Spicy popcorn? You bet. This Japanese seven-spice blend combines salty and spicy notes for a healthy snack. If you don’t make your own togarashi, check the container before adding it to your popcorn to make sure it doesn’t contain salt. For an even simpler recipe, skip the togarashi and just grind a few pieces of nori and a pinch of salt in a blender or spice grinder to sprinkle on your popcorn instead. If you’re fresh out of nori, you can always grind wakame, arame, or dulse instead, leaving out the pinch of salt for dulse or any seaweed you taste and find already salty.
Shichimi togarashi
This customizable spice blend generally features sansho pepper, a.k.a. Japanese prickly ash, a green peppercorn with a citrusy taste, along with seaweed flakes, chili pepper, and dried citrus peel—often yuzu or mandarin orange. If you can’t find sansho, look for Sichuan peppercorn, which has a slightly stronger mouth-tingling effect. You can buy dried orange, mandarin, or tangerine peel. Or you can dehydrate your own, in which case you might as well dehydrate a 1/8 in (3 mm) thick piece of fresh ginger along with the peel. If you can’t handle a lot of chili pepper heat, reduce the pepper to your taste.
Popcorn with Togarashi-Seaweed Spice Blend
Ingredients
- 8 cups (2 L) popped popcorn, about 1/3 cup (80 mL) kernels
- 1 tsp (5 mL) melted butter or plant-based margarine
- 1 tsp (5 mL) shichimi togarashi (see recipe)
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- 6 small dried red chili peppers
- 1 tsp (5 mL) sesame seeds or hempseeds
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) sansho or Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) dried orange peel
- 2 tsp (10 mL) nori flakes (or 2 sheets nori)
- 2 tsp (10 mL) poppy seeds
- 2 tsp (10 mL) ground ginger
Nutrition
Per serving:
- calories146
- protein5 g
- total fat 3 g
- sat. fat1 g
- total carbohydrates25 g
- sugars0 g
- fibre5 g
- sodium96 mg
Directions
01
In small skillet over medium heat, toast whole dried chili peppers, sesame seeds, and sansho peppercorns for 2 minutes. Transfer to small bowl to cool. In blender or spice grinder, coarsely grind with remaining ingredients.
02
In large bowl, drizzle melted butter over popped popcorn. Sprinkle with togarashi and salt, if using.
Amie Watson is a Montreal-based freelance writer, television contributor, and founder of the Fork That app. Her work has appeared in the Montreal Gazette, enRoute magazine, and The Globe and Mail.
