Spicy dried shrimp and caramel popcorn

Serves 4 as a snack

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 90g popcorn kernels
• 90g unsalted butter
• 100g soft light brown sugar
• 0.5 tsp flaked sea salt
• 0.25 tsp baking powder
• 0.333 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp s riracha
• 30g dried shrimp

Step 1
Heat the oven to 130C (120C fan)/285F/gas 1 and line a large oven tray with baking paper.

Step 2
Put the oil in a large saucepan for which you have a lid, put on a medium heat and, once it’s quite hot, add the popcorn kernels and cover.

Step 3
Leave all the corn to pop, shaking the pan frequently, about five to six minutes, then tip into a large bowl and transfer about a third of it into a second bowl.

Step 4
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat, then add the sugar and cook, stirring, for two to three minutes, or until foamy and bubbling.

Step 5
Add the salt, baking powder, chilli and sriracha, and stir vigorously to combine; the mixture will bubble profusely, so take care.

Step 6
Turn off the heat and stir in the shrimp.

Step 7
Working quickly now, pour the caramel over the larger bowl of popcorn and mix to coat.

Step 8
Transfer to the prepared baking tray, spreading out the coated popcorn as much as possible, then bake for an hour, stirring two or three times, or until the popcorn is no longer sticky.

Step 9
Remove, then leave to dry out and cool completely – about 15 minutes.

Step 10
To serve, transfer the spiced popcorn to a large bowl, stir in the reserved third of unspiced popcorn and add an extra sprinkling of flaked salt, if you like.