There is nothing in life that I do better than make popcorn--it is my finest skill. Of course, I'm not talking about microwave popcorn, which any fool can do, but rather the fine art of popping the kernels from scratch in a well-seasoned pot and salting just so with my array of gourmet salts. Popcorn is my number one comfort food and, in fact, when The Boyfriend came to visit he once again showed his undying devotion and firm grasp of my character my schlepping along my favorite brand of popcorn kernel so I could have a little taste of home in Delhi.
I am a popcorn lover, connoisseur and critic.
So, you can imagine how my interest was piqued when a couple of weeks ago I noticed popcorn venders popping up all over Delhi. (Pun totally intended!) The fact that these guys weren't around until recently was particularly exciting to me because it meant that popcorn is a seasonal food here!
Ok, sadly the above isn't the greatest picture, but you can kind of see what's going on here. To the left on his popcorn cart the vendor has bags of kernels (and nuts), that sort of whitish uimp you see on the right hand side of the cart is the fresh popcorn ready for sale and that big wok you see hanging off the far right hand of his cart is where the popcorn is being popped. (It's seated on an metal cylinder with fire inside)
What's not pictured here is how these guys season the popcorn. Basically, at the bottom of the cast-iron wok there is a seasoning mix of salt, masala, ashes, who knows what else. Each popcorn vender has a kind of big flat sifter-scooper thing which he uses to scoop up the seasoning which has gathered on the bottom and sprinkle it over the popcorn.(This also allows him to pick up heaps of popcorn and dump it on the cart).
I was entranced. I had to have some! So I bought myself a bag (for $20). As you can see pictured below, the popcorn is served in a make-shift bag from newspaper.
The verdict? Needs more salt.
I am a popcorn lover, connoisseur and critic.
So, you can imagine how my interest was piqued when a couple of weeks ago I noticed popcorn venders popping up all over Delhi. (Pun totally intended!) The fact that these guys weren't around until recently was particularly exciting to me because it meant that popcorn is a seasonal food here!
Ok, sadly the above isn't the greatest picture, but you can kind of see what's going on here. To the left on his popcorn cart the vendor has bags of kernels (and nuts), that sort of whitish uimp you see on the right hand side of the cart is the fresh popcorn ready for sale and that big wok you see hanging off the far right hand of his cart is where the popcorn is being popped. (It's seated on an metal cylinder with fire inside)
What's not pictured here is how these guys season the popcorn. Basically, at the bottom of the cast-iron wok there is a seasoning mix of salt, masala, ashes, who knows what else. Each popcorn vender has a kind of big flat sifter-scooper thing which he uses to scoop up the seasoning which has gathered on the bottom and sprinkle it over the popcorn.(This also allows him to pick up heaps of popcorn and dump it on the cart).
I was entranced. I had to have some! So I bought myself a bag (for $20). As you can see pictured below, the popcorn is served in a make-shift bag from newspaper.
The verdict? Needs more salt.
$20!
ReplyDeleteEr, sorry--that was 20 rupees (e.g., 40 cents)
ReplyDelete