I wrote a little while ago about our holiday to the Gili Islands in Indonesia, my second time to this stunning part of the world. The first time was back in 2011, when I went with a group of friends – there were seven of us in total that headed off for five blissful days on Gili Trawangan, shouldered by a night either side on mainland Bali. We flew into Denpasar Airport – a giddy group of friends excited at the commencement of our little adventure where we would be staying in an amazing private villa with our own personal pool. Before we could get to our island paradise however we had one night in Legian, Bali, where we lazed by our hotels pool and then ventured off to find a place to eat.
Our group was split in two – I was in a group of five that headed off to meet the other two to get a bite to eat halfway between our hotels. Somehow, my group got lost and after wandering around in the heat after a days travel, we finally decide just to stop at the next restaurant we came across. The meal we had that night was amazing, and so I desperately wanted to find the restaurant again when we revisted.
Fast forward to May this year when B and I spent a night in Seminyak on our way home from Lombok, we ended up not only easily finding the restaurant (Chandi), but also having two of our three meals in Bali there. I love their approach and their fresh, seasonal and locally sourced food, plus their interesting use of vegetables.
For my first meal I had a huge vegan salad which was full of fresh vegetables and local fruit, topped with delicious clusters of crunchy, seeds. My second meal was an amazing curry also topped with this delicious, savoury, granola-like topping and I knew I had to try and recreate it when I got home, it was that good!
I tried to draw on the flavours that I could remember from Chandi – I’m pretty sure they use kepis manis, a sweet, thicker soy sauce, however as I didn’t have any on hand and thought it may be a bit hard for others to find, I thought I would go with a mix of tamari and honey instead, plus coconut oil. I also use peanut butter, however you could use another nut butter or tahini instead.
This savoury granola makes a delicious topping for a whole range of dishes – sprinkle it on your salads, soups, stir-fries, stews, curries – or eat it on its own as a tasty snack.
- 1 cup mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, linseed, sesame)
- ¼ cup shredded coconut
- 1 heaped Tbsp natural peanut butter or tahini
- 1 heaped Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp tamari
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- Preheat oven to 150 C || 300 F
- Mix the seeds and coconut together in a bowl
- Mix the bottom four ingredients in another smaller bowl and mix to form a paste. Pour the paste over the seeds and mix well to combine
- Spread thinly over a baking tray (mixture is quite sticky, use wet fingers or a bit of baking paper over the top to press down).
- Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to four weeks.
- Bake 15 minutes or until brown and crisp - keep an eye on it as it will burn quite quickly!
* Updated January 2016 – since I first posted this recipe, I’ve been making a big batch up every few weeks to sprinkle on just about anything – it goes well on top of salads and curries and adds a delicious crunch to blended soups. Almost any savoury dish can be ‘pimped’ by adding a sprinkle of this savoury granola. I’ve made a few (minor) tweaks to the original recipe based on what I’ve learnt from the (many!) times I’ve since made this – mainly halving the amount of tamari to 1 Tbsp (2 Tbsp was slightly too salty and over-powering) and also allowing for tahini to be used instead of peanut butter. A few additional notes – the honey can be reduced slightly if you prefer more subtle sweeter notes or are watching your sugar intake. I sometimes chop up any nuts I have on hand and add to the mix, or occasionally I’ll add in some rolled oats or buckwheat groats. For those of you who would prefer a different flavor profile completely, I’ve been working on a new savoury granola which I’ll post once it’s perfected. Enjoy!
I really want to go to Bali. I am hoping I can take a visit when I am over in Sydney :)
This granola looks delicious. I love all the flavours you have combined there. I bet this would be an awesome smoothie topper :)
What a delicious topping for so many things. The idea of topping a curry with this…amazing! As they say, the smallest of changes can make a world of difference. And having something as easy as this around would really elevate dishes to the next level.
This looks and sounds amazing, Dearna! Love the savoury take! Your travels sound so fun. :)
Looks (and sounds!) absolutely delicious!
hello, thanks for all your tips
see: no need to activate or soak the seeds for their anti-nutrients or that are better for digestion ?, and the last, almond milk if consumed daily (as my daughter three years) check and Stripped after soaked to ensure that the phytic acid and other toxins go, you what do you think? thanks Brenda
Hi Brenda. If have issues processing nuts and/or seeds, you could definitely soak and then dehydrate them first, though I do not do this myself. As the granola is used as more of a garnish and therefore in small amounts, this shouldn’t be of as much an issue. With regards to the almond milk, I’m not quite sure what your question is there sorry?