eat make read

If I had to narrow down my most feared/hated vegetables, brussels sprouts would be pretty high on the list. I think it all goes back to childhood memories of my babysitter microwaving brussels sprouts and filling the house with that distinctive odor; an odor that has always left me feeling a little queezy. Lately I’ve been feeling a little bad about my disdain for those cute little green buttons of a vegetable. They’re popping up on the menus of my favorite restaurants and my friends have been raving about the roasted variety. After flipping through this months issue of Food & Wine (which is awesome by the way), I found this recipe for spicy brussels sprouts with mint created by David Chang and decided it was time to give the little green guys a chance.

One of the reasons I fell for this recipe above any other was that it’s suppose to be spicy, which always makes me happy. Oh and it also involved rice krispies. That just sounded genius to me.

I had to do a little research into how you even go about boiling brussels sprouts. Apparently it’s good to soak them in a luke warm water bath for about 10 minutes to rinse away any dirt or other hidden stuff. Then you trim the stalk a bit and mark a little X in the bottom. Supposedly that helps them cook more evenly.

While the brussels were boiling, I whipped up the vinaigrette, which is a combination of fish sauce (which is not as scary as it sounds), lime juice, rice vinegar, sugar, hot pepper, garlic, cilantro and mint. Once that was all mixed together, I browned the rice krispies with a little cayenne pepper and oil. By that time, the sprouts were done boiling and close to being all together finished. I simply cut them in half then heated up some oil. The key to this recipe is charring those little suckers so they get nice and brown on the edges. Once they were sufficiently crispy, I poured the vinaigrette over top and made sure they were well coated, then sprinkled a handful of rice krispies over top.

It was the moment of truth. Would my grown up palette be able to overcome my stinky childhood memories? It’s good news my friends. I’m happy to say that I liked them. The charred bits really do add a nice caramelized flavor to the brussels that, when combined with the complex flavors of the vinaigrette, makes for one heck of a side dish. The dry spiced krispies add an extra little pizazz that compliment the juicy flavor and texture of the sprouts. I have to admit, it wasn’t nearly as spicy as I anticipated but in the end, I didn’t really miss the little zing.

spicy brussels sprouts with mint
from food & wine

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup Rice Krispies or other puffed rice cereal
1/4 teaspoon togarashi* or cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
1/4 cup Asian fish sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 small red chile, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mint
4 cups roasted or boiled brussels sprouts (about 2 pounds), halved lengthwise

1
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add the Rice Krispies and togarashi and cook over high heat, stirring, until browned, about 30 seconds. Season with salt. Transfer to a plate and wipe out the skillet.
2
In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, water, sugar, rice vinegar, lime juice, garlic and chile and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cilantro and mint.
3
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat until nearly smoking. Add the brussels sprouts; cook over high heat, stirring, until charred in spots and heated through, about 5 minutes.
4
Transfer to a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Just before serving, sprinkle the Rice Krispies on top and serve right away.

*Togarashi, a Japanese blend of chiles and sesame, is available at Asian markets.