How to fry pumpkin seeds

I can’t even believe that once the pumpkin was considered an exotic vegetable and was grown on plantations in Mexico and in Egypt.

Now it is popular in many countries of the world. It is used in various dishes, ranging from soups and ending with a sweet dessert.

Pumpkin pulp is rich in mineral salts, vitamins, protein, fiber.

It is recommended to include in the diet for diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys, with hypertension, cholecystitis, edema, metabolic disorders.

No less healing properties and have its seeds. Virtually everyone knows the ability of pumpkin seeds to eliminate worms from the body.

But besides this, pumpkin seeds have other advantages. In addition to vitamins C, B1, B2, PP they have vitamin F, which is responsible for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

100 g of seeds contain half the daily intake of zinc. And there is twice as much phosphorus in seeds as in some types of fish.

But the hostess, carving up a pumpkin for some dish, often forget about these truly priceless qualities. And the seeds, together with the loose pulp that surrounds them, are sent to the trash.

And you just need to clean them from adhering pulp, rinse, dry, fry, to end up with an excellent additive to salads, baked goods, even soups.

How to prepare pumpkin seeds for roasting

• Wash the pumpkin. Do not ignore this action, since the surface of the fruit is covered not only with a layer of dust, but also with a mass of microbes that are invisible to the eye. Wipe it with a towel.
• Cut in half.
• Scrape all loose pulp together with seeds on a tray. Select all seeds with your hands into a separate dish.
• Put them in a colander and rinse them under running warm water to remove adhered fibers.
• Put the seeds on a cloth or paper towel. Leave for 3-4 days to dry. If you do not plan to fry them, then dry them more carefully, otherwise badly dried seeds can mold.

It remains only to choose the method of roasting the seeds and proceed to this action.

Pumpkin seeds can be fried in a pan, in the oven, in the microwave.

How to fry pumpkin seeds in a frying pan

• Put the washed and dried seeds in a pre-heated frying pan. Do not seek to fry all the seeds at once. Take them so that they cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. If there are more seeds, they will roast unevenly: some will burn, while others will remain raw.
• Make medium fire. Constantly stirring, monitor the condition of the seeds. The first sign by which you can judge the readiness of the seeds will be their appearance: the shell will become light brown in color.
• After five minutes, reduce the heat. As soon as the seeds begin to emit a characteristic crackle (the flaps open up), carefully monitor their condition. Try seeds to stop the frying process in time.
• Put the finished seeds on a tray covered with a towel. Leave to cool. Do not leave the seeds in a hot frying pan, especially if it is cast iron. In such a pan, heat treatment will continue, and the seeds can be overcooked. By the way, do not use thin-walled pans for this purpose. Such dishes heats up quickly, and the seeds in it can burn.

To get salted sunflower seeds, they are soaked for a few hours in a saline solution. Then the water is drained, and the seeds are well dried on a paper towel. After such a salt bath, they are fried in the usual way.

But, considering the damage that unreasonable salt intake causes to the body, it is still better to do without it.

How to fry pumpkin seeds in the oven

In the oven it is convenient to fry the seeds when there are a lot of them.

Some gourmets love pumpkin seeds with various additives. In this case, you can also use the oven.

• Wash the seeds and dry them, laying them on a paper towel. Pour into a deep dish.
• Add some fine salt, favorite seasonings and sunflower oil - just one tablespoon is enough. Mix well so that all seeds are covered with an oil film.
• Spread evenly on baking sheet.
• Place the baking tray in an oven heated to 140 °. Bake for 1 hour. Periodically open the oven, stir the seeds and make sure they are not burnt. Especially you need to be alert when they start to crackle and become covered with a brownish “tan”. Take samples more often, so as not to miss the moment when the seeds are ready.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let the seeds cool. If you slightly overexposed them, then do not leave them on the baking tray - sprinkle on a dish covered with parchment or a towel.

Without additives, the seeds are roasted in the same way.

To do this, pour the prepared seeds evenly on a baking sheet, covered with parchment. Place in preheated oven to 140 °, fry for one hour. Stir every 10-15 minutes so that they do not burn out. Cool, pouring on a towel.

How to fry pumpkin seeds in the microwave

This method is the easiest, since it does not require a long standing near the stove.

• Rinse the seeds thoroughly by removing the adhered flesh.
• Dry on a towel.
• Spread out thinly on a flat plate or tray. Put in the microwave. At full capacity, fry the seeds for one minute.
• Remove the plate from the oven, stir the seeds. Again, send the tank with the seeds to the oven at the same time.
• Depending on the power of the microwave oven, roasting seeds can last from two to five minutes. After every minute, check the seeds for taste and readiness. As soon as they start clicking, it means that the roasting is nearing completion.
• Moderately roasted seeds can be left in the oven until they cool completely. If they are fully prepared, then they should be removed and cooled on a towel.

Tip

Despite the beneficial properties of pumpkin seeds, you should not get involved in them, because their excessive use can cause discomfort in the stomach.

Add peeled pumpkin seeds in different dishes. This way you diversify your diet and bring real pleasure to the family from tasty and healthy food.