ROASTED Nuts TOASTED Coconut

rawmama

Does anybody know how to get the roasted nuts and toasted coconut “flavor” with raw coconut and nuts? I don’t want to toast/roast them and kill the enzymes, but need to accomplish that taste and texture for a recipe that calls for toasted nuts and coconut. How can I fake that roasted and toasted taste on those foods? Thanks :) (and I know I could just use them plain, but know what the they tasted like in the recipe before eating raw foods and would love to know that trick if there is one :))

elizabethh

I don’t know about the roasted and toasted flavour, but I know that soaking nuts and then dehydrating them for a while makes them crunchier than they originally were.

jenny2052

I think dehydrating coconut and nuts with a sweet coating might start to get you going in the right direction. Soaked and dehydrated nuts are much closer to the texture of roasted nuts, and for me, when they are coated with a sweet or savory flavor, they come even closer to tasting like their roasted counterparts.

I always thought that toasted nuts and coconut had a kind of caramelly flavor, and the go-to source for caramel flavor in raw cooking seems to be dates. So how about trying this:

-Soak your nuts overnight and drain.

-Make a date syrup: (just soak several dates in water for 20 minutes or so, drain them and reserve the soak water, then blend them, adding soak water until you get to a nice thick syrup).

-Toss dried coconut and soaked nuts (separately) in date syrup until completely coated. If your recipe includes other spices, you could also add them here—a small pinch of sea salt is also nice to bring out the sweetness.

-Spread onto trays and dehydrate until crisp. The coconut will probably be done much faster, so I think it’s a good idea to keep them separate.

I don’t know—probably won’t give you the exact taste you’re looking for, but maybe it’s worth a try?