Step 1

Wash and drain 3 cups of chestnuts. Use a kitchen cleaver knife or a chestnut clipper to cut a slit or an "x" on the round side of each chestnut. Only cut through the shell, or for the most it's okay to cut ⅓ into the chestnut. Do not cut the whole chestnut through.

Step 2

Place the chestnuts in a single layer on a frying pan, with the scored side facing up.

Step 3

Add 2 cups of cold water to the pan. Sprinkle 2 tbsps of sugar over the chestnuts. Place 2 tbsps of unsalted butter in the middle of the pan. (Drizzle cooking oil over the chestnuts if you are going to use vegetarian oil to substitute butter.)

Step 4

Put the lid on, cook the chestnuts, undisturbed, over medium high heat for about 20 to 25 minutes until there is almost no liquid in the pan.

Step 5

Open the lid, use a spatula to stir fry the chestnuts for about 1 minute until there is no liquid in the pan. Turn off the heat.

Step 6

Serve hot immediately. (See Notes)