Snacks | RecipeTin Eats

Crunchy muesli bars (granola bars)

Nagi — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 02:53:53 +0000

Adapted from my chewy muesli bars, this is a recipe for crunchy muesli bars that stay crunchy for over 3 weeks! I munch on these as a sweet-treat fix, yet they’re healthy enough for breakfast because they’re sugar-free. Endlessly customisable!

In pursuit of crunchy muesli bars

Chewy muesli bars are so easy to make. They don’t even need to be baked!

Crunchy muesli bars, however, were irritatingly difficult to crack. At least, without using sugar. Wildly popular crunchy muesli bars from my school playground days (mysteriously difficult to find these days – if at all?) had a frightening amount of sugar in them for something marketed as “healthy”.

While I am not one to shy away from sugar in my baking, I just always feel that some things should be a little more wholesome. Muesli bars being one such thing!

Cracking the crunchy muesli bar code

In a nutshell – if you bake a basic muesli bar recipe, it will come out crunchy but doesn’t stay that way for very long. Sometimes a few hours, or the day at best. The next day they are chewy/sticky/sweaty.

For stay-crunchy muesli bars, I found I had to do a double-bake situation:

toast the oats and nuts
mix with glue (peanut butter and honey)
press in pan, chill to firm
cut, then bake.

Lots of iterations of the above were tried in pursuit of this final recipe! I hope you love and munch on these crunchy muesli bars for many years to come.

Ingredients in crunchy muesli bars

Excellent recipe to cater to nut allergies! Just use 2 3/4 cups of “anything you want” though I’d use at least 3/4 cup of oats (my recipe uses 1 1/2 cups) for muesli-bar density. Any less and you will start moving into nut-bar territory (chunkier) and the glue (peanut butter + honey) may be insufficient to hold the bar together.

Express pass: Just use 2 3/4 cups of your favourite muesli mix!

Natural peanut butter – This recipe calls for natural peanut butter which is just pure peanuts without sugar and salt added. It’s runnier than commercial peanut butter spread (Bega/Kraft, Skippy, Jif) so it’s easier to mix through. I fear if you try this with commercial peanut butter spread, you will be cursing me with a thick doughy mixture! (Also, pure peanut butter is healthier – no palm oil, no sugar etc).
I use smooth but crunchy is fine too.
Non-peanut alternatives – Hazelnut, almond and cashew butter work great! While tahini would be an option I think the sesame flavour would dominate a little too much.
Honey – The sweetener for the glue and also what makes the muesli bar crunchy once baked. Maple syrup also works but they are not quite as crunchy and don’t hold together quite as well. But a good alternative.
Rolled oats – Just plain rolled oats, like we use for recipes like oatmeal cookies and Anzac biscuits. Not quick oats, not a ready-made porridge mix, not steel cut oats.
Almonds – I like chunky bits of almonds in my muesli bars. It’s best to give them a rough chop else you end up with giant pieces of almonds throughout which can make it more difficult to get clean cuts.
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) – These always make an appearance in my muesli bars for a nice splash of green colour.
Sultanas – My nostalgic dried fruit of choice, though you can absolutely substitute with anything you want.
Cinnamon – For flavour. Pumpkin spice mix is also lovely, as is a dab of vanilla extract (mix into the glue). Other spices I like to dabble with include: all spice, mixed spice and ginger.
Salt – Don’t skip this! Just a touch makes a difference. It does not make it salty.
Mini chocolate chips (optional) – The choc chips in store bought choc chip muesli bars are mini ones which are smaller than regular choc chips used in cookies. Mini ones are about 5mm / 0.2″ wide. I found them at my local Scoop Wholefoods (one of those places where you help yourself and pay by weight) but since deciding to publish this recipe, they have become strangely hard to find! So don’t fret if you can’t find them, just use regular ones.
Alternative – Chocolate drizzle across the top. Do this after baking! I just pop a small handful of chocolate chips or chocolate melts in a small ziplock bag. Microwave until melted, snip the corner off then drizzle across the muesli bars.

How to make crunchy muesli bars

The order of the steps matter for long-lasting crunchiness!!! And cutting the muesli bars before baking to lock in crunchiness is key.

Toast the oats and nuts in the oven for just 10 minutes. Drying out the oats a bit is a crunchiness insurance step, and toasting the nuts brings out the flavour.
Muesli glue – Warm the peanut butter and honey in the microwave (just 30 seconds) then give it a good mix to combine. The mixture is thinner when it’s warm which makes it easier to mix through.

Mix – Put the warm oats/nuts into a heatproof bowl and add everything else: dried fruit, cinnamon powder and salt. Pour over the warm glue then mix until thoroughly combined. It might seem like there’s not enough glue, but there is! Persist, use a cutting motion if needed. If it gets too hard to mix, microwave the bowl for 20 seconds which will loosen the mixture up and make it easier to mix.
Press – Put a sheet of paper over a 20 cm / 8″ square pan (no need to grease and create more washing up for yourself). Then press the mixture evenly into the pan. Hands is easiest, I find.

Optional choc chips

Cool then press – If you are topping your muesli bars with choc chips, let the mixture cool a bit first else the choc chips will melt! Then sprinkle across the surface and press in by covering with another sheet of paper (to prevent melting on contact with your hands).
Choc chips – post press!

Fridge – Put the pan in the fridge for 1 hour or until it is firm enough to lift the whole slab out without it sagging. At this stage, these are chewy muesli bars so you can eat them as is. But if you are in pursuit of crunchy, plough on!
Cut into 10 bars.

Bake for 25 minutes in a moderate oven (160°C/325°F (140°C fan-forced) until they are quite golden. You need to be brave here because pale = not as crunchy as they could be, but burnt = bitter! Check at 22 minutes to be cautious.
Cool for crunch! You will be able to feel that the muesli bars are crunchy but touching them. But don’t try to move or pick them up until they are fully cool so they will set and harden.

Storing crunchy muesli bars

Once fully cool, store them in an airtight container to preserve crunch. In “normal” weather, they will stay crunchy for up to 5 days just keeping them in the pantry. This also means you can pop them in a lunchbox and they’ll stay crunchy!

But to prolong the crunchy-life of these muesli bars and most especially in hot, humid weather (ie Sydney right now!), store the muesli bars in the fridge. This keeps them crunchy for well over a fortnight. I’m up to three weeks and they are still fine!

And actually, in warm weather, munching on cool muesli bars straight out of the fridge is actually very appealing.

Hope you enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Crunchy muesli bars (granola bars)

Recipe video above. I've never come across a crunchy muesli bar recipe that stayed crunchy beyond a day. So I decided to make my own – and these stay crunchy for 3+ weeks! Adapted from my chewy muesli bars, I found the key to be lightly toasting the oats then cutting the bars before baking. The chewy muesli bars also have a higher ratio of honey and peanut butter which is what makes them chewy!

PS Even though they're sugar free, I munch on these when I need a sweet-treat fix, yet they're healthy enough for breakfast.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Australian, Western

Keyword crunchy granola bars, crunchy muesli bars, muesli bars

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Fridge & cooling 2

Servings bars

Calories 183cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

The glue:

1/4 cup honey (Note 1)
1/4 cup natural peanut butter, smooth (or crunchy!) (Note 2)

Muesli bars (Note 3):

1 1/2 cups rolled oats* (not steel cut)
1/2 cup almonds* , roughly chopped
1/4 cup pepitas* (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup sultanas*
3/4 tsp cinnamon powder (or other, like pumpkin spice)
1/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
2 tbsp small chocolate chips or 3 tbsp regular dark choc chips, optional (Note 4)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F (140°C fan-forced). Place a sheet of baking paper over a 20 cm / 8" square tin with overhang so it's easy to lift out later (no greasing needed).
Toast: Spread the oats, chopped almonds and pepitas on a tray. Bake for 10 minutes. Tip into a heatproof bowl. (Note 5) Add the sultanas, cinnamon and salt.
Muesli mixture: Microwave the honey and peanut butter in a heatproof jug for 30 seconds on high. Mix to combine. (Note 6) Pour over the oat mixture and mix through. It might seem like it won't mix in, but persist, it will! Use a cutting motion if needed. Last resort – Note 7
Press: Tip the muesli mixture into the pan then press firmly into the pan. Once cooled, scatter the choc chips across surface (if using). Cover with a sheet of paper then press down firmly with your hands to push the choc chips in.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm enough to lift out without bending.
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F (140°C fan-forced).
Cut: Use the paper overhang to lift the muesli slab onto a cutting board. Cut in half, then each into 5 (10 bars). Transfer onto a tray using the paper, then space the muesli bars out.
Bake for 25 minutes or until quite golden on the surface and golden brown on the edges but not burnt.
Cool & crunchy: Remove from the oven and cool on the tray – it will become crunchy! Store in an airtight container once cooled, in the fridge if it's warm where you are. It will still be crunchy 3 weeks later!

Notes

* Switch these with whatever you want, use 2 3/4 cups total. See Note 3 for more info.

1. Honey – Maple syrup can be substituted but it doesn’t have quite the same glueing strength as honey. But it will still work, the muesli bars just crumble a little more easily when you bite into them.

2. Peanut butter – Natural, pure peanut butter that is 100% peanuts with no sugar, salt etc added is best here, for flavour and thickness (commercial spread is much thicker so it’s harder to mix through).

Non-peanut alternatives – almond, cashew or hazelnut butter. Tahini has been suggested which I haven’t tried because I feel the sesame flavour would overwhelm.

3. Stuff – You can basically use 2 3/4 cups of any “stuff” you want (I’ve made this using just a budget muesli mix) though you need at least 3/4 cup oats for the mixture to have the right density to glue together. I like the ratio I’ve listed above – sufficient dried fruit for natural sweetness, right amount of nuts for crunch!

4. Choc chips used in commercial muesli bars are smaller than the baking chips used for chocolate chip cookies. I found them at Scoop Wholefoods (those places where you help yourself and pay by weight). Else, just use regular choc chips OR drizzle the muesli bars with melted chocolate (like store bought ones).

5. Use a heatproof bowl for mixing in case you need to rewarm the mixture to loosen it up.

6. Heating makes it thinner so easier to mix through.

7. Last resort – microwave for 20 seconds to loosen the mixture up.If the mixture gets too thick to mix the “glue” through evenly, microwave for 20 seconds to loosen the mixture up then mix again.

Storage – They will stay fresher and crunchier for longer if they are stored in the fridge in an airtight container. They are actually really nice eaten cold, straight from the fridge! But if it’s not hot and humid where you are, they can even be stored for around 5 days just in the pantry.

Nutrition per bar. I find that one bar makes a good breakfast – and I have a hearty appetite!

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Early morning at his second favourite place on earth – Bayview dog beach. (I like to think his first favourite is wherever I am!)

The post Crunchy muesli bars (granola bars) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Haloumi fries

Nagi — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 06:00:00 +0000

The best haloumi recipe I know – Haloumi Fries! Think – French fries, but better. The outsides are crunchier (thanks panko!) and the insides are warm, salty haloumi cheese. Guaranteed crowd pleaser for a party or as a starter. Fry, bake or air-fry!

It started as a salad.

I found myself in a typical situation of having an excess stash of something (haloumi in this case) because it was steeply discounted and I couldn’t resist. Let’s make a gorgeous haloumi salad! I declared enthusiastically, channelling the virtuous side of me.

There were several iterations. And they were all delicious……but then someone had the genius idea to try haloumi fries and all of a sudden, the salads were long forgotten.

So yes, these haloumi fries evolved from salads. You can connect the dots, right? 😂

( I did share a haloumi salad recipe once – it’s here.)

The garlic yogurt dipping sauce is literally the perfect match!

Just briefly, on Haloumi Fries (& haloumi)

Named as such because they look like fries except made with haloumi, Haloumi Fries are not a new thing. They have been on the menu of Mediterranean and plenty of non-Mediterranean restaurants/bars/bistros for years, and there’s loads of recipes on the internet.

Haloumi is a cheese from Cyprus that’s firm, salty and briny. It’s a bit like Greek feta. However, feta crumbles whereas halloumi does not crumble as well, halloumi goes golden brown when pan fried whereas feta does not, and feta semi-melts when heated whereas halloumi does not. Which is why it’s ideal for making fries!

Haloumi cut into “fries”

Crumbing

What you need for Haloumi Fries

Here’s what you need to make Haloumi Fries:

Haloumi – or halloumi. A firm briny cheese from Cyrus, feels like Greek feta. Find it vac-packed in the cheese section. Has an excellent long shelf life so I stock up when discounted!
Panko breadcrumbs – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most large grocery stores (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section but cheaper in Asian stores! Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it.
Spices – For seasoning the flour coating. Adds extra flavour. Not essential…but why skip it?? The Italian herbs is just the generic store bought pre-mix sold in every grocery store. I use it regularly in my recipes, like the One Pot Beef Pasta I shared recently!
Egg and flour – The glue, to make the panko stick to the haloumi.
Oil for shallow frying – Canola, vegetable or any other neutral flavoured oil. Even olive oil (but don’t waste your money using pricier extra virgin olive oil!).

Garlic yogurt sauce

We’re making a quick garlic dipping sauce today using yogurt as the base. The cool tangy creaminess with lovely hit of garlic goes so well with the haloumi fries, so don’t skip it!

Plain yogurt – Not sweetened. Preferable Greek. If you use low-fat, it won’t have the same mouthfeel because it’s not as thick and creamy, but it will work just fine!
Garlic – Finely grated using a microplane or grater so it disappears into the yogurt.
Lemon – Just a touch, for extra freshness. Substitute with vinegar.
Extra virgin olive oil – To add a bit of richness to the sauce. We only use a tiny amount.
Salt – For seasoning. Again, just a tiny amount!

How to make haloumi fries

It’s actually relatively fast because they only take 90 seconds to fry. I can do a batch in 20 minutes from start to finish. I also like that it’s more shallow-fried rather than deep fried. Just – less splatter, less oil to deal with, etc etc. (I’m a selective deep frier. ie I only fry when it’s really worth it!).

Cut the haloumi into sticks around 1.5cm / 0/6″ thick. The length will depend on the shape of your haloumi. I cut mine into 5 slices lengthwise, then each into half which makes uniform fries, and get 20 pieces.
This is me cutting the slice in half to form a fry.

Garlic dipping sauce – Probably should have put this first because I do it first! Just mix the ingredients together then set aside while you make the haloumi fries. It needs at least 15 minutes to let the flavours infuse and meld.
Crumbing – OK, crumbing time! Flour first….then shake off excess.
Then egg – hold it up to let the excess drip off.
Than the panko. Press to adhere well and make sure there’s no naked patches!

Crumbing tips

Use bowls large enough to fit the haloumi.
Use the same hand for the flour and egg, the the other hand for the panko. Less finger-mess.
Pro level – crumb two at a time! Use a finger to keep the fries separated as you dredge.
Olympic level – Rather than turning or pinching/sprinkling the breadcrumbs on, TOSS the bowl to coat in breadcrumbs! Optimum mess free! 🙌🏻 You’ll see me demonstrate this in the recipe video below.

Fry the halmoui sticks for just 90 seconds until golden and crisp in oil pre-heated to 180°C/350°F.
Oil temperature testing – If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil temp using a small cube of white bread. It should take 15 seconds to turn golden and crispy.
Drain the cooked fries on a paper towel lined tray. Then continue cooking.
Because haloumi fries only take 90 seconds to cook, you don’t need to worry about keeping cooked ones warm in the oven.
Once they’re all cooked, serve with the garlic dipping sauce!

Baking and air-fryer options

Whenever I share a deep fried recipe, the most common question is – can I bake this? And hot on it’s heels these days is – can I make this in my air fryer?

So today, we’ve tested it out and happy to report that you can!

Baked haloumi fries

Air-fryer haloumi fries

The baked option is best made using my panko pre-toasting technique where the breadcrumbs are baked in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes to make them golden and crunchy before using. Otherwise, they will come out pale with brown spots rather than a beautiful even golden brown like when fried. It’s not a big deal – spread on the same tray you’ll be baking the haloumi fries. Tried and proven technique that readers love in recipes such as Crunchy Chicken Tenders, Baked Filet-O-Fish and Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu! Crumb the halloumi, then bake on a rack at same temp for 20 minutes or until crunchy.

The air fryer option works a treat! Pre-heat air fryer to 200°C/390°F for 5 minutes. Oil spray fries and spray the basket. Place all haloumi fries in a single layer in a 7 L/qt+ air fryer. Cook for 9 minutes until crispy and golden!

Difference to fried version (honest option) – The baked version is about 80% as good as the fried version. You lose some moisture from inside the haloumi because it takes longer to get the crunchy coating in the oven (even with pre-toasting). The air-fryer version, however, is excellent!

The crumbing on both the air fryer and baked versions split a wee bit simply because they take longer to cook than in the oil which is a super fast 90 seconds.

For clarity, this is the original fried version!

How to serve haloumi fries

Haloumi fries typically appear on menus as a starter or a small-dish tapas option. It’s a food for nibbling, something completely different from your usual chips ‘n dips. Not that I have anything against chips ‘n dips, being the snack monster that I am (proof – my full dip recipe collection here!).

But, sometimes it’s nice to have something different to the usual that will impress the pants off your family and friends. The combination of the warm, softy, salty halloumi insides and the golden crunchy crumb with the cooling garlicky yogurt dip is every snack monsters’ dream come true. I really hope you try this one day! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Haloumi fries

Recipe video above. These can be baked, air-fried or shallow fried (best, most golden and crunchy and fastest). It's the best haloumi recipe I know – Haloumi Fries! Think – french fries, but a whole lot more interesting and faster to make. Super crunchy outside (thanks panko!) and warm, salty haloumi cheese insides.

Excellent snack, starter for a Mediterranean menu or passing around at parties.

PS The garlic dipping sauce is the perfect dunking sauce.

Course Appetizer, Snack, Starter

Cuisine Greek, Western

Keyword haloumi fries, haloumi recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 403cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

360g / 12oz haloumi cheese blocks , 2 x 180g/6 oz blocks (Note 1)
2 cups canola oil (or other natural oil)
2 large eggs , whisked

Flour dredge:

1/2 cup plain/all purpose flour
1 tbsp Italian herbs (Note 2)
1 tbsp smoked paprika (sub ordinary paprika)
1 tsp ground white pepper (sub black pepper)

Crumbing:

1 cup panko breadcrumbs – or ordinary breadcrumbs (Note 3)
1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Yoghurt garlic dipping sauce:

1/2 cup plain Greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove , finely grated using a microplane
1/2 tsp lemon juice (sub white vinegar)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Garlic dipping sauce – Mix ingredients in a bowl and set aside for at least 20 minutes to let the flavours develop.
Cut the haloumi into fries around 1.5cm / 0/6" thick. The length will depend on the shape of your haloumi. I cut mine into 5 slices lengthwise, then each into half which makes uniform fries, and get 20 pieces.
Dry – Pat halloumi mostly dry using tea towels.
Prep – Using 3 bowls large enough to toss the halloumi, put the eggs in one bowl, mix Flour Dredge in another and mix Crumbing ingredients in a third.
Crumb – Dip a haloumi fry in flour, shake off excess. Dip in egg, allow excess to drip off. Coat in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere, then place on tray. PRO: Do 2 at a time. 🙌🏻 Toss haloumi in breadcrumbs (by tossing the bowl) so you don't have to touch. 🙌🏻
Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over high heat until it reaches 180°C/350°F (Note 4).
Fry 5 haloumi sticks at a time for 1 1/2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel lined tray. Repeat with remaining haloumi.
Air fry and baking – see Note 5.
Serve hot with yoghurt garlic dipping sauce!

Notes

1. Halloumi – A firm white salty, briny Greek cheese usually sold in vac packs. It doesn’t melt into ooze when cooked which is why it’s ideal for making fries!

2. Italian herbs – Store bought mix you can find in any grocery store. Substitute with any mix of dried oregano, basil, parsley.

3. Panko breadcrumbs – A Japanese breadcrumb favoured for the extra-crispy coating it gives crumbed foods. You can buy it at most large grocery stores (Coles, Woolworths) in the Asian foods section but cheaper in Asian stores! Substitute with regular breadcrumbs if you can’t find it.

4. Oil test – If you don’t have a thermometer, test the oil temp using a small cube of white bread. For 180C/350F, it should take 15 seconds to turn golden and crispy.

5. Air fry option (excellent!) – Pre-heat air fryer to 200°C/390°F for 5 minutes. Oil spray fries and spray the basket. Place all haloumi fries in a single layer in a 7 L/qt+ air fryer. Cook for 9 minutes until crispy and golden!

Baking (haloumi dries out a little more than frying) – Spread breadcrumbs on tray, spray generously with oil then at bake 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced) for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the tray halfway, until the breadcrumb is golden. (If you don’t do this, your fries will end up pale and splotchy not an even golden colour). Crumb the halloumi, then bake on a rack at same temp for 20 minutes or until crunchy.

6. Leftovers reheat quite well! 10 minutes in a 180C/350F oven. It’s 90% as good. If making for a crowd, I’d happily serve reheated haloumi fries!

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings. I made an estimation of oil that actually ends up on each piece and factored in leftover flour and breadcrumbs.

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Reviewing today’s recipe video with me. (And drooling all over the keyboard in the process – but can we blame him? Absolutely not!)

The post Haloumi fries appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Golden Gaytime popcorn (copycat)

Nagi — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Here’s a copycat recipe for Australia’s (current) favourite confectionary – Golden Gaytime Popcorn! Caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with biscuits crumbs, it’s ridiculously addictive but rather expensive. Save a fortune by making it yourself!

Golden Gaytime Popcorn

Popcorn and candy lovers alike were in a tizzy of excitement with Golden Gaytime Popcorn was first released. Yours truly included. The chatter between closet popcorn-loving friends, however, quickly moved from “Far out, this is crazy good!” to “OMG can you believe it’s so expensive”??

Named as such because it’s a popcorn version of a beloved Australian’s ice cream called Golden Gaytime, one packet of the Gaytime popcorn is $5.75 for 100g (3.5 oz). A small bag with just 2 cups of Gaytime popcorn. I can’t afford to feed my addiction!!

Which, of course, lead to what was affectionately dubbed The Gaytime Popcorn Project – a homemade version I was confident I could create for 80% cheaper. How’d I do? My report card is at the bottom of the post!

Store-bought Golden Gaytime popcorn

A quick inspection of the ingredients label was all I needed to come up with a copycat recipe. It’s really just caramel popcorn with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkling of biscuit crumbs.

However, my homemade Gaytime Popcorn is far more generous on the chocolate drizzling (oh, why not? 😇). And you won’t break the bank!

Hmm, I did a “sprinkling of biscuit crumbs”, didn’t I. But it looks more like I’m assertively throwing biscuit crumbs in the photo below. You want biscuit crumbs? Here’s your biscuit crumbs!!! 😂

Ingredients you need

Here’s what you need to make this. The first part covers the caramel popcorn, then the second part covers the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs.

Caramel popcorn ingredients

Here’s what you need for the caramel popcorn:

Corn syrup – This stabilises the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn’t occur, gives the caramel a nice shiny finish that’s crisp rather than sticky. Common grocery item in the US and Canada ! It can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au and Amazon.
Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup which is available in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with honey consistency). Just a little harder to measure out because it’s so thick. However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer to make sure the caramel coating dries out and becomes crisp. This is because glucose has slightly higher water content.
Baking soda / bi-carb – This makes the caramel coating become sort of foamy and increase in volume when you whisk it in. It helps get even coverage of caramel on the popcorn. Without the baking soda, you end up with big globs of caramel. It can’t be substituted with baking powder.
Toffee, caramel or vanilla essence – Store-bought Gaytime popcorn has a stronger albeit more artificial caramel flavour than homemade. To replicate this, use a caramel or toffee essence. Otherwise, just stick with vanilla like normal caramel popcorn. It’s honestly not a big deal, the popcorn still has a lovely caramel-y flavour.
Brown sugar rather than white sugar, for better caramel flavour.
Butter – For flavour. Not margarine or other alternatives. I can’t predict what that will do to the crispness of the caramel coating.
Oil – Anything neutral flavoured like vegetable, canola or peanut oil. This is for cooking the popcorn. It doesn’t work as well with butter (because butter is ~15% water and dairy, not just fat).
Popping corn! It’s usually sold in the potato crisps aisle in grocery stores here in Australia.

Chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs

For the chocolate drizzle and biscuit crumbs, you just need chocolate suitable for melting and some plain biscuits to crush up then sprinkle on the popcorn.

Chocolate -You can use a combination of dark and white chocolate, as I have done (like the store-bought Gaytime popcorn mix), or just one or the other.
Use a chocolate purchased from the baking aisle rather than eating chocolate. Baking chocolate is purpose-made for melting and cooking with, whereas eating chocolate is actually often designed specifically so it doesn’t melt when warm! I typically use “melts” for melting and chocolate chips for things like chocolate chip cookies as they are designed to hold their shape when cookies are baked.
For those of you in the US, semi-sweet chocolate chips is perfect.
Plain biscuits – A signature part of Golden Gaytime Popcorn is the sprinkling of crushed biscuits on the popcorn. The ingredients label specifies that it’s vanilla biscuits. Honestly though, any plain sweet biscuits will work just fine!

Use any plain sweet biscuit

How to make Golden Gaytime Popcorn

Simply make caramel popcorn then finish with a drizzle of chocolate and sprinkle of biscuit crumbs. It will stay crisp and fresh for at least a week – I’m sure it will last for longer (caramel popcorn lasts for weeks). But every test batch I made mysteriously disappeared before I could finish testing the shelf life!!

1. Pop popcorn

Pop your popcorn kernels using your method of choice – stove or popcorn maker, if you have one (I do, but for some reason digging it out of the back of the cupboard seems like more effort than cooking the popcorn on the stove).

Here’s how to cook popcorn on the stove.

Test kernels – Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.
Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid.
Shake! Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once. Remove from heat when the popping stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl.

To make the caramel melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir until just combined.
Simmer – When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR! This may cause the sugar to crystallise so you won’t end up with a smooth caramel.
Baking soda “foamy” – Remove from heat then quickly whisk in caramel (toffee or vanilla) and baking soda. When you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increase in volume. This is what makes the caramel coat the popcorn evenly. Without the baking soda, you end up with thick heavy globs of caramel on the popcorn and it’s impossible to toss.
Coat popcorn – Quickly pour the foamy caramel straight over the popcorn and toss to coat the popcorn as best you can until the caramel cools and starts to harden.

Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. The caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses so it coats the popcorn more evenly.
REMINDER: If using glucose instead of corn syrup, bake for an extra 15 minutes.
Cool – Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray for 20 minutes so the caramel hardens. Then break up the popcorn – no need to be too pedantic, clumps are great!

Gaytime the popcorn!

OK, so time to transform our caramel popcorn into Gaytime Popcorn! Here’s how:

Bash the biscuits into crumbs either in a ziplock bag or using a mortar and pestle.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave (I use this) or bain-marie (bowl set over simmering water).
Transfer the melted chocolate into a piping bag. This makes it easier to get even coverage and zig-zag chocolate drizzles like you get with the store bought Gaytime popcorn. But if you prefer, you can just use a spoon for drizzling.
Ready for drizzling!
Drizzle the chocolate all over the popcorn in whatever pattern you prefer. There are no rules! Except – aim for even coverage. Nobody wants to be the unlucky person who gets a handful of chocolate-less popcorn!
Sprinkle the popcorn with the biscuit crumbs while the chocolate is still wet. The biscuits will stick to the chocolate part only, and it kind of sticks in concentrated (albeit small) patches so you can taste it a little better. I preferred this method rather than sprinkling it on the caramel popcorn whilst in the oven (the crumbs kind of got lost).
Once the chocolate sets – I speed things up by popping the trays in the fridge for 15 minutes – it’s ready to dive in!!

Storage

In theory, Gaytime Popcorn should stay fresh and crisp as long as Caramel Popcorn which has an excellent shelf life of several weeks.

Test batches made it to around the 1 week mark successfully before mysteriously disappearing. So I can’t say for sure, but I’m confident it should last for at least 2 weeks. Just make sure it is stored in an airtight container in a cool and dry place. If moisture gets in and/or it’s hot and humid, the caramel coating will get sticky and chewy so it gets stuck in your teeth.

This was a jar intended for gifting. It never got gifted. 🤭

REPORT CARD: Homemade is 68% cheaper!!

I boldly stated when I started on the Gaytime Popcorn Project that I believed I could make it for 80% less than store-bought.

We’ve run the numbers and the results are in.

One batch costs $8.96 to make which equates to 5 packets of store bought Gaytime Popcorn which costs $28.75 ($5.75 per packet). That’s a 68% saving!

So, I was 12% off. But still. I would never spend $28.75 for 5 packets of Gaytime. But I would spend $8.96 to make a batch of this any day of the week – and twice for movie night! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Golden Gaytime Popcorn – copycat recipe!

Recipe video above. I love Golden Gaytime Popcorn. But it's expensive. So I decided to create a homemade version – with a 68% saving! It costs $8.96 to make this recipe which equates to 5 packets of Gaytime Popcorn which costs $28.75 ($5.75 per packet).

After inspecting the packet ingredients, it's just caramel popcorn drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with biscuits crumbs. Easy!

One batch makes 780g / 28oz, 12 cups = 5 packets of store-bought Golden Gaytime popcorn.

Course Dessert, Sweet

Cuisine Western

Keyword caramel corn, Caramel popcorn, food gift ideas, golden gaytime popcorn

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 55

Total Time 1 5

Servings cups

Calories 339cal

Author Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Cost $9

Ingredients

For the popcorn

1/4 cup vegetable oil (not required if air popping with a popcorn maker)
1/2 cup popping corn

For the caramel

100g / 7 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar , tightly packed cup
1/2 cup light corn syrup (sub glucose, Note 1)
1/2 tsp cooking/ kosher salt
2 tsp toffee or caramel essence OR 1 tsp vanilla (substitute) (Note 2)
1/2 tsp baking soda (bi-carb) (Note 3)

Golden Gaytime Finishes

1 1/4 cups dark or white chocolate melts or chips (US: semi-sweet chips), I used ~25% white and 75% dark (Note 4)
4 plain sweet biscuits (like Marie Crackers) (Note 5)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Popcorn

Test oil – Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a few pieces of popcorn and wait until it pops, then quickly remove.
Pop – Add remaining popcorn, elevate off stove to shake and spread corn out evenly. Cover with a lid. Once the popcorn starts popping in earnest, shake the pot gently once. Then crack the lid a tiny bit – let's steam escape for crisper popcorn.
Remove from heat when the popping stops (when you can count to 3 between pops) and transfer to a (very!) large bowl.

Caramel:

Preheat oven to 110°C/230°F (both fan and standard ovens).
Combine – Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, corn syrup and salt. Stir until just combined.
Simmer – When it starts to bubble, simmer for 4 minutes – DO NOT STIR!
Baking soda "foamy" – Remove from heat then quickly whisk in caramel (toffee or vanilla) and baking soda. When you stop whisking, the caramel will foam and increase in volume.
Coat popcorn – Quickly pour straight over popcorn, toss until caramel cools and starts to harden.

Baking to crisp caramel coating:

Spread popcorn on 2 large paper lined baking trays.
Bake for 45 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes or so. Caramel will remelt for the first 2-3 tosses – tossing coats popcorn more evenly with caramel. (If using glucose, bake further 15 minutes).
Cool – Remove from oven, leave to cool on the tray for 20 minutes. Then break up the popcorn – no need to be too pedantic, clumps are great!

Drizzle and crumbs

Crumbs – Place biscuits in a ziplock bag and bash into crumbs.
Melt chocolate – Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and microwave in 30 second increments on high, stirring in between, until melted and smooth – about 1 1/2 minutes. (If doing a small amount of white chocolate, reduce to 20 second increments).
Piping bags – Transfer chocolate into a piping bag. Use scissors to snip a small opening at the tip. (Alternative: just drizzle with a spoon).
Drizzle & crumb – Push the popcorn together but in a single layer. Drizzle criss-cross (or any pattern!) all over the popcorn. Sprinkle with biscuits crumbs while the chocolate is wet so it sticks.
Fridge – Refrigerate for 15 minutes until the chocolate is firm. Gently break popcorn into pieces. EAT!
Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Stays crisp for at least a week. Our test batches never lasted any longer!

Notes

1. Corn Syrup stabilises the caramel to ensure sugar crystallisation doesn’t occur, plus makes it extra crisp and shiny. Common grocery item in the US and Canada ! Can be purchased online in Australia from USAFoods.com.au (here) and Amazon.

Glucose is a perfect substitute for corn syrup which is available in Australian supermarkets (baking aisle, clear thick syrup with honey consistency). Just a little harder to measure out because it’s so thick. However, the popcorn needs to be baked for 15 minutes longer (because glucose as higher water content).

2. Toffee or caramel essence – Store bought Gaytime has a stronger albeit more artificial caramel flavour than homemade. To replicate this, use a caramel or toffee essence. Otherwise, just stick with vanilla like normal caramel popcorn!

3. Baking soda/bi-carb – This makes the caramel coating become sort of foamy and increase in volume when you whisk it in. Helps with even coverage on the popcorn. Without, you end up with big globs of caramel.

4. Chocolate – Store bought Gaytime popcorn has ~50/50 white and dark chocolate drizzles. And rather skimpy at that! This homemade version is much more generous with the chocolate.

Use any mix of dark and white chocolate you want. I used about 25% white chocolate and 75% dark chocolate.

Be sure to use the right chocolate! Use chocolate purchased from the baking aisle (designed to melt smoothly) not eating chocolate (designed to NOT melt when warm!).

5. Biscuits – Any plain sweet biscuits will work here. Just something to sprinkle on the popcorn. The Gaytime Popcorn ingredients just lists “vanilla biscuits” for the crumbs used!

6. Storage – stays 100% crisp and fresh at least 1 week, probably more (caramel popcorn lasts 2 to 3 weeks). Be sure to keep it in an airtight container in a cool dry place. If it’s super hot and humid, fridge is best.

Nutrition per serving assuming 12 servings. It’s not diet food!

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

I promise Dozer, there is nothing going on in here that would be of interest to you…..😂

The post Golden Gaytime popcorn (copycat) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice (Nobu)

Nagi — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 06:00:00 +0000

This Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice recipe is a shameless copycat of a signature appetiser at the trendy Nobu restaurant. Bite size crispy rice is served with tuna in a creamy spicy dressing. I love it. It’s expensive. So I copied it. And added a canned tuna option too.

Or toppings as finger food!

Nobu copycat: Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice

There’s no feel-good story behind today’s recipe. It’s just a blatant fact that I really love the Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice at Nobu* which is a signature starter of this globally renowned restaurant. But you pay through the nose for it – $30 for a very small serving. Here it is at Melbourne Nobu – top quality phone snaps! 😂

Nobu Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice

* In case you’re not familiar with Nobu, it’s a trendy modern Japanese restaurant founded by world-famous chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa that is now global with a presence in major cities like New York, Tokyo, London, Dubai, Sydney. Won’t lie – I’ve had hits and misses in various cities. But overall, it’s very reliable. Firm favourite with celebrities.

Price aside, I don’t want to go to Nobu every time I want to have it. So I decided to copy it. It seemed like a simple enough recipe – and it is! Crispy rice topped with raw finely chopped tuna mixed with a creamy spicy dressing.

The crispy rice cakes. See separate recipe here.

The Nobu sashimi raw tuna topping

Spicy creamy canned tuna topping

Platter with a mix of raw and canned spicy tuna on crispy rice cakes.

Nobu vs my version

At Nobu, the rice is served in small cube form which you stab with (fancy) toothpicks then dip into the tuna which is so finely minced it is like a spread. Based on the perfect golden colour on each side of the rice cubes, I suspect they are deep fried.

I’ve made my rice cakes flatter so they can be pan fried instead of deep fried, and pre-assembled with the toppings. I also do not have a dipping sauce because I’ve incorporated seasonings in the tuna toppings.

Plus, I’ve made a canned tuna version as well, as an option you make right now instead of going out to find sashimi-grade tuna! Think – canned tuna fillings in sushi rolls. It’s really tasty! This is the canned tuna version:

The canned tuna version. It’s like tuna sushi roll filling – really tasty!

What you need

Here’s what you need to make this Nobu copycat Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice.

1. Sashimi tuna or salmon – OR canned!

As mentioned above, the base recipe is a copy-cat of the Nobu version which is made with raw sashimi-grade tuna, Plus, I’ve created a canned tuna version too as an easier make it now version / those who can’t get or don’t like raw tuna. It’s like the canned tuna filling you get in sushi rolls – it’s really tasty!

Sashimi grade tuna – To make the raw tuna version, you will need to get sashimi grade tuna. This is tuna that is fresh enough, handled and stored in a manner suitable for eating raw. It is more expensive than tuna intended for cooking.

Common sashimi tuna types

Bluefin tuna – the frontrunner, most premium type. For flavour, colour and texture.
Yellowfin and bigeye tuna (ahi ahi) – The more common type that is more economical. It is softer, not as red.

Canned tuna – Tuna in oil is best. If using tuna in spring water, the mixture is a little drier so perhaps add extra mayo.

2. Spicy creamy dressing & assembling

Here’s what you need to make the creamy dressing and for assembling. The same ingredients are used for both, it’s just that you need more for the canned tuna (lots of little tuna bits = more surface area = more dressing required).

Kewpie mayonnaise is a Japanese mayonnaise that has a smoother flavour than Western ones. Substitute with whole egg mayonnaise. Normal mayonnaise (ie not labelled “whole-egg”) is tangier / sweeter which will dominate the raw tuna version too much but ok for the canned tuna version.
Sriracha is a red Asian spicy sauce that has other flavours in it in addition to chilli, such as vinegar and garlic. Substitute with other spicy sauce of choice, but adjust quantity based on spiciness.
Non spicy option – Ketchup!
Green onion – For nice green specks and a bit of freshness.
Sesame oil & seeds – For toasty sesame flavour!
Lemon – For the canned tuna version, I found a hint of extra tang was desirable. For the raw tuna version, fresh lemon juice made the dressing a little too loose so I stick with using the tang in sriracha.
Avocado – Optional (and not in Nobu’s version), but I really like how it adds an extra creamy element. If avocado is not in season or pricey, I’d skip it.

Crispy rice

All you really need for the crispy rice is sushi rice, oil for cooking and salt for seasoning. But it makes it extra tasty to flavour the rice with sushi rice seasoning – just rice vinegar and sugar.

See the separate crispy rice recipe for commentary on the ingredients.

How to make Nobu’s crispy rice with spicy tuna

The crispy rice cakes has been published as a separate recipe – because it’s deemed worthy as such! It’s really easy – cook rice, press in pan, chill to set, cut, pan fry.

So the steps below are for the topping and assembling.

1. Nobu spicy tuna topping

Tip: Raw fish is hard to finely dice because it is so soft. To make it (much!) easier, partially freeze the fish first to make it firmer. Just 30 minutes in the freezer.

Partially freeze the raw tuna (or salmon) in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will make it much easier to cut.
Cut into small 0.5cm / 1/5″ dice. To do this, I slice 0.5cm / 1/5″ thick pieces, then 0.5cm / 1/5″ strips, then dice.
De-chill the fish for 20 minutes or so, so it’s not ice-cold. Sushi tastes best when at room temperature which is around 18C/65F. Small diced tuna will de-chill fairly quickly.
Mix – Add the mayonnaise, sriracha, green onion, sesame oil, sesame seeds and salt. Mix gently to combine. Then refrigerate until required. But remember to aim for the room temperature for serving! Warm crispy rice cakes with ice-cold tuna isn’t ideal.

Creamy canned tuna topping

Mash the drained canned tuna with a fork until it’s really fine. The finer the better.
Add everything else and mix!

3. Assembling the crispy rice cakes

Nobu serves this as a DIY set up with cubes of rice that is speared with fancy toothpicks then dunked into the spicy tuna which is almost in paste-like form. I like to assemble for an easy finger food option.

Also, cubes of rice either need to be turned 6 times in a pan (what a pain!) or deep fried (what a pain!). Pan frying 2 sides of a flatter pieces is so much less effort!

Cook the rice cakes after you’ve mixed the toppings. See directions in the crispy rice cakes recipe.
Avocado – Place on a serving platter and top with avocado slices. You can either use 1 large, or fan out smaller pieces as I have done. You could also pipe on avocado sauce – a good option for speedy assembling if making big batches.
Shape – Use 2 teaspoons to shape a mound of the topping into a “football” shape so it sticks together.
Assemble – Place tuna on avocado. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, top with jalapeño. Repeat with remaining rice cakes. EAT!

I see you making this for friends who come round for Saturday night drinks. Impressing the pants off your friends at book club. For your mum’s birthday lunch.

And just generally because you want to eat Nobu in the comfort of your own home, in trackies and your favourite slouchy t-shirt, and feel smug that it cost you around…oh I don’t know. About 80% less? At least!! – Smug Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Crispy rice with spicy tuna (Nobu copycat)

Recipe video above. A shameless copycat of a signature Nobu restaurant appetiser – crispy rice cakes with tuna or salmon in a creamy spicy dressing. Easy to make at a fraction of the cost – they charge $30 for a minuscule serving! Serve as a canapé, starter for dinner or as a main with an Asian side salad or smashed cucumbers.

The original uses raw tuna but I've also created a canned tuna version – think, sushi roll filling.

Course Appetizer, canape, Finger Food

Cuisine Asian, Modern Asian

Keyword crispy rice cakes, crispy rice finger food, nobu recipe, tuna canape

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Rice chilling (minimum time) 4

Servings pieces

Calories 119cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

1 batch crispy rice cakes (15 pieces)
ONE topping of choice (below) – Nobu sashimi tuna or canned tuna
1 avocado , cut into small thin slices (or make avocado sauce)
15 jalapeño slices , thin, optional garnish
1/2 tsp black sesame seeds , for garnish

Nobu spicy tuna (raw):

225g / 7oz sashimi grade tuna , or salmon (Note 1)
1 tbsp sriracha , adjust spiciness to taste (Note 2)
4 tsp kewpie mayonnaise (Note 3)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp cooking salt
2 tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 tsp white sesame seeds
1/2 tsp black sesame seeds , divided

Creamy spicy canned tuna topping:

360g/12oz canned tuna in oil , drained (Note 4)
3 tbsp sriracha (Note 2)
4 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise (Note 3)
1 tbsp lemon juice (sub rice vinegar)
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
2 tsp white sesame seeds , optional
1 1/2 tsp black sesame seeds , divided

Instructions

Start the rice the day before or first thing in the morning – it needs minimum 4 hours to chill.
Make the toppings first, then refrigerate while you cook the crispy rice cakes.
Cook the crispy rice cakes and sprinkle with salt per the recipe.
Assemble – Place rice cakes on a serving platter. Pile on toppings – I use teaspoons to make football shapes then slide on. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds, top with jalapeño. Eat!

Nobu spicy tuna topping:

Freeze to firm – Place tuna in the freezer for 30 minutes to partially freeze – it's much easier to finely chop when slightly firm.
Cut into 0.5cm / 1/2" cubes – the smaller the better! Place into a bowl and let it de-chill for 20 minutes (not as nice ice-cold).
Mix – Add everything into the tuna and mix until combined.

Creamy canned tuna (sushi-roll filling style):

Place tuna in a bowl and use a fork to mash it up really finely. Add everything else and mix well.

Notes

Makes 15 pieces 4 x 6.5cm/ 1.5 x 2.5″ (crispy rice dimensions).

1. Tuna or salmon – As the fish is served raw, please ensure you get sashimi grade tuna which is extra fresh, handled and stored in a manner suitable for eating raw. It will be labelled as such at the shops. You can also get frozen sashimi grade fish these days. It’s snap deep-frozen at -60C and suitable for eating raw. I’ve gotten it from Japanese supermarkets in Sydney (Tokyo-mart, Northbridge).

2. Sriracha is a red Asian spicy sauce that has other flavours in it in addition to chilli, such as vinegar and garlic. If you’re worried about spiciness, start with less (top up with more mayo) then add add more later if you’re brave! Non spicy option – Ketchup!

Substitute with other spicy sauce of choice, but adjust quantity based on spiciness.

3. Kewpie mayonnaise is a Japanese mayonnaise that has a smoother flavour than Western ones. Substitute with whole egg mayonnaise.

4. Canned tuna – in oil is best. Springwater tends to be a little dry.

5. Leftovers – Once assembled, rice cakes will soften within an hour. The raw tuna topping should be eaten within an hour once out of the fridge, though will keep in the fridge for the day. Canned tuna topping mixture will keep for several days. Makes a little more than you need – eat leftover as dip or on sandwiches!

Nutrition per rice cake (15 pieces)

Nutrition

Life of Dozer

Crispy rice cake size context.

The post Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice (Nobu) appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.