A two-ingredient food hack promising a delicious upgrade.

From time to time, Japan sees interesting and unusual food hacks popping up on the internet, preparing food in new ways for unexpected delights, or combining several to create unique flavors. Here at SoraNews24, we are keen to put our tastebuds and stomachs to the test in the neverending quest for culinary bliss, so when we spotted the latest idea and the positive reviews, we knew we had to give it a go for ourselves.

The idea itself comes from a tweet found on the official Twitter account of Japanese food company Ajinomoto, which is well known in Japan for its range of seasonings, and calls for just two ingredients: Knorr Instant Cream of Corn Soup (made by Ajinomoto) and Frito Lay’s Mike Popcorn Butter and Soy Sauce Flavor, and all you have to do is to mix the two together.

With both in hand, it was time to get tasting. Having never tried this popcorn before, I wanted to get a clear understanding of the base flavor before adding anything extra in the mix.

As far as popcorn goes, I’m more of a caramel fan, and very much against salted popcorn, so I was a bit hesitant as my hand reached into the packet. However, popping a piece into my mouth revealed a gentle savory taste rather than the salt that I was expecting, neither the butter nor the soy sauce being so prominent that it overpowered the natural taste of the popcorn. I felt I could quite contentedly eat the entire bag as it stood.

Now came the time for the extra seasoning of the instant cream of corn soup. I set aside some of the popcorn…

… and sprinkled over the powder …

… eventually fully coating the popcorn in a bright yellow dust.

The powdered soup offered a deeper taste that added an extra hint of sweetness from the corn. If I had to liken it to something, perhaps it would be the corn potage flavor of Umaibo, a cheap Japanese corn snack that is beloved by children, just not as light and airy.

Deciding to go back to the original flavor to compare it against, I found that it now tasted quite plain. Although not bad by any means, it felt as if the flavor profile was missing a vital element that would lead it to deliciousness. While it wasn’t a shocking overhaul in taste, adding the instant cream of corn soup evolved the popcorn into a more delectable treat.

As I continued throwing popcorn into my mouth, I couldn’t help but find myself staring at the packaging and letting my thoughts wander. What if I made the soup and added the popcorn into it, almost like they were croutons? Would I uncover an entirely new level of enjoyment?

I poured the remnants of the powder into a cup and added a little hot water to test my new theory. First a sip of the soup as is…

The actual soup was definitely a lot sweeter than it had been in powdered form, so I got really excited for the following stage and dropped several pieces of popcorn into my cup.

It turns out that the popcorn swiftly loses its texture, becoming soft and limp, but the hard hull of the popcorn remains, resulting in a less than pleasant eating experience, and there was no real benefit to the taste.

While I think adding powdered corn soup to popcorn is definitely an improvement over the original flavor, I would only consider it if I happened to have some instant soup in the house, rather than going out to buy both together. Many people online have tried out this experiment and have agreed that it’s delicious, but there are also voices out there saying that this works with other soups too, making this a relatively cheap way to try out a variety of popcorn flavors, either for a movie night or a party.

Related: Twitter/@AJINOMOTOPARK via Hachimakiko
Photos ©SoraNews24
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