It is a thing of the past when, near the shops and at the bus stops, traders were sitting with seeds, pouring them into a paper bag for everyone who wanted to.
Now almost in every grocery store you can buy a well-sealed bag of any seeds: black, white, striped, with and without salt, and cleaned. But to look into it to find out the quality of the product is not possible because of the packaging made from opaque foil.
Of course, the storage conditions require that no light fall on the seeds, otherwise they will become rancid. But because of such a conspiracy, the buyer acquires a cat in a bag, hoping that the seeds will be tasty.
However, sometimes the seeds are impossible to eat, as not only empty, but also rotten, rancid, wormy ones come across.
Therefore, some housewives buy raw seeds on the market and fry them at home, thereby saving a certain amount of money and preparing seeds to their own taste. But it turns out that many ... do not know how to do it!
How to choose the right seeds on the market
Before you make a purchase, you need to pay attention to the conditions in which the seeds are stored.
Those that lie under the open sky (even under a canopy) are most often rotten due to excessive moisture and rancid due to the abundance of light and sun.
Sunflower seeds contain a large amount of oil, which decomposes in the light, thus making them unsuitable for consumption. Therefore, seeds should be stored in bags in a dry dark place.
If the sale of seeds is carried out indoors and with the method of storage everything is in order, proceed to a visual inspection.
Seeds must be clean. The abundance of husk suggests that these seeds are the remnants of a large batch, since all the garbage in the bag gradually settles to the bottom. Their size must match the grade. They must be plump thanks to well-ripe nucleoli.
You need to take a few seeds in your hand and touch them. High-quality seeds will be dense, they will not show voids. You should not buy too small seeds, which may be unripe, and very long, as they are also often empty.
Need to try a few seeds to taste. Of course, raw sunflower seeds cannot be compared with fried ones, but if there is a bitterness, an unpleasant aftertaste, then they should be abandoned.
Preparation of Seeds for Roasting
Prepare a number of seeds so that they cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of no more than 1-1,5 cm. Then they will be easily mixed and they will be roasted evenly.
Before you put the seeds in the pan, they must be washed. By the way, many hostesses consciously skip this process, or do not even guess about it. But if you imagine the conditions in which the seeds were until the moment of their purchase, it becomes clear: the seeds are very dirty!
Therefore, they must be poured into a colander and put under a stream of warm water. Turning the seeds with your hands, you need to thoroughly wash them.
You should not wash them in a bowl, since dirt and dust dissolve in water and settle on the surface of the seeds.
Then you should put the seeds on a cloth or paper towel and dry a little.
While the seeds are dry, you need to cook a frying pan. This may be a cast iron or other metal pan, but with thick walls, as in other pans the seeds will burn and high-quality roasting may not be possible.
How to fry the seeds
- Put the seeds on a hot frying pan. While stirring, fry over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. While the seeds are wet inside, they will not burn.
- When the hiss, due to the presence of moisture in the seeds, stops, reduce heating by half. From now on, they will begin to fry.
- As soon as you hear a slight crackle, reduce the heat again. Try one or two seeds to taste, determining the degree of roasting. The shell should be easy to snap out. The nucleoli themselves will become slightly yellowish in color. The main thing - do not overdo the seeds.
- Transfer the prepared seeds to a tray covered with a towel, cover with the edges of the same towel, leave for 10-20 minutes. During this time, the seeds finally dry out and reach a condition. You can not leave the seeds in the same pan, in which you fry them, because in a hot pot, they will continue to roast and can burn.
How to Roast Seeds with Salt: Method One
Ingredients:
- raw sunflower seeds - 0.5 kg;
- salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
- water.
Method of preparation
- Pour out the seeds in a colander and rinse under running water.
- When the liquid has drained, put them in the pan. Add a spoonful of salt and pour enough water so that it lightly covers the seeds.
- Hold the seeds on the biggest fire for about a minute. Then throw them in a colander and wait for all the water to drain.
- Return them to the pan, pour the remaining salt. Constantly stirring, cook over medium heat until the seeds are completely dry.
- Reduce the fire to a minimum and continue to roast the seeds until they crackle. Remove the sample. If you are satisfied with the degree of roasting, pour the seeds on a tray or flat dish, cover with a light cloth. In 10-15 minutes they will be ready.
Tip: 1-2 minutes prior to readiness, you can add a teaspoon of sunflower oil by quickly mixing it with the seeds.
How to fry seeds with salt: the second way
Ingredients:
- raw sunflower seeds - 0.5 kg;
- salt;
- water.
Method of preparation
- Pour the seeds into a colander and wash thoroughly under running water. Leave them in a colander.
- Dissolve enough salt in water so that the liquid is sufficiently salty.
- When the seeds have dried out a little, place them on a hot frying pan. Pour approximately 100 ml of salted water. Stir until complete evaporation of moisture.
- Fry over medium heat for about five minutes. As the seeds dry, reduce the fire. When the seeds begin to crackle, the fire should be minimal. The degree of roasting seeds determine the taste and color of the grains.
- Place the prepared seeds on a tray and leave to cool completely.
Mistress to note
Determine the amount of salt to your liking.
In accordance with many recipes in sunflower seeds add sunflower oil. You do not need to pour it in large quantities, otherwise the seeds will be fat. It is enough just to sprinkle them with oil at the very end of frying. If you pour the oil at the beginning of frying, it will begin to burn and the seeds will get an unpleasant taste.
Seeds are roasted first over medium heat, then gradually reduce heat. Finish frying on low heat.
