Savor the flavor: Enjoy the sweet heat of curried popcorn
The first thing you need to know about this recipe is that it was a group effort, and I am simply the messenger. It was cooked up for an office party by Chris, our vice president of sales development. Chris (long ago) was also a writer for The Kitchn and is a crackerjack cook. He set out bowls of this spicy, buttery, bright-yellow popcorn that left a little sweetness on the tongue, and a lingering heat.
It was crazy good, and we all wanted the recipe.
Unfor tunately, Chr i s had worked a bit of kitchen witchery, throwing in a bit of this and that, and while he gave us a rough template to follow, Ariel (one of our editors) and I both worked it out in our own kitchens in our own ways. She used sesame oil; I used olive oil. But the essentials stayed the same: lots of butter, enough curry powder to give it color and heat, and just a little bit of sugar for a touch of sweetness.
It’s spi c y, swee t and warming all at once — but watch out — it will stain your fingers yellow! (A good time to practice eating popcorn with chopsticks.)
SWEET AND SALTY CURRIED POPCORN
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup popcorn kernels 1/4 cup unsalted butter 2 tablespoons curry powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon turbinado or demerara
sugar, plus more to taste
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart (or larger) pan over medium heat. Add several kernels of popcorn. When they pop, add the rest of the popcorn kernels, and shake the pan lightly to distribute them. Cover the pan with a lid, but crack it slightly to let steam escape.
Warm the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the curry powder and salt, and stir to combine. Keep warm while the popcorn pops.
When the popcorn finishes popping, pour into a large bowl, and shake to make the unpopped kernels settle to the bottom. Stir the sugar into the warm butter, and pour immediately over the popcorn. Stir thoroughly.
Serve warm.