serves
4
prep
5 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
5
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- canola or vegetable oil
- 1 cup sage leaves
- 110 g (½ cup) popcorn kernels
Gold seasoning
- 3 tsp mild mustard powder
- 2 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 40 g parmesan or other hard cheese, finely grated (see Note)
Makes 10 cups
Instructions
To make the gold seasoning, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well.
Fill a 3 or 4-litre saucepan with 1 cm of oil and heat over medium heat. When hot, fry the sage leaves for about 15 seconds or until crisp but not too coloured. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Remove all but 3 tbsp (¼ cup) of oil in the saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until just before it smokes. Add a popcorn kernel to the oil to test if it is hot enough; if it spins, then the oil is ready (see Note).
Add all the popcorn kernels, swirl to cover the kernels with the oil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for 1 minute 45 seconds or until the popping sounds have stopped.
Tip the popcorn into a large wide bowl, add the sage and immediately toss with half of the seasoning until all the popcorn is well coated, then add the remaining seasoning and toss again.
Note
• Make the effort to freshly grate parmesan rather than using pre-grated stuff as it’s fluffier and will do a much better job of sticking to your popcorn.
• The oil shouldn’t be smoking; if it is, remove from the heat until it stops smoking, then return to the heat.
* Totally made up.
Photography by Amanda McLauchlan, styling by Aimee Jones.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
