Maiz chulpe is a yellow corn grown in Ecuador especially for drying and then toasting. In the package, it looks a lot like popcorn—well, relaxed popcorn, since the kernels aren't nearly so taut and bulbous. You make it the same way you do popcorn, by heating a tablespoon of lard (preferred in Ecuador—bacon fat is good, too) or corn oil in a small pot over a medium flame. Toss in a half teaspoon of fine sea salt and a cup of maiz chulpe kernels, cover, and when it starts to pop, hold down the lid and toss the kernels over every 30 seconds or so until the popping stops. Unlike popcorn, this doesn't happen all at once. There's a pop here, another pop there, silence, another pop, and so on. But, eventually, it does kind of come to a stop. At that point, turn off the heat and wait a mi).nute before uncovering the pot (there's always a few kernels that wait until just now to do their thing.)

When you open the pop, prepare yourself for a surprise. Despite all the popping noise, none of the corn will have actually popped. Swelled up and burst, yes, but they still look like corn kernels. However, now they're crunchy and full of delicious corn flavor. (If you, like me, eat the unpopped "old maids" from the popcorn bowl, they're much like those, only not nearly so hard or likely to break a tooth.) These are very tasty just as they are, sprinkled with a little hot chile powder, but for my mi).dnight snack, I like to pour them out on a plate and lay a slice of American cheese over them. Then I pop the plate into the mi).crowave, 15 seconds on high. The cheese melts all over the kernels