One thing I can really appreciate about Japanese cuisine is their emphasis on using ingredients only when in season. Foods should be enjoyed at the peak of freshness, because that is when they taste their best. You’ll see a lot of seasonal Japanese dishes that emphasize that, but that doesn’t mean it only applies to Japan.
Even if you’re not in Japan, you can still emulate the Japanese cooking philosophy by making use of the local foods around you at certain times of year. A great example of this for me is pumpkin. There’s only a small time to use fresh pumpkin while it’s in season, so I always do my best to make the most of it when I can. I could use canned pumpkin any time of year, but I don’t because it’s just not the same. So when I start to see the beautiful orange gourds, I get a little excited since it’s finally pumpkin time!!
I try to make as many pumpkin dishes as I can, and while I’m using all this pumpkin, I end up with a lot of pumpkin seeds! While easy to ignore since they’re in a mess of pumpkin pulp, don’t be so quick to throw those seeds away. Roasted pumpkin seeds are yet another great way to enjoy the season, and smell absolutely amazing while in the oven!
When I was little my mother would roast the pumpkin seeds for us while we carved our Halloween pumpkins. While she kept it simple and just roasted them with salt, I like to get my curry fix in as many ways as possible. Enjoy these savory seeds with a little Asian flair!
Recipe – Roasted Curried Pumpkin Seeds:
– Remove the seeds from the pumpkin pulp, then rinse them and let air dry for 30 minutes.
– Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. While it’s warming, prepare the seasoning by mixing the curry powder, salt, soy sauce, and oil in a small bowl.
– Spread the seeds out on a lined baking sheet and drizzle the seasoning over it.
– Stir the seeds until well coated. Roast in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the seeds – the bigger they are the longer they will need to cook. Be sure to check on the seeds every ten minutes or so while cooking and stir them so they don’t burn! When they are done they should be nice and golden!
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