Tochimochi ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

1. [Chestnut preparation (preparation for peeling) ]
Put the chestnuts in a bucket, pour plenty of hot water over them, and let them sit for about 3 days to allow the chestnuts to swell.

2. [Chestnut preparation (peeling) ]
Boil water in a pot and add the chestnuts to keep them warm. Peel the skin using traditional tools like the two-board "tochimuki”.

3. [Chestnut preparation (river rinsing) ]
Put the chestnuts in a mesh bag and let them soak in flowing river water for 5 to 6 days.

4. [Chestnut preparation (bitterness removal) ]
Place the chestnuts in a bucket, pour hot water over them, mix well, and then drain the water. Then add the wood ashes at a ratio of 1 to 2 sho (1800 to 3600cc) of ashes per 1 sho (1800cc) of chestnuts, pour hot water over them, and mix. Cover the bucket with nylon and let sit for 2 days, insulating it with an old blanket or similar material. During this time, mix well with a stick every hour for the first 3 to 4 hours.

5. [Chestnut preparation (checking for readiness) ]
Bite into a chestnut; if it pricks your tongue like a thorn, it's ready. Take about 3 chestnuts, steam, boil, or roast them, and try crushing them with your fingers. If the core is hard and doesn't crush, they are not ready. Use a small amount to make a small dumpling to check the taste and color. For instance, if they are not ready, the color will be pale.

6. [Chestnut preparation (if chestnuts are not ready) ]
If the chestnuts are not ready, wash out the ashes from the bucket, add ashes again, and pour hot water over them, repeating the [Chestnut preparation (bitterness removal) ] process.

7. Rinse the glutinous rice and soak in water for 8 to 24 hours, adjusting the soaking time based on the temperature (shorter in hot weather, longer in cold weather).

8. About 1 hour before steaming, drain the soaked rice using a colander.

9. When steaming the rice and prepared chestnuts, place the chestnuts on top from the start. If using frozen chestnuts, thaw them naturally beforehand.

10. Steam for approximately 30 minutes once the steam starts rising.

11. Pound the steamed chestnuts and rice until the rice grains are gone, and the mixture becomes smooth and sticky.

12. As a rough guideline, when using 1.5sho (2700cc) of rice, you should get around 55 dumplings, each weighing about 50g.