Hiromi taught me a new trick with popcorn–curry powder.

When she first started shaking large amounts of it into a pot of popcorn I was making, I thought she was nuts–curry powder in popcorn? However, the result surprised me–it was delicious! Now, most times I make popcorn I use it.

I only use olive oil to cook popcorn, by the way–and I find that putting a few squares of paper towels on top of the pot before placing the cover over it catches and collects whatever moistures gathers at the top, which otherwise falls back into the popcorn and damages it. The popcorn I get in 1 kg bags at Niku no Hanamasa, most outlets located in central Tokyo; the kind they carry pops well (better than the standard supermarket stuff, at least).

After starting the popcorn in the oil, just start shaking in the curry powder, and be liberal about it–at least half a dozen, maybe even ten hearty shakes. Then make sure to swirl the corn and spice in the oil to distribute it well. Get lots in there, until it really colors with the spice, as shown above. If that’s not strong enough, try more the next time.

The popcorn you get should be half yellow (the half that pops first), as shown here. Salt it to taste. I use American-style popcorn salt–I always bring over a year’s supply when I come back from a visit home.

Enjoy!