Thai Red Coconut Curry Popcorn Recipe

Daniel Gritzer
Thai Red Coconut Curry Popcorn Recipe
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  • Yield:Makes about 8 cups
  • Active time:10 minutes
  • Total time:10 minutes
This recipe appears in:
Beyond Butter: 7 Popcorn Flavors to Upgrade Your Snacking

A steaming bowl of Thai coconut soup is re-imagined as a popcorn flavor. [Photographs: Daniel Gritzer]

Inspired by the flavors of a spicy red Thai coconut curry, this homemade popcorn is flavored with a fragrant mix of coconut, chili power, lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, garlic, and ginger. A little sugar rounds out the assertive flavors into an addictive little package.

Note: Dried chili powder can have different levels of heat depending on the type; you may have to adjust, adding more or less than the recipe calls for, to get the heat level right.

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons dried coconut flakes
  • 5 dried makrut lime leaves
  • 2 teaspoons muscovado or dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder (see note above)
  • 1 teaspoon roughly chopped fresh lemongrass
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest from 1 lime
  • 1/2 cup popcorn kernels, popped (about 8 cups popped)
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • Kosher salt

Directions

  1. 1.

    In an electric spice grinder or high-power blender, combine coconut, lime leaves, sugar, chili powder, lemongrass, powdered ginger, garlic powder, and lime zest and blend until a fine powder forms.

  2. 2.

    Place popped popcorn in a large mixing bowl and drizzle melted butter all over, tossing to coat evenly. Add about 1/4 cup coconut mixture, tossing to coat evenly; add more, if necessary, until popcorn is well coated (leftover coconut mixture can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days). Season with salt and serve. Popcorn can be stored at room temperature in a zipper-lock bag overnight.

Game Day

ENTERTAINING
Daniel Gritzer
Culinary Director

Daniel cooked for years in some of New York's top American, Italian and French restaurants - starting at the age of 13, when he began staging at the legendary restaurant Chanterelle. He spent nearly a year working on organic farms in Europe, where he harvested almonds and Padron peppers in Spain, shepherded a flock of more than 200 sheep in Italy, and made charcuterie in France. When not working on, thinking about, cooking and eating food, he blows off steam (and calories) as an instructor of capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art.

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