Pop goes the corn: Brighten up boring packaged popcorn with these chef hacks

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Just like the sound of bacon sizzling on a frying pan can be music to the ears, so can the sound of corn popping in the microwave. But why restrict yourself to the done-and-dusted flavours of butter, cheese or caramel? Why not extend the saying ‘variety is the spice of life' to this popular snack, too?

Andheri-based Chris Kane aka The Singing Home Chef says, for instance, that a wasabi flavour adds an unusual bite to popcorn. "Wasabi is available in the market in a powder form, just like cheese is, and all you have to do is sprinkle it over the popcorn," she says, adding that jalapeno cheese is another flavour she recommends. "Melt cheese and chop the jalapeno really fine or blend it into a paste. Melt butter in a pot and add the cheese and jalapeno before tossing the mix in your popcorn," she suggests, while telling us that those with a slightly more adventurous palate can also simply melt blue cheese before adding it to the snack. "Multiply the stench that you get from normal cheese by 10 or 15, and that's what you get with blue cheese. Some people love it. Others hate it. I belong to the former category," she tells us.

Melted blue cheese can also be drizzled on popcorn, though not everyone can handle the flavour

Chef Ajay Chopra, director of Zion Hospitality Private Limited, meanwhile, recommends dry mint powder as a more universally palatable flavour profile. Take some fresh mint and microwave it, and then mix the resultant powder with garlic and chilli powder before sprinkling it on the popcorn. He says that you can also create a home-made peri peri topping. "Blend some garlic powder, mild chilli powder, onion powder, a little bit of salt, sugar and black pepper, and some citric acid in a mixer to create it," he instructs. Want a more gourmet experience? "Mix parmesan powder, black pepper, chopped parsley and truffle oil, before tossing it in the popcorn," he says.

Chris Kane and Vikram Arora

If, on the other hand, you're looking for a quick boost for popcorn with readily available ingredients at home, add gunpowder, Maggi Magic Masala seasoning, or pani puri masala, suggests chef Vikram Arora, co-founder of city eateries Tamak, Zao Cha House and Sforno. You can also just drizzle a mix of honey and melted peanut butter on popcorn for a sweet touch, suggests chef Lynston Correa of Malad-based home venture Farm to Table. Or, melt brown sugar with some salt. Mix it with the popcorn, and add dark and white chocolate chips, he suggests.

Spiced popcorn chaat

Ingredients
>> 300 gm popcorn >> 1/4 cup boiled Bengal gram (optional) >> 1/4 cup roasted/fried peanuts >> 20 gm mixture >> 1 large onion >> 3 green chillies >> 1/2 tsp lemon juice >> 1/2 tsp mustard oil/ any spicy achar oil/olive oil >> 1/4 tsp red chilli powder >> Some coriander leaves and pudina/mint leaves, and salt

Method
Chop the onion, chillies, mint and coriander into fine pieces. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Consume immediately before the popcorn gets soggy.

Sneha Senapati, home chef

Check these out
Fancy Hawaiian bbq cheese popcorn? Or a French butter-and-pink salt version? Here is an option that's got you covered.
Log on to: 4700bc.com

For a desi touch - with options including lemon pataka, chilli devil and masala masti - try this website.
Log on to: planetpopindia.com

Throw convention out of the window with flavours such as blueberry and litchi, which this platform provides.
Log on to: pncpopcorn.com

Chef Ajay Chopra

Dos and don'ts
>> If you're making caramel popcorn at home, don't put the sugar and unpopped corn together over the flame, since corn starts popping at around 200 degrees C and sugar caramelises at 160 degrees C. Make the caramel separately.

>> If you are microwaving packaged popcorn, check the packet for the approximate number of minutes mentioned. If it says "three to four minutes", always go with the lower number since that reduces the chances of the popcorn blackening.

>> Use a thick-bottomed pan if you are popping corn over a flame, and not a thin-bottomed one. It cooks more evenly that way.