Once you have tangy tomato powder—made from dehydrated and pulverized tomatoes—in your arsenal, you’ll never run out of ways to use it. But this umami-forward popcorn seasoning mix of tomato powder, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder is sure to top the list. To make this recipe using popped unsalted popcorn, coat the popcorn with melted ghee or oil before sprinkling the spice blend over to ensure it adheres and evenly coats each kernel. This recipe makes more seasoning mix than you’ll need for a single batch of popcorn—sprinkle the leftovers over french fries, use it to coat fish or shrimp before cooking, or just save it for your next batch of popcorn. —Rachel Gurjar
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Ingredients
6–8 servings
½
cup tomato powder (about 4 oz.)
2
Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 3½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
2
tsp. garlic powder
1
tsp. cayenne pepper
3
Tbsp. avocado oil or vegetable oil
3
Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter
½
cup yellow popcorn kernels, divided
Special equipment:
a spice mill
Preparation
Step 1
Grind ½ cup tomato powder, 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 3½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. garlic powder, and 1 tsp. cayenne pepper in spice mill until very fine, about 30 seconds. Transfer spice blend to an airtight container.
Step 2
Heat 3 Tbsp. avocado oil or vegetable oil and 3 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add 2 yellow popcorn kernels (from ½ cup) and shake pot gently to coat. As soon as kernels begin to pop, add remaining popcorn kernels, cover pot with a large splatter screen or lid (leaving it slightly askew), and cook, shaking often, until most of kernels have popped, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit until popping has stopped. Transfer popcorn to a large bowl.
Step 3
Sprinkle about 4 Tbsp. spice blend over popcorn and toss to coat (save remaining spice blend for more batches of popcorn).
Do Ahead: Spice blend can be made 3 weeks ahead. Store at room temperature.
