Shoyu Almonds

Shoyu Almonds

Every family has their holiday traditions. Over the years, traditions can change – families grow, shrink, divide, come together. Some traditions fade and new ones take their place, others only grow stronger over the years. Just like any other family, my family has their traditions. We decorate the Christmas tree with ornaments that have been in the family longer than I have, we decorate sugar cookies with brightly colored sprinkles. On Christmas morning, there are cinnamon rolls (traditionally from Cinnabon, though nowadays I bake them from scratch), on New Year’s morning breakfast fried rice (simply rice, shoyu, and bacon) while we watch the Rose Parade. And of course the holiday goodies, including (but not limited to) shoyu almonds.

Salty, savory…

Every year for as long as I can remember, my mother has made these shoyu almonds. All her friends and coworkers love them, and us kids would always snitch some from the bag whenever we could get away with it. Of course now that I’m all grown up and moved out of the house, it’s a little more difficult to sneak some almonds whenever I want. So instead, I’ve started my own tradition – making almonds (along with other goodies) to give to my close friends, (and keeping half a batch all for myself).

…crunchy shoyu almonds.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs raw almonds
• 1/2 cup shoyu (soy sauce)

Cooking Directions

1. Roast almonds on a cookie sheet at 350° for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice.
2. Turn off the oven.
3. Pour the almonds into a large bowl.
4. Add shoyu, stir until all shoyu has been absorbed by the almonds.
5. Pour back onto cookie sheet.
6. Place back into the turned-off oven until dry, about one hour.
7. Store in an airtight container.