RECIPE: Marc Matsumoto’s Umami Popcorn

Making popcorn from scratch is easy and delicious and tossing it with finely minced shio konbu takes it to the next level. Drizzling the popcorn with butter helps the shio konbu stick to the popcorn while imbuing a cheesy flavor, but if you're looking to cut back on the fat, you can skip it. 

Ingredients

• 8 grams (0.3 oz) shio konbu, about 2 packed tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
• 1 tablespoon melted butter, optional 

Instructions

1. Finely chop the shio konbu into small flakes.  
2. Add the vegetable oil and popcorn kernels to a large, heavy-bottomed pot and stir to coat each kernel with oil. Cover the pot with a lid and turn on the stove to medium heat.
3. When the popcorn starts to pop, set the lid slightly ajar to let the steam escape (but not so much the popcorn flies out). Shake the pot periodically to settle the unpopped kernels. When the popping slows to one pop every few seconds, transfer the popcorn to a bowl. 
4. Drizzle the popcorn with melted butter if you like, and sprinkle on the shio konbu powder. Toss to coat each kernel with the powder. 

Recipe courtesy of our friend Marc Matsumoto of No Recipes