Vasse Valley Roasted Hemp Seed - a new and exciting flavour!

Hemp seed has finally been taken off the taboo list and Australians are embracing it as a new superfood. At Vasse Valley we’ve been growing hemp since 2015 with the dream that we may one day be allowed to sell our harvest for human consumption. Well, dreams do come true and the time spent waiting for the laws to change gave us plenty of time to experiment with our product. We’ve nailed down the perfect roasting technique to bring out the full and delicious flavour of hemp seed. Here’s a bit of info to help you understand this new flavour and how to incorporate it into your cuisine.

What is unique about Vasse Valley Roasted Hemp Seed?

Let’s start with what makes this product unique. Lightly toasted or roasted hemp seed has been available as a snack food in other countries for years, but our products are different entirely! Rather than entering the snack world we are targeting the world of new and exciting flavours. We’ve discovered the perfect roasting technique to bring out the full flavour of hemp seed - transforming it from a milky, sesame to a richness of nut, toast and coffee. We then go one step further in milling the seed to release this flavour and break the seed shell, which introduces some crunch into your cooking as well. You won’t find this product anywhere else!

What does it taste like?

We love watching people’s reactions when smelling our roasted hemp seed products for the first time. It smells great! Think peanut butter, hazelnut, toast, coffee, sesame….in other words, delicious. The accompanying flavour is ideal for infusing into beverages, sauces and desserts or adding a nutty crunch to meat and fish dishes.

Go beyond flavour

Those of you who love watching cooking shows will know that texture is just as important as flavour when comes to stand-out dishes. The small pieces of seed husk in our products give every dish a little bit of crunch and make for a more interesting eating experience. The best thing about this crunch factor is it’s also super healthy! All those little bits of seed husk are insoluble fibre which is fantastic for digestive tract health. Check out our previous blog Hemp seed - a superfood to read more about health benefits.

How Can I Use It?

The beautiful thing about the roasted hemp seed flavour is it pairs well with a wide range of other flavours including red meat, fish and chicken...but also chocolate and ice cream! It also makes a great alternative to common allergy causing nuts. Basically, you are limited by your imagination on this one and personally we include it in almost all of our home cooking, particularly meat, fish, salads, sauces and baked goods. Here’s an easy recipe for one of our favourites to get you started:

Roasted Hemp Seed Encrusted Flathead

Ingredients

4 fillets of fresh flathead 1 x egg 1 cup of milk 20g Vasse Valley Roasted Hemp Seed Crumble - or until your fillets are evenly covered A pinch of salt (optional) 50 ml of vegetable oil Half a lemon

Method

1. Crack the egg into a mixing bowl, add milk and stir until milk and egg have merged.
2. Submerge your flathead fillets into mixture.
3. Transfer into a bowl containing the Roasted Hemp Seed Crumble and coat the whole fillet.
4. Heat the oil in a frypan (or grill - oil not required) and add fillets when oil is hot. Cook until crumb is crunchy to touch.
5. Pat down with paper towel, squeeze fresh lemon over fillets.

Enjoy! For more ideas on how to use our Roasted Hemp Seed Crumble and Dukkah check out our Recipes page!