1.Why soaking nuts before roasting?
- Remove phytic acid, toxins and tannins
- neutralise the enzyme inhibitors and encourage the production of beneficial enzymes
- increase the amounts of vitamins, especially vitamin B
- break down gluten and make digestion easier
- make the proteins more readily available for absorption
2. Soaking time is different depending on what nuts you use.
- Almonds 8-12 hours
- Cashews 2-3 hours
- Flax seeds 6 hours
- Hazelnuts 7 hours
- Macadamia 7 hours
- Peanuts 7 hours
- Pecans 4 hours
- Pepitas 2-4 hours
- Pine nuts 7 hours
- Walnuts 4 hours
3. How to soak your nuts?
Soak the nuts in a filtered water with a pinch of sea salt in a bowl. After the specified period of time, drain them in a sieve and wash in a cold running water. Spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. You can add seasoning and flavours here. Roast in the preheated oven until they are crunchy. Keep stirring occasionally making sure they don’t get burned. Cool down and keep in an air-tight glass container.
Some people use egg whites before spices so that they stick to the nuts. I use coconut oil instead which works fine for me. Have fun roasting! 🙂
4. Examples of flavour combination
- Savoury: Tamari, Sea Salt
- Sweet: Cinnamon, Vanilla and Maple syrup
- Salt and Vinegar: Apple Cider Vinegar and Sea Salt
- Indian: Curry Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic
- Italian: Basil Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano
- Cajun: Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Oregano and Thyme