Enjoy autumn! A collection of menu ideas for when the main dish is chestnut rice: "I want to try this!" "If you're unsure, go with this!"

Enjoy autumn! A collection of menu ideas for when the main dish is chestnut rice: "I want to copy this!" "If you're unsure, go with this!"

List of menu ideas for days when chestnut rice is the main dish

[A menu that will satisfy both adults and children]

[A menu that evokes the seasons] Enjoy the flavors of autumn

[Chinese-style menu] Let's have something other than Japanese food for a change.

[Menu featuring seasonal ingredients] It's also the season for delicious bonito.

[Korean-style menu] Chestnut rice and an unexpected combination

From classic to creative variations! Chestnut rice recipes

Let's enjoy autumn meals with chestnut rice as the main dish!

First, let me introduce a menu featuring teriyaki chicken, a dish that both children and adults will enjoy. Paired with a refreshing Chinese cabbage salad and a comforting taro miso soup, this is a satisfying meal that will fill you up.

Main dish: Teriyaki chicken

This is an easy recipe for teriyaki chicken. The key to a delicious result is to coat the chicken thighs in potato starch to ensure the flavor is absorbed well. It also pairs perfectly with fluffy and delicious chestnut rice!

Side dish: Cabbage and crab stick salad with mayonnaise and ponzu sauce

Fresh Chinese cabbage is tossed with mayonnaise and ponzu sauce. The cabbage is salted and the excess water is squeezed out, resulting in a flavorful dish without any blandness. It's a refreshing dish with the richness of mayonnaise, and a welcome addition to any meal.

Soup: Heartwarming taro miso soup

Here's a recipe for a hearty miso soup featuring taro and carrots. Taro is a vegetable that's in season from autumn through winter, making it a great ingredient to include in your autumn meals. Enjoy its sticky yet tender texture.

Next, we'll introduce a menu that allows you to enjoy the flavors of autumn with salmon as the main dish. The rich and delicious miso butter stir-fry pairs perfectly with the slightly sweet chestnut rice! We've also considered the balance of flavors by adding light side dishes and soup.

Main dish: Stir-fried cabbage and salmon with miso butter

Salmon and cabbage stir-fried with miso butter is a recipe you should definitely add to your repertoire. To keep the cabbage crisp, the key to making it delicious is to stir-fry it over high heat after adding it! It's rich and flavorful and goes well with chestnut rice, as well as alcoholic beverages.

Side dish: A classic Japanese small dish: Simmered dried daikon radish

How about a simple yet flavorful simmered dried daikon radish dish? It uses only three seasonings, but the flavors are thoroughly absorbed, resulting in a delicious dish. It's a side dish that's always a welcome addition to any meal.

Soup: Egg drop soup with plenty of green onions

Let's make a comforting and delicious egg drop soup. This gently flavored soup is topped with plenty of green onions. A drizzle of sesame oil will change the flavor and make it even tastier! Adding the beaten egg after the water has boiled will result in a fluffy texture.

While chestnut rice is often served as part of a Japanese meal, it also pairs well with Chinese-style side dishes! When preparing a Chinese meal, in addition to regular chestnut rice, I recommend trying chestnut rice with glutinous rice added to make it more like sticky rice, or even Chinese-style chestnut sticky rice.

Main dish: Sweet and sour stir-fried eggplant and meatballs

I stir-fried eggplant and meatballs and coated them in a sweet and sour sauce. The sweet and sour flavor goes well with both rice and alcohol. It's always good to know a variety of dishes using eggplant, which can be enjoyed in both summer and autumn!

Side dish: Chinese-style cucumber and tuna salad

Here's a recipe for a Chinese-style salad that's perfect as a snack. Thinly sliced ​​cucumber is combined with mizuna, shiso leaves, and tuna for a flavorful dish. The sesame oil adds a nice aroma that will have you reaching for more! Salting the cucumber beforehand helps the flavors meld together better. Give it a try!

Soup: Easy Chinese-style soup with mozuku seaweed and tofu

Chinese cuisine often features robust flavors, so a light and refreshing soup is a great accompaniment. This recipe uses mozuku seaweed and tofu for a smooth texture. The crisp flavors of black pepper and grated ginger, along with the aroma of sesame oil, add a delightful accent.

Next, we'll introduce a menu featuring hearty yet refreshingly delicious fried bonito! Bonito is in season twice a year, in spring and autumn, but the autumn bonito, which is in season when the fish returns from the sea, is said to be particularly delicious because it's fatty. If you want to enjoy the taste of the season, be sure to try this menu.

Main course: Fried bonito with tartar sauce

I cut sashimi-grade bonito fillets into 2cm wide pieces, coated them in batter, and deep-fried them. The crispy batter goes perfectly with the flavorful and tender bonito. Since I'm using sashimi-grade bonito, I also recommend frying them until they're slightly undercooked! In that case, try frying them for about 2 minutes.

Side dish: Pickled turnip and mekabu seaweed

When the main dish is fried food, a refreshing side dish will prevent you from getting tired of the meal. In this recipe, we've combined turnips and mekabu seaweed to make a vinegared dish. Using white dashi adds umami, resulting in a delicious dish. The yuzu citrus flavor also adds a nice accent, making it a perfect palate cleanser.

Soup: Red miso soup with enoki mushrooms and tofu

Why not take a little extra time to make a rich and flavorful red miso soup? We've combined bonito and kelp broth with red miso and mirin to create a deeply flavorful soup. Adding mitsuba (Japanese parsley) will enhance the flavor even more.

Spicy Korean-style side dishes also go well with chestnut rice. We've combined hearty gochujang stir-fry and namul with a mild-flavored soup. It's an unexpected combination, but the flavors are well-balanced.

Main dish: Stir-fried pork and fried tofu with gochujang sauce

Here's a hearty recipe using pork and fried tofu. Seasoned with gochujang and oyster sauce, it's packed with flavor. This recipe uses pork belly, but you can use other cuts of pork for a delicious result too.

Side dish: Easy microwaveable carrot and pea sprout namul

This carrot and pea sprout namul, easily made in the microwave, is a dish you'll want to remember. Simply heat julienned carrots and pea sprouts cut into 4cm pieces in the microwave, then season! Squeezing out the excess moisture will prevent the flavor from becoming diluted and result in a delicious dish. Be sure to add it to your repertoire.

Soup: Japanese-style soup with green onions and wakame seaweed

Since the main dish is quite flavorful, I chose a light soup. The ingredients are simple—just seaweed and green onions—but the broth has a delicious, comforting flavor. It goes well with any meal, so it's a handy recipe to remember!

Finally, let's check out some chestnut rice recipes! We've picked out not only the classic chestnut rice made in a rice cooker, but also variations such as those combining chestnuts with mushrooms and Chinese-style chestnut rice. Please use them as a reference when planning your menu.

Simple chestnut rice made in a rice cooker

This is a classic, simple chestnut rice recipe that I highly recommend you try if you can get your hands on some chestnuts. Preparing the chestnuts takes time and effort, but once you taste the finished chestnut rice, you'll think, "It was worth making! I want to make it again!" Adding salt enhances the flavor of the chestnuts.

Chestnut rice with plenty of oyster mushroom flavor

Next, we'll introduce an easy recipe for chestnut rice using candied chestnuts. We've combined it with oyster mushrooms for a rich and flavorful dish. The sweetness of the chestnuts provides a nice accent, making it so delicious you'll want seconds! Please try making this perfect dish for autumn.

Chinese-style rice pilaf with chestnuts and minced meat

You can easily make Chinese-style mixed rice using oyster sauce and chicken stock powder! We've added peeled chestnuts and ground meat to create a hearty dish. It pairs well with the Chinese menu we've introduced, so please enjoy the combination of chestnuts and Chinese cuisine!

This time, we introduced menu ideas perfect for autumn that pair well with chestnut rice. While chestnut rice is strongly associated with Japanese cuisine, it surprisingly goes well with Chinese and Korean side dishes too! Please use these ideas as inspiration and enjoy the flavors of autumn.