Pad Thai Popcorn

Sounds strange, tastes great! It’s sweet, salty, and spicy, wrapped up with a citrus tang.

View Instructions

Servings

a big bowl

Ready In:

approx 1 hour

Calories:

far too many

Good For:

entertaining

About this Recipe

By: Sharyn

I found a recipe for pad thai popcorn and was intrigued. This, I thought, could be very very good or very very bad. I followed the instructions to the letter only to result in a horrible, oily, fish flavoured candy. My lovely friend Karen and I were still committed to the idea, so we threw the lot out and went back to the drawing board. The following recipe is all ours, it’s been refined over a few trial runs and then sent out to trusted taste testers for brutal feedback. It’s a hit! Definitely worth a try…

Ingredients

½ cup popping corn
2 tbspn oil for popping (or follow package directions)
½ cup finely chopped salted dry roasted peanuts
¼ cup coriander

Caramel

1 cup packed brown sugar
125g (1 stick) butter
¼ cup glucose or corn syrup (equal to 3 tablespoon)
2 lime
1 tbspn fish sauce
2 tbspn sambal oelek or 1 tbspn minced chilli
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon baking soda (bi-carb)

Don’t make this recipe with microwave popcorn. You need to make it the old fashioned way using just oil or air to pop, without additional flavourings or seasonings.

Prepare all of your ingredients for the caramel before you start cooking it. Although this recipe is easy to make, it’s also easy to ruin if you don’t have the ingredients on hand as needed.

Change the quantities to suit your taste. I always use sambal oelek and I don’t find the recipe too hot, but use your discretion if using minced chilli instead. The fish sauce works in this recipe, it adds to the saltiness and gives the dish the Pad Thai kick, but it is still quite subtle. Tweak the fish sauce carefully, too much could result in fish candy.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Do the prep jobs first:

Preheat the oven to 125°C (250°F)
Pop the corn following packet instructions. When ready place in large bowl (preferably with high sides).
Finely chop the peanuts and place on top of popcorn. Do not stir through, we want the nuts to stick to the caramel when it is poured over.
Remove zest from lime. If you don’t have a zester, use a grater, or potato peeler and then slice the peels into fine strips.
Line a baking dish with a silicone liner (if you have one) or aluminium foil if you don’t.
Chop coriander.

Step 2

Making the caramel

Melt the butter and then add the sugar, glucose, half of the lime zest, lime juice, cayenne and fish sauce.

Bring to the boil stirring constantly. When boiling turn down heat and continue to boil for a further 5 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Step 3

Turn off the heat.

Stir in the remaining half of lime zest and sambal oelek. When mixed through add baking soda and combine quickly. The caramel will bubble up and change colour.

Step 4

Pour the caramel over the nuts and popcorn and stir the mixture thoroughly – you are trying to coat all of the popcorn with caramel.

I use an icing paddle to stir rather that a spoon, it seems to move through the sticky popcorn easier. You could use the handle of a wooden spoon as a stirrer.

Step 5

Spread popcorn mixture evenly over baking sheet and place in oven. Stir popcorn every 15 minutes. Bake for 45 minutes or until crunchy.

Step 6

Take the popcorn from the oven. Immediately mix the coriander through so that it clings to the caramel as it cools.

Transfer to a serving dish or store in an air tight container.