Coconut Curry Popcorn

Making stovetop popcorn is cheap, easy, and really allows you to play around with flavors. For this version, I took inspiration from an Indian snack popular in Gujarat called sev mamra. The snack is made by sautéing puffed rice (and delicious crunchy fried things like chickpea flour noodles and peanuts) in oil spiced with curry leaves, mustard seeds, turmeric powder and cayenne (variations may also include ground cumin, ground coriander,  asafoetida, fried green chilies, sugar).  My mom would make sev mamra in huge batches. I remember countless nights staying up with my mom, her sisters and my cousins munching on an endless supply of sev mamra as they all reminisced about old neighbors and family friends in India. This one is for all the sev mamra addicts in my family. 

Ingredients (6 generous servings):

Popcorn kernels (enough to cover bottom of your 4 quart lidded pot (about 1/2 cup)), coconut oil (1/3 cup), black mustard seeds (1 ts), turmeric powder (2 ts), cayenne or paprika (1-2 ts or to taste), 4-5 curry leaves or 1 bay leaf and some lemon zest, salt (to taste).

Preparation (5 minutes):

• Pour enough popcorn kernels into an empty 4 quart lidded pot to completely cover the bottom in one single layer of kernels. This is the amount of kernels you should use. Set kernels aside in a measuring cup (my pot could fit just shy of 1/2 cup dry kernels).
• Heat the coconut oil on medium heat.
• Add a few test kernels to the pot. Once the test kernels pop, immediately add the curry leaves (or bay leaf), black mustard seeds, turmeric and cayenne and give the pot a good shake so that the spices become evenly distributed in the oil.
• Immediately add the remaining popcorn kernels, put the lid on the pot, and take the popcorn off the heat for about 30 seconds so that the spices can release their flavors and the oil can evenly coat the kernels.
• Return the pot to medium heat and tilt the lid slightly to allow some steam to release while the popcorn pops.
• Once there is a 2-3 second gap between pops, the popcorn is ready. 
• Empty the popcorn into a big bowl and season generously with sea salt while still hot. (I used pink Himalayan sea salt.) Add the lemon zest, if using.
• Using your hands, toss the popcorn gently to evenly spread the salt and zest. 
• Eat immediately or store in an airtight container. 

Notes:

Sev mamra is typically cooked using canola oil but I used coconut oil for the popcorn to add a subtle sweetness instead of adding sugar.

Whenever cooking with turmeric, I always use newspaper to cover my counter top to prevent staining. I did not, however, account for the yellow fingernails I would have once I started popping handfuls of this stuff in my mouth. I will be eating the remainder of this batch with a spoon.