Roasted Tamari Almonds – Just Two Ingredients Yet Almost Too Tasty
Roasted Tamari Almonds entail so little time and attention to become crisp and tasty. Roasting in an oven, tossing with tamari and roasting again is all that’s required for a more easily digested and very tasty, high protein snack. Made from just two ingredients, Roasted Tamari Almonds are almost too tasty. Pace yourself. 😊 
Surprising that such an easy snack as Roasted Tamari Almonds required my making a number of batches to get the oven temperature and timing, and the amount of tamari right. According to my official-taster-husband, these are perfect.
Tamari, shoyu, soy sauce
There is a difference between these three products. For balanced and complex depth of flavor and few ingredients, choose traditionally brewed (fermented) tamari and shoyu for the tastiest and healthiest roasted almonds.
Tamari means either “pressed from soybeans” or “that which accumulates.” Both meanings are accurate. Dating back to the 7th century when it was brought to Japan from China, it originally was the thick brown liquid that accumulated in casks of fermenting soybean miso. Later, producers were able to brew a tamari with characteristics similar to the original. Most all tamari is wheat-free, brewed from whole soybeans, sea salt, water and koji.
Japanese shoyu, made from soybeans, roasted wheat, sea salt and koji (the special fungus that causes fermentation) has been an all-purpose cooking and condiment since the 1600’s. Its long, slow fermentation gives it both a delicate fragrance and deep flavor. Brewed for 6-24 months without artificial preservatives, flavors or colors.
Commercial soy sauces, even some labeled as shoyu or tamari, take only a few days to make, using shortcuts and additional ingredients along the way. Here is a typical ingredients list: Water, Soy Protein Hydrolyzed, Corn Syrup, Salt, Caramel Color, Lactic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Preservative.
Roasting almonds
According to the University of California, “Roasted almonds are
digested more easily by the body due to the change in texture, and less almond tissue is lost through the digestion process. Roasted almonds may release more nutrients in the body due to their higher digestibility than raw almonds.”
Presoaking almonds
I wish I could say that this method works wonderfully with almonds. Perhaps if I had a dehydrator it would be so. With an oven, crisp they weren’t. The majority of the almonds stayed a bit soft even with increased roasting time. Plus, their flavor never fully developed.
Roasted Tamari Almonds
Although this recipe makes a lot, storing Roasted Tamari Almonds in the freezer keeps them fresh for a very long time.
Note: if you make half the recipe, reduce the final oven time. Bake 10 minutes, turn the pan 180 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes.
Makes about 9 cups Printer-Friendly Recipe
Active Time 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
3 pounds (about 9 cups) raw, skin-on whole almonds
¼ cup traditionally brewed tamari or shoyu
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees.
Line 2 rimmed half sheet pans with baking paper. Divide the almonds evenly between the 2 pans. Bake for 15 minutes. - Transfer the almonds to a large bowl. Toss with the tamari or shoyu until well coated. Return the almonds to the half sheet pans. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Switch the shelves, transferring the pan on
the bottom shelf to the top shelf and the pan on the top shelf to the bottom shelf. Bake for another 10 minutes. - Remove the pans of almonds to a wire rack to bring the almonds to room temperature. Note: they will crisp up as they cool.
- Store the room temperature almonds in the freezer for a year or more in an air-tight container.