Recipe Quickie – Indian Roasted Pumpkin seeds

The depths of lazy…

Awe, Did you pull a me?

Did you painstakingly save your pumpkin seeds and swear you were gonna roast them only let them sit on your countertop all night and turn into dust bunny trap?

Did you somehow convince your patient and ever so loving partner that this time you were serious, that you were actually going to roast those seeds, turn them into something delicious and this time they would be different? Instead did they swell into a mass of black spotted mishmash teeming with fruit flies?

If you’re a hopeless packrat, a food procrastinator with with a browser full of to-read-later tabs,  this is your wake up call.  If you’ve got your pumpkin seeds still healthy and 10 minutes, do this immediately.

These pumpkin seeds are spiced “Chivda” style – with all the flavors that you get from this fried Indian snack.  These pumpkin seeds are definitely a fun *dare I say* “twist” on the classic roasted snack.

Ingredients:

6 dried red chilies

3/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric

15 curry leaves (or diced cilantro if you don’t have access to curry leaves)

1/8th tsp asafoetida  (if you don’t have asafoetida,  1 finely minced garlic clove will do)

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1 cup of pumpkin seeds (washed and drained)

1/2 teaspoon salt

pepper

olive oil or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 375

Spice princesses have secret weapons: In order – left to right – Curry leaves (Karipatha), Dried red chilies, asafotdia (in the center), fennel, mustard seeds, turmeric.

1)Add a tablespoon of oil to a medium sized skillet on medium heat. I used olive oil, but coconut oil imparts a lovely rich flavor well suited for these spices. Add the mustard seeds, fennel, and red chilies and keep on medium heat until you see the mustard seeds start to sputter from the pan.

2)At this point add the turmeric, asafoetida (or garlic, if using) and curry leaves (or chopped cilantro) to the pot and toss in the pumpkin seeds frying in the oil for 1-2 minutes.

3)Add the ground cumin, coriander and salt, toss and then transfer the seeds to a baking sheet in a single layer and then  bake in the oven for about 3-5 minutes.  Don’t go anywhere though.  Make sure to keep an eye on these little guys, they may brown sooner than that.

4)Once they start to take in a light golden brown they are good to go.  These guys came from a delicious heirloom pumpkin with tender skins; I eat them shells and all, but feel free to shell ’em if you like.

And clear out your tabs – you – no one likes an internet hoarder.