Arroz de Castanhas (Portuguese Chestnut Rice)
- Prep
- 5 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 5
- Calories
- 365 kcal
Arroz de castanhas is an autumn side in Portuguese cooking. This recipe uses dried chestnuts, soaked the night before and cooked with the rice, garlic and olive oil. It goes very well with roast meat, game and sausages.
It’s typical of regions such as the Minho and Trás-os-Montes, and easy to make. Some versions add pork, chouriço, bacon or mushrooms. It’s made all year, but it’s in autumn and winter, chestnut season, that it appears most on the table.
Recipe
Arroz de Castanhas
Dried chestnuts soaked overnight and cooked with rice, garlic and olive oil. A rustic side for roast meat, especially in the colder months.
Ingredients
Method
- 1The day before, put the dried chestnuts to soak.
- 2Once well soaked, put them in a pot with water, salt, a drizzle of olive oil and one or two crushed garlic cloves and cook them. About ten minutes before they're done, add 300 g of rice and let it cook, without letting it turn mushy.
- 3Eat it piping hot.
Tips
With fresh chestnuts, roast or boil them first and peel them; cut a cross in the flat side, roast at 200 °C (400 °F) for 20 minutes or boil for 10, and peel while still hot.
It goes especially well with roast suckling pig, kid, duck or chicken, with game such as partridge or hare, and with chouriço and alheira.
