Bahm (Chestnuts)

When I was 3 and my brother was 2, my parents moved to America without us to set everything up before we were to join them. In the meantime, my brother and I lived with my aunt and her family in the total she-gol (countryside) of Korea for a couple of months.  Our neighbors had cows, pigs, horses… but one of my favorite memories were the chestnut trees that would be bursting with chestnuts come winter.

Though I love them roasted on an open fire , steaming chestnuts is probably the easiest way to cook them.  Simply wash the nuts.  Place a small amount of water in a pot, put in a metal steamer with the chestnuts.  Place a lid on the pot and bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes.  You’ll have super soft chestnuts that you can just bite right into.

Sorry for all these sucky noncooking posts!  I just got back from LA where my parents’ jindo had puppies!  Read about that here.

I work a lot so I just don’t cook anymore, but this week I’ll be making some al jjigae.  I think that would be called Pollack Roe Stew?  Stay tuned!