Spicy Pad Thai Popcorn

One of my favorite places in Charleston, SC, is The Gin Joint. It is this hip little place on East Bay Street with an early 1900s vibe. On their menu item is a Pad Thai Popcorn which dangles on that fine line of sweet and spicy, and I fell in love with the stuff. So I decided to try to make a version of it here at home. Now, for those of you who do not appreciate that fine feeling of your mouth being almost on fire, this recipe is NOT for you!

Spicy Pad Thai Popcorn

10 cups          Popped white popcorn (unsalted, no butter, naked popcorn)
1 cup             Unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup         Olive oil
2 tsp              Fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp        Sambal Oelek (Chinese chili sauce - This is what makes this recipe hot)
1/2 cup         Sugar in the Raw (cane sugar)
1 tsp              Lime Juice

I popped my popcorn per the directions on the bag of plain white popcorn kernels using the stove top pot method. Once you have your popcorn, take the olive oil, heat it in a skillet, and roast your peanuts in it. When they are a golden brown, remove the skillet from the burner and add the wet ingredients and the sugar.

Stir until they are mixed well and then allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes.

Toss the popcorn in the mixture to cover the corn evenly and lay the popcorn out on aluminum foil to dry. The final product will still be slightly sticky, but delicious with a kick!