How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin is one of the few fruits that contains just a huge amount of useful vitamins and minerals. At the same time, not only pumpkin pulp, but also its seeds bring benefits to the human body. Since ancient times, the Slavs have used them for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. After all, pumpkin seeds, being a storehouse of useful substances, have a beneficial effect on the entire body, improving blood composition and normalizing sugar levels in it. In addition, they can even be called a natural antidepressant. Unfortunately, raw seeds can cause indigestion and bloating in many people, so it is better to use this product in a fried form. But you need to fry pumpkin seeds correctly so that they remain just as useful.

Benefits of Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

There are many opinions about the benefits and harms of roasted pumpkin seeds. For example, many experts argue that raw pumpkin seeds are the most useful, because fried ones, in their opinion, have a small amount of nutrients, since most of them are lost during heat treatment. But in fact, roasted pumpkin seeds have a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals in their composition, if they have been fried properly.

If we consider the composition of raw pumpkin seeds, then half of them consist of oils. Thus, 100 g of this product contains 50 g of fat. Also, 100 g contains just a record amount of biologically active substances, such as:

• amino acids;
• vitamins PP, D, E, K and almost the entire group B, as well as alpha and beta carotene, lutein;
• potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, selenium, iron, copper;
• glycosides and alkaloids;
• antidepressants;
• vegetable protein;
• cellulose.

Due to this rich composition, they have the following effects on the body:

1. They normalize digestion, and also have a mild diuretic, laxative, antiparasitic effect.
2. Normalize metabolism, helping to absorb micronutrients, reducing glucose levels.
3. Helps to remove toxins, salts and cholesterol from the body.
4. Increase the amount of serotonin, reduce susceptibility to pain.
5. Strengthen blood vessels.
6. They have a rejuvenating effect on the skin.
7. They thin the blood and have an anti-inflammatory effect.
8. Restore the work of the nervous system.
9. Prevent the development of osteoporosis.
10. Normalize sleep, relieve fatigue, cheer up.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are of particular benefit for men, because they contain a large amount of zinc, which helps prevent the formation of prostate adenoma. It helps create an environment that is toxic to foreign cells.

How many calories in roasted pumpkin seeds

Due to the large amount of oil and protein in pumpkin seeds, this product is quite high in calories. Raw seeds contain about 340 kcal. The calorie content of roasted pumpkin seeds reaches up to 600 kcal per 100 g.

Preparing pumpkin seeds for roasting

Preparing pumpkin seeds for roasting is a fairly simple matter, but requires special attention, since the correctness of this process will affect the subsequent benefits of the product.

You should not miss the fact that before cutting the pumpkin, you need to wash it thoroughly. After all, not only dirt accumulates on its peel, but also pathogens.

After washing the pumpkin, wipe it with a paper towel, cut it in half and take out all the fibers with seeds, putting them on a plate. Then the seeds are separated from the fibers with their hands, they are transferred to a colander and washed under running water.

Well-washed seeds are spread on a cloth or gauze in a thin layer and left in a sunny place for 3-4 days. After this procedure, the seeds are ready for further frying.

How to roast pumpkin seeds

You can fry pumpkin seeds not only in a pan, but also in the oven and even in the microwave. At the same time, in order to properly roast the seeds, you should read the basic recommendations.

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds in the Oven

Roasting pumpkin seeds in the oven is convenient if their number is large enough.

Roasting method in the oven:

1. Spread parchment paper on a baking sheet and sprinkle seeds on it.
2. Then they are evenly distributed over the entire surface so that they are arranged in an even layer.
3. A baking sheet with seeds is placed for 1 hour in an oven preheated to 140 degrees.
4. After frying, the baking sheet is removed and the seeds are poured onto a plate lined with parchment paper to prevent them from overcooking.

How to fry pumpkin seeds in a pan

The most common cooking option is frying in a pan.

How to fry pumpkin seeds in a frying pan:

1. Put the pan on the stove, heat it up.
2. Pumpkin seeds are poured into a hot dry frying pan. It is necessary to pour out such an amount that the bottom of the pan is covered with a uniform thin layer, you should not fill in a lot of seeds, they will not be able to completely fry.
3. Then reduce the heat to medium, and stirring constantly, bring the seeds to a golden state.
4. After the shell acquires a light brown hue, the fire is reduced. Stirring, fry until crackling begins to be emitted (this means that the shell is cracking). Then you can try the seeds for the degree of readiness, if they have reached the required roasting, then the stove is turned off, and the fried seeds are poured onto parchment paper.

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds in the Microwave

The easiest way to fry is to use the microwave.

Roasting seeds in the microwave:

1. To fry pumpkin seeds in the microwave, they must be laid out in a thin layer on a special (intended for microwave) flat plate.
2. Then it is placed in a microwave oven, set to full power and turned on for 1 minute.
3. After a minute, the plate is removed, the seeds are mixed and again sent to the microwave for 1 minute.

You can cook pumpkin seeds in the microwave quite quickly, but you won’t be able to fry a large number of seeds in this way.

How delicious to fry pumpkin seeds with salt

You can fry delicious pumpkin seeds with salt both in a pan and in the oven.

When frying in a pan to obtain salted seeds, it is advisable to soak them in a moderately salty aqueous solution (50 g of salt per 500 ml of water) for 2-3 hours. Then they need to be well blotted with a paper towel and only then fry.

In order to roast salted pumpkin seeds in the oven, you just need to salt them with fine salt before sending them to the oven. At the time of long roasting in the oven, the salt will dissolve, the seeds will be well saturated.

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds to Open Up

In order for pumpkin seeds to open during frying, it is necessary to carry out some actions in advance that will help break the strength of the shell:

1. Pumpkin seeds should be soaked in salt water for 2-3 hours.
2. After soaking, the seeds must be transferred to a colander so that all the liquid is glassed.
3. Then you can slightly crush them with your hands (do not crush the shell).
4. Slightly crumpled seeds need to be transferred to a deep plate and put under pressure for 15-20 minutes.

After these steps, you can roast the seeds. At the same time, during cooking, a more saturated, pronounced pumpkin aroma should appear.

How to deliciously fry pumpkin seeds in a frying pan with spices

There are many recipes for roasting pumpkin seeds with various spices. Depending on what taste you want to get, you can use the following spices:

• hot red ground pepper;
• black pepper;
• garlic powder;
• sugar;
• nutmeg;
• cinnamon.

To fry spicy pumpkin seeds, you can use the recipe with pepper and lemon juice.

For frying you will need:

• unpeeled pumpkin seeds – 200 g;
• lemon juice – 1 st. l .;
• ground red pepper – on the tip of a spoon;
• salt – 0,5 tsp.

Cooking process:

1. Mix pumpkin seeds in a deep bowl with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
2. Let the ingredients sit well.
3. Heat up the pan and pour the seeds into it.
4. Reduce the heat, and stir constantly, fry them for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Transfer the finished seeds to a plate and leave to cool completely.

How to store roasted pumpkin seeds

It is impossible to store roasted pumpkin seeds for a long time, as they quickly deteriorate and lose all their nutritional and taste qualities.

If necessary, a large number of roasted seeds should be divided into several parts. Then place them in cloth bags and hang them in a place that is constantly ventilated. The temperature at the same time should be moderate, a different temperature regime will contribute to the appearance of mold.

Conclusion

Roasting pumpkin seeds so that they remain beneficial to the body is not so difficult. But you should not abuse these products, because consumption in large quantities can cause the opposite effect in the body.