Masala Popcorn
Photo: Ajna Jai / Contributor
A lovely young Ecuadorian woman named Ines Rivera once worked for me. She had previously worked at a popcorn shop where her pay would be docked if every kernel of corn did not pop. Needless to say, she was an expert and gave me a lesson on how to do it right.
I am always looking for a reason to make popcorn at home. I get excited about watching long games or movies because of the popcorn that goes with it. And as you can probably guess, the popcorn at my house is neither microwave popcorn nor does it have only melted butter.
I start with heirloom dried corn, and I’ve played with several fats from coconut oil to ghee, and different spices from turmeric to cardamom. Mustard oil gives the popcorn an interesting horseradishlike flavor, which is balanced with the sweetness in powdered sugar. This recipe is my favorite — if you do not want to venture out to buy mustard oil, use olive.