Many people love roasted seeds, but in order to enjoy the process and taste, the product must be of high quality and properly prepared. Learn simple frying methods and some nuances.
How to choose seeds?
To make roasted seeds really tasty, the original raw product must be of high quality. Seeds should be of medium size and not empty, but voluminous. But do not chase large sizes: as a rule, such varieties do not have a rich taste.
Examine the seeds. The shell must be tight, intact and dry (moisture can penetrate through microcracks and cause mold to form). Raw materials must be clean: if you buy it on the market and notice insects in the container, refuse to buy it. And appreciate the smell of seeds: it is pleasant, oily, not putrid or chemical.
Preparation
Before frying sunflower seeds, they need to be prepared. First, sort through the seeds and remove all debris, as well as damaged specimens. Secondly, rinse the raw material by pouring it into a colander and rinsing thoroughly in running water. Thirdly, dry the seeds if heat treatment is not planned in the near future. If you want to roast the seeds right away, then drying is not always required, but sometimes it is.
Tip: pumpkin seeds after extraction from the fruit should be spread out in an even layer and dried in order to easily remove the husk and the remnants of the dried pulp.
Cooking methods
How to roast seeds? There are several ways and some are shown below.
First
This method is the easiest, and everyone probably knows and used it. It is necessary to warm the pan well without oil, put dry seeds on it in an even layer and fry them over medium heat, constantly stirring with a spatula or spoon. You can taste the readiness by tasting one seed (cool it a little beforehand so as not to burn yourself).
Second way
Proceed step by step:
- Prepare a frying pan or other container, but always with a thick bottom so that the seeds do not burn.
- Seeds need to be moistened by moistening with water or rinsing. Put them in the container of your choice.
- Turn on the fire, increase it to medium level, put a frying pan on the stove and cover it with a lid.
- Under the lid, cook the seeds for about a couple of minutes to sort of steam them and make them softer and more tender.
- Remove the lid, reduce the heat to low and continue with regular frying with occasional vigorous stirring. It will take you about 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the seeds. Readiness is determined by the characteristic crackling of the shells or by taste.
Third
If you like salted seeds, then this option will suit you. For cooking, you will need directly sunflower seeds, a frying pan, water and salt, preferably coarse stone or natural sea salt.
Instruction:
- Put the washed seeds in a frying pan or other thick-bottomed container. Fill them with water so that it completely covers the seeds. Add about four or five tablespoons of salt, mix everything thoroughly.
- Turn on the fire almost to the maximum and evaporate the liquid for one and a half to two minutes. Salt will be absorbed into the peel and penetrate to the nucleoli, so that they will be slightly salted.
- Transfer the seeds to a colander to drain any remaining liquid from them.
- Again, pour the seeds into the pan, add a couple of tablespoons of salt and cook the product over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- If desired, a couple of minutes before turning off the fire, you can add a little oil.
Fourth way
You can cook the seeds in the oven. It is done like this:
- Preheat the oven. The optimum temperature is about 150 or 160 degrees.
- Prepare a baking sheet, cover it with baking paper, spread the seeds on it in an even layer.
- Send the baking sheet with raw materials to the oven for fifteen minutes.
- Tip: if you want to cook a significant amount at once, then pour out the entire volume, but stir everything every three to five minutes, and increase the duration of the heat treatment to 25-30 minutes.
Fifth
Surprisingly, you can use a modern and unusual option by cooking sunflower seeds in the microwave. But be sure to prepare a container suitable for use in the microwave.
Process step by step:
- Pour about one and a half or two cups of raw, clean seeds into a bowl.
- Set the device to a power of at least 750 watts.
- Put the container of seeds in the microwave, set the timer for two minutes.
- Stir the seeds and send them back to the oven for a couple of minutes.
- Repeat the processing and mixing procedures at least three or four times so that the seeds cook evenly and there are no raw specimens left among them.
Sixth
If you have a slow cooker, then try to use it for cooking seeds. Select a baking program and cook the raw materials for about ten minutes to dry them a little. Then add quite a bit of vegetable oil and continue frying with occasional stirring with a spatula. Pour some salt, set the heating mode and turn off the device after five minutes.
Seventh
This option is very unusual and relevant in the summer. Going to the beach, take raw seeds with you. Choose an open area in direct sunlight. Bury the seeds in the sand (not very deep) and wait half an hour. Hot sand warmed by solar heat will allow you to cook the seeds, and evenly.
Eighth way
Try making seeds with soy sauce. First, fry them dry in a frying pan without oil for about fifteen minutes. Then add a little soy sauce and continue cooking, stirring the contents occasionally.
- In addition to salt, other additives can be used. Try experimenting with spices: they will stay in your mouth, mix with the kernels and improve and transform their taste. Add paprika, dill, ginger, or whatever.
- You can make sweet seeds by using sugar instead of salt. Also use cinnamon, vanilla as flavorings.
- Remember that shelled seeds roast much faster than shelled kernels.
- Pumpkin seeds require longer heat treatment, as their shells are thicker and denser.
If you love seeds, cook them in one of the suggested ways!
