First, pour the oil in a deep pot or wok, along with three to five kernels of popcorn. Cover the pot with a lid, and place it over high heat. When the kernels have all popped, take the pan off the heat, and add in the rest of the kernels. Give it a quick stir to coat the popcorn in the hot oil, then leave it covered for 30 seconds. This brings up the temperature of all the kernels. Then, place the pot back on high heat, with the lid still on, and let the popcorn pop! When the pops subside (to a rate of less than 1 pop per second), take the pot off the heat. This should take around 30-45 seconds from the point at which you put the pot back on the heat.

I find it immensely useful to weigh out and prep all your ingredients before you start the caramel, because that will require your full attention, especially to catch it before burning. So, in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, and baking soda together. Then, in a separate bowl, combine the chopped nori, bonito flakes, and smoked paprika. Also, preheat your oven to 110°C, and line a baking tray with baking paper or a silicon mat (I recommend the latter if you have one).

Sprinkle approximately 1/4 of the sugar evenly into a non-stick pan (a regular pan works too; non-stick just cleans easier), and place the pan over medium heat. When you start to see some of the sugar melt, sprinkle a little more sugar on the melted parts. Do this progressively until you’ve added in all the sugar. Keep cooking the sugar to turn it into caramel, swirling the pan occasionally to even out the temperature of the sugar and also to make sure all of the sugar is melted. Then, when the sugar has turned a deep amber, add in the sauce mixture and whisk vigorously. The caramel will start frothing, and might seem split, but just keep whisking it for 30-60 seconds until it comes together into a smooth lava.

Pour the caramel onto your popped corn, together with the dry ingredients (nori, bonito flakes, paprika), and use a spatula to mix all the ingredients together until the popcorn is coated evenly in caramel. The caramel will harden with time and can be tricky to mix, so work fast!

Lay out all the popcorn onto your baking tray in one even layer. Then, bake it in the oven at 110°C for 60 minutes, giving the popcorn a rough mix every 15 minutes.

When done, take the popcorn out of the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes, before eating. The popcorn keeps well in an airtight container for up to 3 days, though it’ll lose its crunch over time. But let’s be real, most popcorn won’t even last past the pre-movie trailers; it’ll be all gone before you know it!