It started in art school where there wasn’t on-campus living, social activities or even a cafeteria. I lived alone in a small studio apartment on the edge of downtown Portland where the winter evenings were bone chillingly cold and shiny black with rain. This is when I started to dislike Sunday nights.
A lot of the kids at school were from Portland or nearby and would go home on the weekends to eat warm, home cooked meals surrounded by family and friends. Sundays to me were a time when I missed Idaho and one of the only times I really felt lonely.
Even after college when I had moved back to Boise where family was close and friends plentiful, Sundays still carried the same stigma. Summers weren’t as bad as people liked to drag the weekend out with BBQs or evenings spent well until dusk on the patio at a local pizza place with frosty pitchers of beer. But as soon as the weather shifted so did my friends, withdrawing to the coziness of their homes and significant others.
When I met Devin, he set out to change my mind about Sundays. His plan included a bottle of wine, a big bowl of popcorn, a cozy fireplace and cooking shows.
The popcorn started out as the standard butter and salt issue but maybe the inspiration from all the cooking shows rubbed off. I did what any sensible person would seemingly do these days – I initiated a Pinterest board and started collecting inspiration. Now it seems that every sauce gets scrutinized for its popcorn-worthiness and that’s how this recipe for Kung Pao Popcorn came about.
When I was a kid sometimes as a treat we’d have popcorn and grape juice in front of the tv for our Sunday night dinner. Unknowingly Devin brought Sunday night full circle. No wonder if feels so comfortable and is now one of my favorite nights of the week.
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp peeled ginger, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp hot chili paste (sambal oelek)
- 6 dried chiles de árbol, lightly crushed
- ½ cup soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten free option)
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
- Popcorn
- Butter
- ½ cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- Mix cornstarch and 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl until smooth.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often, until garlic is golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add chili paste and cook, stirring, until darkened, about 2 minutes.
- Add chiles, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, and ½ cup water and bring to a boil; stir in cornstarch slurry. Simmer, stirring, until sauce coats spoon, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Make desired quantity of popcorn by your preferred method (mine is on the stove in a heavy pan).
- Melt butter and add a generous dollop of the kung pao sauce – more if you want the popcorn heavily coated, less for light coating.
- Pour over prepared popcorn, stirring to mix.
- Add dry roasted peanuts and sesame seeds and serve.