Thai Red Coconut Curry Popcorn Recipe

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Senior Culinary Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated Jun. 05, 2019
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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 compelling 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.

Recipe Details

Thai Red Coconut Curry Popcorn Recipe

Active 10 mins
Total 10 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings
Makes 8 cups

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons dried coconut flakes

  • 5 dried makrut lime leaves

  • 2 teaspoons muscovado or dark brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon chili powder (see note)

  • 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. 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. 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.

Special equipment

electric spice grinder or high-power blender

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
141 Calories
12g Fat
8g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 141
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 6g 31%
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 235mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 7mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 47mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)