Kuri Kinton or Candied Chestnuts and Sweet Potatoes are a special Japanese New Year dish, which symbolizes economic fortune and wealth. Let's make this gold color food for a prosperous year ahead!

Kuri Kinton (Candied Chestnuts and Sweet Potatoes)

INGREDIENTS

• 1.1 lb Japanese sweet potato (Satsumaimo) (500 g)
• 1 jar Kuri Kanroni (Chestnuts in Heavy Syrup) (Marrons Glacés; 10 chestnuts)
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
• 3 Tbsp syrup from Kuri Kanroni
• 1 Tbsp mirin

Optional for Coloring

• 2 Kuchinashi no mi (dried gardenia pods) (See Notes)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.

   

2. Peel the sweet potatoes. Slice the sweet potatoes into ½ inch pieces (so that they will be cooked equally).

3. Soak the sweet potatoes in water for 15 minutes to remove starch. Then put them in a large pot and add water just enough to cover them.
4. Bring the water to a boil on medium heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium-low heat and cook them for 15-20 minutes or until the skewer goes through smoothly. Then reserve about ¼ to ½ cup of the cooking water and drain completely.
5. Mash the boiled sweet potatoes through the fine-mesh strainer/sieve with a wooden spatula to puree them. You can use a food processor. If necessary, add a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid (I did not need it).
6. Here’s the finished pureed sweet potato. Take out all the chestnuts and 3 Tbsp of the syrup from the jar of Kuri Kanroni.
7. In the same pot, add the pureed sweet potato, sugar, salt, mirin, and the syrup from the chestnut.
8. Cook, stirring constantly, on low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. If needed, add the reserved cooking liquid to loosen up the paste (I did not add) and adjust the sweetness with the syrup and mirin.
9. Add the chestnuts and cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 hours.

To Serve and Store

1. Serve at room temperature. To store, put Kuri Kinton in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

RECIPE NOTES

Kuchinashi no mi (dried gardenia pods): This give a sunshine yellow color when simmering sweet potatoes. They are used to naturally color “takuan” radish pickles, noodles, and other foods. If you can find them, crack in half and wrap in a cheese cloth to cook with sweet potatoes.

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