Photos by Shoji Kudaka ()
These days popcorn comes in a variety of flavors. When you have options such as “Gin and Tonic” popcorn or “Eggnog” popcorn, “honey” popcorn may not sound that unique. However, the taste of this snack available around Pooh’s Honey Hunt, a popular attraction of Tokyo Disneyland, can be a big surprise.
I stumbled upon a recipe for this popcorn on a YouTube channel. Although not the theme park’s official recipe, the video’s hot popcorn mixing with the yummy-looking honey sauce made up my mind — I had to give it a try!
The cost of materials was very reasonable. All I needed was a pack of popcorn kernels from the Daiso 100-yen store and butter. Everything else this recipe called for I had at home.
The recipe seemed pretty simple and straightforward, too. The first step was to fry the kernels, then heat the honey, sugar and butter before mixing with the popped corn kernels.
When I gave it a try, however, it turned out to be a lot more eventful than it was supposed to be. Kernels went flying in all directions when I foolishly, and out of curiosity, removed the lid during the first step. Later, when attempting to let the glazed popcorn cool, I made the mistake of placing them on a paper towel instead of parchment paper. Needless to say, it took a bit of effort to peel off the paper towel from the batch of popcorn.
Redemption came when I had my first taste of these delicious puffs. I could hardly stop eating the sweet popcorn, just like Winnie the Pooh can’t stop thinking of anything but honey.
My cooking was a bit too adventurous, but, just like the stories in the Hundred-Acre Wood, this, too, worked out OK in the end!
Honey Popcorn (Based upon Kotori’s Kitchen on YouTube)
Materials
Popcorn kernel (35g)
Oil (15g)
Honey (30g)
Butter (30g)
Salt (A pinch. This is unnecessary if your butter includes salt)
Sugar (20g)
Recipe
1 Put popcorn kernels and oil in a pan (or a pot) and mix them.
2 Put the pan over medium heat. Make sure you put a lid on the pot while heating.
3 When the popcorn starts bouncing, shake the pan.
4 Once the kernels are done with popping, put the popcorn on a plate and let them cool down.
5 In the pan, mix butter (30g), sugar (20g), and honey (30g) together. (Add a pinch of salt if the butter is unsalted)
6 Place the pan over medium heat and keep stirring the ingredients to avoid burning the sauce.
7 The sauce gets thick and its color changes gradually.
8 When the sauce turns brownish, turn off the stove.
9 Add the popcorn back in the pan and mix them with the sauce quickly.
10 Spread the popcorn out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and let it cool. (Make sure to spread the popcorn as the sauce is sticky and this will ensure the popcorn is coated separately.)
11 Once the sauce has hardened on the popcorn, it’s time to enjoy! いただきます(Bon appetite)!
