camp meals

Sriracha Popcorn

Popcorn popped in the pot, then coated in hot sauce and oil. Snack weight, dinner volume.

calories
320
weight
1.8 oz
cal / oz
178
protein
5 g
serves
2, scales
prep
2 min
cook
6 min
total time
8 min
water
none
cost
$

Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.

  • Snack
  • Canister stove
  • Liquid fuel
  • Campfire coals
  • Car camping
  • Basecamp
  • Backpacking
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy free
  • Nut free
  • One pot
  • Grab and go
  • Shelf stable
  • Basic

Ingredients

Popcorn kernels 1/3 cup makes about 6 cups popped
Olive oil 2 tbsp 1 tbsp for popping, 1 tbsp for the sauce
Sriracha 1 tbsp squeeze packets or a small dropper bottle
Salt 1/4 tsp

Method

  1. Put 1 tbsp of oil and three kernels in the pot, lid on, over medium heat.
  2. When those three pop, dump in the rest of the kernels and take the pot off the heat for thirty seconds so they all reach temperature together.
  3. Back on the heat, lid cracked a hair to vent steam. Shake the pot steadily until the pops slow to one every few seconds, then pull it off.
  4. Tip the popcorn into a bag or bowl. In the empty pot, off the heat, stir the sriracha into the remaining tablespoon of oil.
  5. Drizzle the sauce over the popcorn, close the bag, and shake. Salt to taste.

The original uses butter in the sauce, which does not travel. Olive oil does the same job here: it carries the sriracha, sticks to the popcorn, and doubles as the popping fat. Nothing in the pot needs a cooler.

The three-kernel test and the off-heat pause matter more than they sound. Cold kernels dropped into hot oil pop in waves, so the first batch burns while the last is still sitting there. Letting them all warm together gets most of them popping at once. Crack the lid or the steam softens everything into chew.

Packing

Kernels and salt in one small bag. Sriracha in packets or a leakproof dropper bottle, bagged separately, because it will find a way out.

Variations

  • Half sauced, half plain, mixed together if a full tablespoon of sriracha is more heat than you want.
  • A spoon of nutritional yeast in the shake bag adds savor and a little protein.

https://domesticsuperhero.com/sriracha-popcorn-the-perfect-staying-at-home-and-watching-a-movie-snack