Inspired by black powder explosion, a mixture of sugar and nitrate is diluted with inert molten salt, such that their rapid reaction is moderated, allowing capturing of the intermediacy product: highly porous N-doped graphene nanoplates. The methodology is extended to S-doped porous carbon sheets by replacing the nitrate with sulfate. These MS-derived carbons show promising performances towards electrocatalysis and capacitive energy storage. As a service to our authors and readers, this journal provides supporting information supplied by the authors. Such materials are peer reviewed and may be re-organized for online delivery, but are not copy-edited or typeset. Technical support issues arising from supporting information (other than missing files) should be addressed to the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.