Making Homemade Popcorn with Malaysian Red Palm Oil

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Have you tried cooking with red palm oil?  This was my first time using it.  I was sent a bottle of Carotino Malaysian Red Palm oil to try so I made one of our favorite things...popcorn!  

Since I am new to cooking with palm oil, I am guessing many of you are too.  Did you know that Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil is a healthy replacement for partially hydrogenated oil because it is trans fat free and rich with nutrients?  Palm oil is also non-GMO and ideal for high-temperature cooking making it perfect for homemade popcorn.  

Want to learn where palm oil comes from?
Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree, which can only grow near the equator. These trees have been producing abundant oil-rich fruit for decades.  A one-acre palm oil plantation produces 11 times more oil than a one-acre soybean field.  In 2008, Malaysia became the first to produce and export certified sustainable palm oil.  

What about nutrition?
Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil comes in golden and red varieties.  Red palm oil is particularly rich in nutrients such as vitamin E (tocotrienols).  In fact, bread baked with palm oil has nearly ten times the vitamin E of bread baked with canola oil.  Plus, palm oil’s uncommon vitamin E form (tocotrienols) has 60 times the antioxidant power of the more typical form (tocopherols).  In addition, Red palm oil is loaded with carotenoids and potent phytonutrients also found in squash, carrots, oranges, and apricots. 
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My parents always made oil popped homemade popcorn on the stove so naturally I do the same.  In fact, when I was a kid the first thing that went on the Christmas tree was the homemade popcorn garland.  We watched Christmas movies and strung popcorn with a needle and thread, of course eating some in the process.  We haven't carried on the tradition of stringing popcorn garland in our home, but we continue to make oil popped homemade popcorn.  

I have been making my homemade popcorn with coconut oil which is really good too, but now that I have red palm oil it is perfect for making popcorn.  It tastes delicious, handles the heat well, and has many nutritious benefits.  

Look at the gorgeous golden color of the popcorn popped in red palm oil.  

It tastes delicious too.  My little "helper" just couldn't resist helping himself during my photo shoot.  

Who can resist fresh homemade popcorn?  

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Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. Malaysian Red Palm Oil 
1/2 cup popcorn seeds
3 Tbsp. melted butter, optional 
Salt to taste

1.  Heat a stovetop popcorn popper or a large pot with a lid to medium high.  
2.  Pour about 1 Tbsp. Malaysian Red Palm Oil into the popper or pot.  I don't measure this since I have been making popcorn forever so you can estimate about a T.  
3.  Pour in 1/2 cup popcorn seeds.  I do measure the popcorn seeds since about a half cup makes the perfect amount for my stovetop popper.  You may need to adjust this amount if you are using a large pot.  
4.  Next you cook the seeds until they pop making sure to shake or move the seeds while they are cooking.  With a stovetop popper, you turn the crank on the lid to turn the stirring mechanism inside the popper.  With a large pot with a lid, you will need to shake it intermittently while cooking to keep the kernels moving so that they don't burn.  
5.  Pop until most of the kernels have popped and you can count several seconds between pops.  
6.  Remove from the heat.  Pour into a large bowl and pour half the melted butter over it and sprinkle with salt.  Toss, then pour the remaining melted butter over it and sprinkle with salt again.  

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