Welcome to another edition of Cooking With Sharmeela! I've been meaning to post this for awhile, since it's such a hit and one of my favorite things ever!
Side note: The title for this post was something Aaron came up with when we got a popcorn maker one year for Christmas (thanks again Nandas!). It had a marquee on top with room for a title and that's what he came up with.
Side side note: When his little sister came over for a sleepover (she was about 12 at the time), she was like "I know this is something dirty, but I don't know what it means." We gave each other the "oh shit" look and then proceeded to cover it with a bunch of Post-It's, thus making our house completely kid-friendly (minus the bar. Anyway, if you need a babysitter, call me!). It took me forever to find a picture, but I did:
Side note: The title for this post was something Aaron came up with when we got a popcorn maker one year for Christmas (thanks again Nandas!). It had a marquee on top with room for a title and that's what he came up with.
Side side note: When his little sister came over for a sleepover (she was about 12 at the time), she was like "I know this is something dirty, but I don't know what it means." We gave each other the "oh shit" look and then proceeded to cover it with a bunch of Post-It's, thus making our house completely kid-friendly (minus the bar. Anyway, if you need a babysitter, call me!). It took me forever to find a picture, but I did:
Yup, we keep it pretty classy.
Anyway, let's get to it, shall we??
In case you haven't guessed we're making popcorn, and not the gross, buttery, salty kind (who am I kidding, that's the best!), but instead we're making the somewhat healthier, less guilty version (stick with me, it's not as bad as it sounds). Popcorn actually isn't bad for a diet, except for the fact we choose to douse it in every fattening condiment we can get our grubby hands on. Sharmeela's (soon to be) Super Famous Homemade Healthy-er Popcorn is the solution to all your popcorn diet needs (it really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?). Don't just take my word for it folks, let me demonstrate.
Here's all we need:
I've got popcorn kernels, coconut oil, honey and salt. Don't get confused, my salt is pink because my mom buys into all that Himalayan sea salt crap. Here would be the most extensive conversation I could possibly have when choosing a salt:
Me: "What does it taste like?"
Anyone: "Umm.....salty, I guess."
Me: "Perfect! I'll take it. Isn't life grand?"
Aaaannnd.....scene.
Side note: we have gotten really into coconut oil at my house, so much so that my dad bought a big tub of it on the interweb and in just a couple weeks, we've gone through half of it already!
I put the smaller one next to it, for reference. To be fair, we share it with people, but I use it for everything lately. I put it in my hair for a couple hours before I wash it, I use it on my skin as a moisturizer, I rub it on my dogs' skin (it's an anti-fungal, anti-bacterical), I feed a little to them every day and put it in their treats (they LOVE it). We also use it to cook sometimes, such as when I make Sharmeela's Fabulous, Perfection Never Tasted So Good Popcorn (I really gotta work on the name). Okay, plug over (I swear I don't have an inside deal with the coconut oil people).
Back to popcorn! Making popcorn isn't hard, but it takes some practice and there are a lot of tiny steps (stick with me, it's sooo worth it!).
Let's start with a big deep pot with a lid:
As you can see, I didn't use a very large pot (the bigger the better, so the popcorn has room to pop). I am a moron, be better than me.
I don't measure anymore because I make this so often, but I think I put about 2 heaping tablespoons of coconut oil in the pot and turn the heat to medium high:
At this point, we're just melting the coconut oil (which we could do in the microwave, but it's faster this way).
After it melts pour the oil in a small bowl:
This picture was so hard for me to take for some reason! Just trust that it's in there and set it aside. This is for the topping.
Then put another scoop (tablespoon) of coconut oil in the pot with 3 kernels of popping corn. Put the lid on the pot and leave it alone. We're basically testing when the pot is hot enough to pop the kernels by using 3 brave test subjects.
This part takes a few minutes, so I start to make the topping.
To my coconut oil bowl, I add about a tablespoon and a half of honey:
and a large pinch of salt:
I try to stir it around, but they don't really mix, so I do my best and then just give up and let them separate (spoiler alert: it still works out in the end).
Keep an eye on your pot (smoking is okay, just turn your overhead fan thingy on). Once the 3 kernels have popped (wait for all 3!), we're ready for action!
This is where it gets a bit tricky and sensitive. I leave the pot on the stove for about a minute, then grab my potholders and pick the pot up (remove from the heat) and shake it for about 30 seconds.
Then back on the stove for a minute, then pick it up and shake it for 30 seconds (lid stays on, so make sure you've got a good grip). I keep doing this while the kernels are popping, just so they don't burn and it's mostly the trapped steam popping them.
The whole process can take between 5-7 minutes. I stop once the popping is pretty infrequent (you will have some kernels not pop, but that's ok! Better than burning the ones that did). it's a delicate process because it's easy to burn the popcorn if you aren't watching it. Also works out your biceps pretty good (it's actually probably good I don't use a giant, heavy pot because I wouldn't be able to lift and shake it properly. So, in case you were keeping score: Sharmeela=no longer a moron!).
Here's all we need:
I've got popcorn kernels, coconut oil, honey and salt. Don't get confused, my salt is pink because my mom buys into all that Himalayan sea salt crap. Here would be the most extensive conversation I could possibly have when choosing a salt:
Me: "What does it taste like?"
Anyone: "Umm.....salty, I guess."
Me: "Perfect! I'll take it. Isn't life grand?"
Aaaannnd.....scene.
Side note: we have gotten really into coconut oil at my house, so much so that my dad bought a big tub of it on the interweb and in just a couple weeks, we've gone through half of it already!
I put the smaller one next to it, for reference. To be fair, we share it with people, but I use it for everything lately. I put it in my hair for a couple hours before I wash it, I use it on my skin as a moisturizer, I rub it on my dogs' skin (it's an anti-fungal, anti-bacterical), I feed a little to them every day and put it in their treats (they LOVE it). We also use it to cook sometimes, such as when I make Sharmeela's Fabulous, Perfection Never Tasted So Good Popcorn (I really gotta work on the name). Okay, plug over (I swear I don't have an inside deal with the coconut oil people).
Back to popcorn! Making popcorn isn't hard, but it takes some practice and there are a lot of tiny steps (stick with me, it's sooo worth it!).
Let's start with a big deep pot with a lid:
As you can see, I didn't use a very large pot (the bigger the better, so the popcorn has room to pop). I am a moron, be better than me.
I don't measure anymore because I make this so often, but I think I put about 2 heaping tablespoons of coconut oil in the pot and turn the heat to medium high:
At this point, we're just melting the coconut oil (which we could do in the microwave, but it's faster this way).
After it melts pour the oil in a small bowl:
This picture was so hard for me to take for some reason! Just trust that it's in there and set it aside. This is for the topping.
Then put another scoop (tablespoon) of coconut oil in the pot with 3 kernels of popping corn. Put the lid on the pot and leave it alone. We're basically testing when the pot is hot enough to pop the kernels by using 3 brave test subjects.
This part takes a few minutes, so I start to make the topping.
To my coconut oil bowl, I add about a tablespoon and a half of honey:
and a large pinch of salt:
I try to stir it around, but they don't really mix, so I do my best and then just give up and let them separate (spoiler alert: it still works out in the end).
It definitely mixes better if you use butter, but who needs the calories (not that coconut oil isn't fattening, but it's MUCH better for you than butter on so many levels).
I used to make this all the time when we lived in Australia, but I made it with butter. It wasn't until I got home that I thought about making it with coconut oil. The recipe calls for A LOT of butter and sugar instead of honey (honey is just all natural, so I prefer it to sugar) and I haven't really noticed a difference in the taste (except less grease in my mouth), so if it's better for me then why fight it?Keep an eye on your pot (smoking is okay, just turn your overhead fan thingy on). Once the 3 kernels have popped (wait for all 3!), we're ready for action!
I choose to lift the lid, dip my spoon in and dig them out because they'll burn if I leave them, but if it seems too treacherous (if the oil is popping a lot) then just forget it. Thanks for your sacrifice guys! You will be missed.
Now we dump our popping corn into the pot. I try to cover about 3/4 of the bottom of the pot.
It doesn't seem like a lot, but it is, trust me. Remember to keep the lid on the pot as much as possible. No lid=heat escape=kernels burn and don't pop.
This is where it gets a bit tricky and sensitive. I leave the pot on the stove for about a minute, then grab my potholders and pick the pot up (remove from the heat) and shake it for about 30 seconds.
Then back on the stove for a minute, then pick it up and shake it for 30 seconds (lid stays on, so make sure you've got a good grip). I keep doing this while the kernels are popping, just so they don't burn and it's mostly the trapped steam popping them.
The whole process can take between 5-7 minutes. I stop once the popping is pretty infrequent (you will have some kernels not pop, but that's ok! Better than burning the ones that did). it's a delicate process because it's easy to burn the popcorn if you aren't watching it. Also works out your biceps pretty good (it's actually probably good I don't use a giant, heavy pot because I wouldn't be able to lift and shake it properly. So, in case you were keeping score: Sharmeela=no longer a moron!).
I forgot to take a picture of the finished pot of popcorn (new tally: Sharmeela=major moron), but here's a super blurry one of it halfway done:
Can you see the kernels in motion?? Action shot!
Now we turn off the heat and, if you have room in your pot, you can mix your topping in the pot, but if not, grab a giant bowl, dump your popcorn and let's pour the topping on top (make sure to try to mix it really quick before you spoon it over (yes, use a spoon and make sure you get honey and oil in each spoonful)):
WOW!
Okay, you can't really tell it's coated, but just go with it. You'll have clumps (news flash: honey is sticky) and it will probably be unevenly distributed (another new flash: that's life), so just eat it!!
What you're tasting in your mouth, that's called delicious. Look it up (do I have to do everything?!). If you're on the fence about making this, let me kindly shove you over to my side by telling you this is seriously a crowd pleaser. I make it for all the Warriors games we watch at home and everyone loves it. It's also made with NO BUTTER OR SUGAR AND BARELY ANY SALT AND YOU DON"T EVEN MISS THEM! AT ALL!! Seriously. (sorry I yelled.)
It's homemade popcorn, so you don't have to worry about getting cancer from the microwave bags (that's a thing, right?). It definitely take a little longer (I can complete the whole process in about 10 minutes), but it's better for you and tastes better. I stand by Sharmeela's Ultra, Uber Awesome, Shoot Me In The Foot This Is So Good Popcorn (yup, nailed it).
Even Kanie is raving about it to all his friends:
(he's on speakerphone).
I truly hope you enjoyed this edition of Cooking With Sharmeela. Join me next time, when I've got so many kernels stuck in my teeth that I need a dentist (or someone with a rusty pair of pliers) to surgically remove them from my mouth (still worth it).
Seriously good popcorn! 👍⭐️😃
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