Uncle's Fast-Action Furikake Snack Mix
Plantation Sweets: The Sugar Legacy
In Hawaii, snack mix isn't a casual affair; it's a social currency born from the old plantation camps where American convenience foods met the Japanese pantry. Furikake mix is a beautiful, chaotic collision—a deeply savory, unabashedly sweet, butter-glazed matrix of cereals and snacks traditionally meant for sharing by the garbage-bag-full. While the orthodox method requires hours of babysitting a low oven, this fast-action microwave technique is built for the weeknight cook in Ohio. It rapidly boils off the moisture in the syrup, setting that iconic, glassy ama-shoppai crunch in a fraction of the time.
Before you start
Prepare the landing zone.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Ingredients
- Corn Chex cereal3 cup
- Rice Chex cereal3 cup
- Honeycomb cereal2 cup
- Bugles2 cup
- small pretzel twists2 cup
- Goldfish crackers or Japanese arare2 cup
- unsalted butter1/2 cup
- light corn syrup1/2 cup
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- vegetable oil1/2 cup
- Kikkoman soy sauce2 tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce1 tbsp
- Nori Komi Furikake1.7 oz
Method
- 01
Combine the dry ingredients.
In the largest microwave-safe bowl you own, gently toss the Corn Chex, Rice Chex, Honeycomb, Bugles, pretzels, and crackers using your hands to avoid crushing the delicate cereal.
- 02
Boil the glaze.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter, corn syrup, sugar, oil, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, then microwave on HIGH for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring halfway, until vigorously bubbling and the sugar is dissolved.
- 03
Coat the matrix.
Pour the hot glaze evenly over the dry mixture and use two large spatulas to fold from the bottom up until every single piece is glistening.
- 04
Microwave to set the crunch.
Microwave the coated mix uncovered on HIGH for 2 minutes, remove, and stir vigorously from the bottom up; microwave for another 2 minutes and stir again.
- 05
Introduce the furikake.
Sprinkle the entire bottle of furikake over the hot mix and toss thoroughly so the seaweed and sesame seeds stick to the glaze, then microwave for a final 1 to 2 minutes so the seeds toast without scorching.
- 06
Cool to crisp.
Immediately dump the hot, sticky mix onto the prepared baking sheets and spread it into an even layer so the steam can escape.
- 07
Break and store.
Let it cool completely at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes; as the melted sugars settle, they will harden into a brittle, glass-like crunch that you can break apart and pack away.
Notes
A note on substitutions.
If you cannot find traditional Japanese arare or kakimochi (soy sauce rice crackers) at the local Asian market, standard baked cheese crackers like Goldfish perfectly mimic the necessary savory baseline crunch.
Managing humidity.
Spreading the hot mix thinly on parchment to cool is crucial. If left in the mixing bowl, ambient steam will re-condense onto the cereals and turn the mixture soggy.
From Cook Hawaiian in America.