Mexican Style Popcorn
There were a couple of things that I started out cooking when I was in middle school, if not sooner than that. One of them was sunny side up eggs, and the other was stove top popcorn. I honestly thought I was a popcorn ninja, making delicious salty and butter popcorn for family members. It was almost a nightly ritual, and now I can see why my kids love making it now as well, in particular my oldest. It was one of the first things I taught him as well. How to manage heat, hot oil, and how to salt and butter popcorn. Now granted he uses an air popper from time to time, but he really loves making stove top popcorn. With that said, I wanted to see if my oldest, or even my other family members would partake in another spin on popcorn, and that was a Mexican style popcorn.
I always tinker with different seasonings when I make popcorn, and a simple seasoned salt, or couple dashes of grated parmesan and Italian seasoning are some of my favorite, but this time I wanted to put some fresh herbs in it and enhance the popcorn with simple Mexican ingredients.
To say the least, I made a big batch, and who would have thought that my kids would have devoured it? It was that good.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of your favorite popcorn kernels (I use a blend)
- 1/4 cup of canola oil
- salt, to taste
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 lime, zest only
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Start by heating a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the oil, and a few of the popcorn seeds.
Cover, and shake a few times. Once the kernels pop, add the remaining popcorn kernels, cover, and continue to shake the covered pot until all of the kernels have popped.
Add the lime zest to a large bowl. Uncover, and pour the popcorn into a large bowl.
Pour in the melted butter, salt, and give it a good toss. Toss a few more times until all of the popcorn is nicely coated with butter and salt.
Next add in the cotija cheese and chopped cilantro. Toss a couple of more times, then taste and season accordingly.
What really makes this popcorn standout is the lime zest, and the cotija cheese. If you have never had cotija cheese, think of it like parmesan cheese, or even a feta cheese. The fresh cilantro also freshens this popcorn. It’s a good one, so if you are looking to update a batch of popcorn, give this Mexican style popcorn a try. Hope you enjoy!
Mexican Style Popcorn
Ingredients
- 1 cup of your favorite popcorn kernels I use a blend
- 1/4 cup of canola oil
- salt to taste
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1 lime zest only
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Start by heating a large pot on medium-high heat. Add the oil, and a few of the popcorn seeds.
- Cover, and shake a few times. Once the kernels pop, add the remaining popcorn kernels, cover, and continue to shake the covered pot until all of the kernels have popped.
- Add the lime zest to a large bowl. Uncover, and pour the popcorn into a large bowl.
- Pour in the melted butter, salt, and give it a good toss. Toss a few more times until all of the popcorn is nicely coated with butter and salt.
- Next add in the cotija cheese and chopped cilantro. Toss a couple of more times, then taste and season accordingly.