Sunday, May 5, 2013

Chinese 5-Spice (plus more) Popcorn


"A desire would arise and, concurrently, the satisfaction of that desire would also arise.  It was as if (a) I longed for a certain (heretofore untasted) taste until (b) said longing became nearly unbearable, at which time (c) I found a morsel of food with that exact taste already in my mouth, perfectly satisfying my longing."
-from Escape from Spiderhead in Tenth of December by George Saunders

I think this would be Max's sentiment about his music class, if he were able to articulate complex thoughts. And with some lapses in time.

After an art class was cancelled not once, but twice, because we were the only ones in attendance, I scouted around for some other options.  I found a not-annoying (there are countless annoying options out there, believe me) music class, and decided to put the little guy in it.

The following day, without even telling him about his upcoming class, music was suddenly meaningful to him. He asked for me to stream Pandora constantly, danced ridiculously, and even refused to go to bed without an iPod softly playing some Beatles.

His music class has become his favorite part of his week.

This Chinese 5-spice popcorn has played a similar role in our lives.  One night we decided that we needed popcorn.  And not just any popcorn.  But popcorn with Chinese 5-spice powder, a previously unexplored combination.  We rushed to the kitchen to play and found a delicious way to satisfy our longing. And though it wasn't a completely simultaneous experiencing and fulfillment of the craving, it was pretty close.

Ingredients
1/2 cup kernels
2-3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
finely ground salt, to taste

Instructions
In a small bowl, stir together the black pepper, Chinese 5-spice powder, nutritional yeast, ground mushrooms, garlic powder, and salt. Set aside.

Pour enough oil to cover the bottom of a large pot. Place over medium heat. Add three kernels of popcorn and cover pot with lid. Once those have popped, add the 1/2 cup of kernels. Shake the pot frequently. Once the popping has stopped, take off heat. Drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle the seasoning mix. Stir to ensure even coating of the popcorn. Adjust salt to taste.

15 comments:

  1. How creative! I am not really a fan of popcorn, but 5-spice is my favourite spice.

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  2. Oh man you just brought back memories of my mom's air popper. Love the quote, I feel like I can relate to part c. all the time!

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  3. Ooh, what a great spice for popcorn!

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  4. I'm so glad you found a class for Max and that it awakened a passion for music! Dare I say you're re-awakened my passion for 5 spice with this popcorn? Methinks, yes.

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  5. I love George Saunders. I had an opportunity to meet him last year at my MFA program. Such a talented writer...and hilarious in person! And of course, I love popcorn too. Thank you for sharing this spiced up version!

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  6. Popcorn is one of my most favorite of all foods. Love the idea of including a ground dried mushroom. I need a bowl of this right now!

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  7. I have a bag of five spice in my closet. I think I found a way to use some of it!

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  8. Interesting and unusual combination, would be interesting to try.

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  9. So sweet to hear how Max enjoys his music class.
    One cannot start early enough :)
    The Chinese 5-spice Popcorn sounds so tasty, we will try it during our next movie session.

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  10. I bet these spices are amazing on popcorn! Popcorn is definitely go-to snack these days...

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  11. Yum! What an interesting and delicious twist to the popcorns. Well done!

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  12. This sounds like such an interesting combination!

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