Tamari Pumpkin Seeds with Sesame & Chile

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Hulled pepitas roasted twice — first dry, so they puff and turn nutty, then again in a thin tamari-maple glaze that dries to a savory, faintly sweet lacquer. Toasted sesame oil, chile flakes and crushed nori give them the salty, snappy pull of a good bar snack, and they stay crisp for a week in a jar.

Ingredients

• 2 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds

• 3 tbsp tamari
• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp gochugaru or other coarse chile flakes
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1 sheet toasted nori, crumbled fine (optional)
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 300°F (150°C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Spread the pumpkin seeds in a single layer.
2. Dry-roast the seeds for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring once at the halfway mark, until they have puffed slightly, smell nutty, and a few have started to pop. They should still be pale — no browning yet. This first pass drives off moisture so the glaze can set instead of steam.
3. While the seeds roast, whisk the tamari, maple syrup, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic powder, ground ginger, chile flakes and black pepper together in a large bowl.
4. Scrape the hot seeds directly into the bowl of glaze and stir hard for about 30 seconds. It will hiss and look soupy — keep stirring until every seed is coated and the liquid has thickened noticeably from the residual heat.
5. Return the seeds to the same parchment-lined sheet, spreading them out and separating any clumps with a fork. Scrape the bowl clean; that last bit of glaze is the most flavorful.
6. Roast at 300°F for 8 minutes, then stir well, breaking up clusters again. Roast 6 to 10 minutes more, stirring every 4 minutes, until the sheet looks dry, the seeds are glossy and deep golden-brown, and the glaze no longer pools. Total second-roast time is 14 to 18 minutes; pull them at the first hint of a scorched smell.
7. In the last 3 minutes, scatter over the sesame seeds and stir so they toast lightly with the pepitas.
8. Slide the sheet onto a rack. Immediately sprinkle with the crumbled nori and flaky salt, then leave the seeds undisturbed for at least 20 minutes — they crisp as they cool and will taste slightly chewy while warm.
9. Break up any remaining clusters and serve at room temperature. Store in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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