
3. Light a fireplace or barbecue in such a way that you get a high layer of smoldering coals.Place a cast-iron frying pan on them, put the chestnuts in a notch down, cover, fry for about 5-7 minutes. In the process of cooking, shake the dishes every 2 minutes so that the chestnuts are evenly baked from all sides.
4. After the specified period (5-7 minutes), remove the container from the coals, turn the chestnuts on the opposite side, fry for another 5 minutes until cooked. After cooking, cool the fruits for 3 minutes, wrap in a towel and chop, removing the shell and inner shell.

On the basis of chestnuts, soups, salads, fries and even bread are prepared. Legends make up the benefits of beans, and the product has relatively cheap pricing and availability. Use the cooking methods in a pan, in the oven or microwave, on coals.

Video: how chestnuts are fried in Turkey