My husband just looked at the title of this caramel corn recipe and misread furikake as fruitcake! Furikake is nothing like fruitcake, though the Japanese mixture of seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, and other savory-sweet bits is lively with color and texture. Sold in small jars at Japanese and Chinese markets, as well as at some specialty grocers, furikake is a quickie seasoning to perk up rice. At Roy Choi’s non-traditional A-Frame in Culver City, California, furikake is a seasoning for caramel corn.
Ever since I tasted the ‘furikake kettle corn’ at Choi’s restaurant, I’ve wanted to make some myself. It’s like Asian Cracker Jacks, blending Asian flavors with an American classic. The briny-salty-sweet result is a terrific nibble along with beer, wine, or cocktails. Actually, it’s just a good all around snack any time of the day. I typically think of caramel corn as a sweet but the furikake turns it into a savory, though you could certainly enjoy some with fruit as a dessert.
Yesterday, I made three (3!) batches of furikake caramel corn in order to arrive at the recipe posted here. All the batches were good and there is much leeway. At the end of the day, I became the proud owner of 2 ½ gallons of furitake caramel corn. I hope to give it to friends and neighbors, along with eating a ton myself!
Furikake Caramel Corn Tips
- It takes a mere 5 minutes to pop corn in a pot. My family and I used to make popcorn on the stove when I was growing up and that’s all I know. If you prefer to use a machine or microwave popcorn, go for it. But there’s very little hassle to do it the old-fashioned way. Plus, it is fun to feel the corn kernels explode in the pan as you shake it.
- Excellent organic popcorn is sold in bulk at health food store for less than about $1.75 a pound. I’ve kept some in my cupboard for a year and every kernel popped yesterday.
- For 4 cups of popcorn, you only need 2 tablespoons of popcorn kernels!
- Keeping the popped corn warm makes it easier to mix with the caramel coating. A little oil in the bowl prevents sticking. Wood or bamboo spatulas are great for mixing the ingredients without sticking.
- Use a candy (deep-fry) thermometer to gauge the sugar syrup temperature. Caramel corn is basically a confection so the temperature needs to be somewhat precise.
- Some recipes call for cooking the sugar syrup to a soft ball stage and then baking the coated popcorn. I found it easier to cook the syrup until hard crack and then pouring it over the popcorn and seasonings.
- The large amount of baking soda lightens the syrup.
- You can let the sugar mixture caramelize (darken) a bit more if you want a deep flavor. Dark brown sugar facilitates that because it contains molasses but you can push it more, if you like.
- When halving the recipe, cook the syrup in a deep 1 ½-quart pan.
- For spice, add a touch of chile heat.
- I tried adding the seasonings to the caramel mixture and sprinkling it on the foil but the best was to sprinkle it on the popcorn before the caramel gets added. The seasonings adhered well.
Feel free to play with this recipe. It’s addictive to play with and eat.
Recipe
Furitake Caramel Corn
Makes about 16 cups (4 quarts)
About ¼ cup canola oil
½ cup popcorn
2 tablespoons furikake blend of your choice
1 generous teaspoon Japanese 7-pepper blend (shichimi togarashi) or Korean red pepper powder (gochu garu), optional
1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
6 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into several pieces (use max for buttery flavor but the popcorn will tend to be on the chewy side)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 generous teaspoon kosher salt
1. Smear a smidgen of oil in a very large bowl and set aside near the stove. Heat the oven to the lowest heat possible (about 170F) to keep the popcorn warm later.
2. Put the ¼ cup oil and 1 popcorn kernel in a 5 or 6-quart pan. Cover and heat over high heat, until the kernel pops. Add the remaining popcorn and replace the cover.
Occasionally pick up the pan (use potholders) and vigorously shake it to ensure even cooking. When the kernels begin popping, shake frequently. When you no longer hear any kernels popping, remove the pan from the heat and give it a few more shakes for good measure.
Set the pan down and carefully remove the lid, lifting it away from you to avoid the hot steam.
Pour half of the popcorn into the bowl, keeping the remainder in the pan. Divide the furikake and pepper powder between the two, sprinkling it on. Put the bowl and pan of popcorn into the oven to keep warm.
3. In a deep medium saucepan, combine the two types of sugar, water, and corn syrup. Put a candy thermometer in place, then heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has melted.
When the bubbling brown sugar liquid reaches the soft ball stage (240F), add the butter, stirring it in. The mixture will turn opaque and feel thick.
Around 290F, pull the two vessels of popcorn from the oven and set near the stove. Put a 36-inch-long piece of aluminum foil on your counter.
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches hard crack (300F). Pull the pan off the heat. Stir it down to reduce the bubble action, then stir in the baking soda and salt. The mixture will now turn opaque and lighten in color. It will swell in volume.
4. Immediately pour half of the mixture over the popcorn in the bowl. Add the popcorn from the pan, then pour the remaining sugar mixture over the popcorn.
Use two wooden spatulas to toss and coat the popcorn with the caramel and seasonings. Work gently but steadily. Pour the popcorn onto the foil, spreading it out. Use your hands or two forks to separate the popcorn into small clusters.
Cool completely before eating or storing in an airtight container. I lined the container (tin or plastic) with a paper bag to prevent sticking and absorb moisture. Some estimate that the caramel corn will keep for a week but I’ll likely eat and give mine away long before that.
Have other ideas for seasoning caramel corn? Do share!
Related posts:
- Kimchi sour cream and grilled artichokes (another recipe inspired by Roy Choi)
- Deviled eggs with kewpie mayonnaise and ichimi togarashi
Karla Sakamoto
Looks soooo good! But, should it be called furikake not furitake? Kakeru (shortened to kake) means to put over something.
Cheers,
Yukari
Andrea Nguyen
Yukari -- You are completely right. My misspelling. It's FuriKake. Thanks for the edit and language lesson. Now I'll remember the meaning of kake.
Aleta
This looks terrific. Do you have a source for the seasoning in Santa Cruz or do I have to trek to San Jose? BTW, I've been popping corn in a wok a la Grace Young and it's wonderful.
Rosa
That is an interesting recipe! So innovative.
Cheers,
Rosa
Phil S.
Aleta - try Yamashita Grocery in Watsonville:
http://www.quickr.org/Yamashita_Grocery_Watsonville_CA_95076
Andrea Nguyen
Aleta -- Phil is right -- Watsonville's Yamashita market will have it. I got the above furikake at Staff of Life, where there are two other blends. I think that Shopper's has it too. Maybe New Leaf. Not Whole Foods on Soquel.
Phil S.
Note that many brands of furikake contain salt as a main ingredient. No sense in paying $$ for salt, so look for salt-free.
Or make your own. Maybe if Andrea gets into it, she can experiment and post her own home-blended favorite recipes.
Vicky
this looks so good. And, I agree, there is nothing better than popped corn on the stove. Thanks for sharing
Vicky
http://www.in-our-kitchen.com
Diana
I love it! I've never really seen furikake used for sweet snacks, but this is such a creative recipe. Getting the munchies now..
Andrea Nguyen
Phil -- you tempt me... I was thinking of making my own furikake. The stuff I bought and used was okay but not great. It's fine in the popcorn but could be better. It was a good place to start.
Andrea Nguyen
@Diana: Agree -- it's like an I-should-have-had-a-V-8 moment! Duh -- a combination of salty sweet.
Aleta
Thanks Phil and Andrea. I think I'll try Staff of Life first. Not such a long drive.
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I am a real Fool for Food! And I will definitely try this popcorn at home! It's a great twist for a yummy tv-snack! 🙂 Thanks.
Tuyet N.
Looks delicious! It reminds me of Hurricane popcorn--a Hawaiian style popcorn with nori and rice crackers.
Thanks for the recipe! I never know how to use up my furikake in time before it goes bad!
Shreeja N
Interesting recipe! Loved the pictures!
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Interesting post..keep it up wit ur best wrk.. The stuff I bought and used was okay but not great.
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Wow these corns seems so delicious...i am getting eager to have these..i am going to try this out..as i cant wait to have these.
WhatInTarnation
That looks amazing! I wish I could make it for my grandmother who used to make popcorn balls for me.
I'm a big fan of stove-popped popcorn. I think it has a better texture and flavor than popcorn made by alternate methods.
Kids love it and since I've taught my god-daughter to make it on the stove, she makes it for all of her friends. Pretty awesome. Our next lesson was going to be caramel sauce and caramels b/c she's been watching me work with candy thermometers lately, so I'm looking forward to making this recipe with her. She snacks on nori all the time and I think she'd love this.
I'm going to make this recipe tonight with white popcorn (seems more tender to me) and add some heat in the form of shichimi togarashi. It might be overkill, but I'll try it anyway.
Thanks for the recipe, the photos and the inspiration!
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I am not waiting to try it. Caramel Corn really superb recipe and very delicious too. I will try to make it.
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Mich L
made this before and it was delicious! but question: what went wrong when you sprinkled the furikake into the caramel? i shook it over the bowl of popcorn before pouring the caramel over and it either overseasoned the popcorn on top, or fell through the spaces right to the bottom. i thought that mixing it into the caramel might help disperse it more evenly
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The memory has faded some, but the feeling of pure joy is as strong as ever - dad coming home and pulling out from behind his back, to the raucous squeals of us kids, boxes of Cracker Jack, caramel corn that rattled when you shook the box. (Remember those commercials?) We had to have our own box, couldn't possibly share, because each box had a surprise gift and we each had to have our own gift. (Is that brilliant marketing or what?) No wonder I love caramel corn.
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yummy! i love popcorns..:)
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Now that's a hearty meal. Thanks for sharing.
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This looks terrific. Do you have a source for the seasoning in Santa Cruz or do I have to trek to San Jose? BTW.
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Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
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This is bit of more work that I ever expected for popcorn, but looks good. Worth a try