Popcorn has become a big hit recently. Its mainstream in supermarkets and has even gone gourmet with all sorts of wild flavours (and prices). Oddly enough I have always made it myself. There is something about the drama of the popping…. its totally nuts, little kernels springing into action and catapulting themselves at the pan lin. Plus its SO easy, SO cheap, and SO healthy. Honestly, don’t bother with the pre-packaged stuff. Especially don’t bother with the extortionately priced and super-stale cinema variety… even the cashier will judge.

Popcorn is an ideal alternative to fattier snacks such as crisps and is fructose free! So you can eat bowl after bowl and feel pretty smug about it. Also, if you are not a BBQ fan, there are so many options open to you: a dash of either salt, cinnamon, paprika, parmesan, five-spice, whatever takes your fancy. Get popping!

Ingredients (makes a large sharing bowl)

 80g popcorn kernels

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp fine salt

½ tsp chilli powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp black pepper

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Mix the paprika, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper in a bowl
2. Pour the vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pan (make sure it has a lid!) over a medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and cover the pan with the lid
3. Cook whilst shaking gently and frequently to evenly distribute the hot oil among the kernels as they pop. Remove the pan from the stove once the popping slows to every 10 seconds or so
4. Transfer the cooked popcorn to the bowl of spices and mix thoroughly