Ingredients:
1 pinthalf-and-half
2 cupspopped popcorn, preferably “movie theater”–style microwave popcorn
1/4 cupplus 2 tablespoons of black sesame paste, mixed well
1 tablespoontamari
1 tablespoonpacked light brown sugar
1 large eggs
2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
2 teaspoons(16-ounce) box Koda Farms Blue Star Mochiko
1 tablespoondouble-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoonkosher salt
2 cups(400 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cupunsalted butter
1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk (I like Aroy-d or Chaokoh)
4 teaspoonsnori furikake, divided
1 handfularare Japanese rice crackers (for serving, optional)
Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring the half-and-half to a boil over medium heat, then carefully add the popcorn and reduce the heat to low. Stir until the popcorn is submerged, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes, or transfer to the refrigerator and let infuse for up to 12 hours. Once cooled, strain the mixture through a stainless-steel mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup and press out as much liquid as possible from the popcorn. Set aside, discard the popcorn, and wipe out the saucepan (you’ll use it again).
Place an oven rack in the center position and heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12x12x2-inch aluminum cake pan with parchment paper. (Alternatively, grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with a bit of extra butter.)
In a small bowl, combine the black sesame paste, tamari, and light brown sugar. Whisk and don’t worry if the mixture seizes. Add ¼ cup of water to the mixture, stirring until the texture becomes creamy and less dense. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla together until smooth, about 1 minute. Measure out 2 cups of the cooled popcorn-infused half-and-half and whisk into the egg mixture. (If you are short of 2 cups, use water to make up the difference. )
In a large bowl, whisk together the mochiko, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the center and use a silicone spatula to fold in the egg mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix well until smooth.
Place the butter and coconut milk in the reserved saucepan over low heat. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the butter is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool until just warm, about 5 minutes. Using the silicone spatula, add the butter mixture to the large bowl with the batter, stirring until the batter is uniform. Scrape all of the batter into the prepared baking pan. Carefully tap the baking pan on the counter a few times to pop air bubbles in the batter.
Use a spoon to gently dollop the tamari black sesame mixture over the surface of the batter, approximately 2 inches apart. Use a butter knife, bamboo skewer, or cake tester to swirl through the dollops, spiraling the paste throughout the batter. Sprinkle 3 teaspoons of the nori furikake evenly across the batter. Bake for 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through. It’s done when the butter mochi surface is golden brown and the edges are blushing with caramel color. After baking, immediately top with the remaining 1 teaspoon of nori furikake. Let cool completely before cutting into 16 squares and serving.
If you’d like, serve with rice crackers: Use the crackers to pick up the sticky edge of each mochi slice for a texture-filled bite.