Occasionally when I look at my social media feed, I’ll see a picture of my parents’ shoes on the infamous carpeting at the Portland International Airport in Oregon, and I’ve noticed that these adventures often fall on holidays.

My parents’ attitudes toward seasonal traditions have always been nonchalant. When I was growing up, we got the occasional pajamas on Christmas Eve. Sometimes we went to check out Christmas lights. My favorite was when we got a Christmas cake (because who doesn’t like cake). This year, my dad admitted that they weren’t even bothering with decorations.

My family doesn’t really have anything against traditions; rather, we put our focus on new adventures.

At my own house, there’s enough room for maybe a few pine sprigs, so I didn’t put up a tree. I’ve never done a Christmas card, although I sometimes “enjoy” reading what my mom tells everyone about my personal life in a Christmas newsletter. The only for-sure tradition I have is staying up really late on Christmas Eve to complete all the gift-wrapping I put off.

But I have to admit, the first Christmas I was away from home was a sentimental time. So what did I do? Make chestnut rice from scratch. Replicating my mother’s cooking was one of my main goals, and I was not very good at it. I’m still not.

The skin under my thumbnails was pricked again and again by the sharp edges of chestnut shells as I tried to peel each one. Hours later I’d gotten through half of them. By then, I was entirely uninterested in completing the dish.

That was not a recipe I wanted to try again.

But now you can buy roasted chestnuts in a bag, pre-peeled or at least easy-to-peel. It is for that reason that I decided it was worth reviving the tradition of chestnut rice. The final dish is a delightfully chewy comfort food with just the right amount of sweetness from the chestnut.

This is the kind of recipe that doesn’t demand you follow exact measurements. That kind of fussiness is for baking and recipes you only make once. But here, I’ll include measurements, along with notes on how to make this as if it’s something you do all the time — the way good traditional food should be made. You can make this in a pinch and still have plenty of time to sing carols or whatever you like to do on Christmas day.

CHESTNUT RICE

By Mariko Jackson

• 1 cup white short-grained rice, uncooked
• 1/4 cup mochi rice, uncooked (ratio of 1:4 of mochi rice to white rice)
• 1 tablespoon sake (a splash)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (two big pinches)
• 1 (6-ounce) bag roasted whole chestnuts (a big handful), peeled
• Sesame seeds, for garnish

Put rice in a small saucepan and fill it with water, swishing the rice around. Pour off the water and wash the rice 3 or 4 more times, filling with new cold water each time. Drain off all of the water and then add 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons of water (or enough water covering the rice to reach your first knuckle).

Add sake and salt, and stir for a few seconds. Toss chestnuts on top of the rice. Put a lid on the saucepan and set it on a burner over high heat until it boils, then turn the burner to low. Let it simmer and cook 10 or so more minutes. Rice should look dry on top, and the water should be absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 5 minutes.

Release the rice from the sides of the pan with a rice paddle. Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds before eating. Serves 4 to 5.

Nutritional information unavailable.

Mariko Jackson blogs about family and food at thelittlefoodie.com. Her column runs on the last Wednesday of the month. Nutritional analysis by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.