Food 52 is one of my go-to food websites. The inspiration for my recipe was on the list of dishes that I really wanted to make for a long time but, for some reason I never quite seemed to get around to it. This week I hosted a dinner party for an adventurous foodie friend and the store had the most beautiful Brussels sprouts so it felt like the appropriate time to see if this recipe from NYC's Momofuku restaurant was as delicious as I thought it would be.
Since I wanted the fish that I was making to be the main focus of the dinner, I toned the original recipe down a bit. I would definitely make the full-on version as part of a vegetarian meal with Asian rice. I also cut out a whole series of steps that I couldn't be bothered to deal with, especially in view of the time crunch involved in getting all elements of a dinner party on the table at the same time. Despite all this, I think I stayed true to the spirit of Momofuku cooking.
Recipe
2 lbs Brussels sprouts
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 Tbsps rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
3 Tbsps sugar
1 Tbsp chili-garlic sauce (available in any supermarket in the Asian section)
1 Tbsp each chopped mint and coriander leaves
Preheat the oven to 400.
Remove any yellow leaves from the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half. Toss them in 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. Place them cut side down on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
While they are cooking, mix all remaining ingredients except the herbs and the lime juice in a large bowl. Whisk well and check seasoning to your satisfaction.
After the 15 minutes are up, shake the baking sheet to toss the sprouts and check one for doneness. The sprouts should be caramelizing but not burning and still have a bit of a bite to them - mushy is a no-no. Depending on the size of the sprouts, you may have to cook these for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Pour the sprouts into the bowl with the dressing and toss well. Add the herbs and the lime juice and toss again. Serve at once and prepare to convert any Brussels sprout haters at th etable.
Recipe inspiration, here.