Oh man, I love Brussels sprouts. Even as a child, they were
one of my favorite vegetables. My mom used to get the frozen ones that comes
packed in a butter sauce, and eventually switched to growing them in her large backyard garden. I had never seen anything like the giant stalks with the little sprouts popping out all over them.
Now they’re super trendy on restaurant menus in Austin. I’ve been
enjoying them at East Side King (at the Liberty), and at Uchiko for quite a
while, just to mention two places. And their preparations are much more piquant than the simple
roasted-with-butter one I usually make at home.
Today, I tried something new, a piquant Brussels sprouts recipe of my own. With a bunch of ingredients I
had on hand, I whipped up a quick sauce that I glazed the panfried sprouts
with.
Holy cow, they were good. The sharp sauce was a great complement to the strong flavor of the vegetable. The Brussels
sprouts came through all earthy and sweet, and the sweet-sour-salty-spicy glaze
matched it perfectly.
Miso-Glazed Brussels Sprouts
2 teaspoons white miso (this is really mild)
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 T. brown sugar
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
Juice of half a lemon
1 Tablespoon sunflower or safflower oil
1 pint Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, halved
Whisk together the miso, soy sauce, brown sugar, chili
flakes, and lemon juice. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the Brussels
sprouts. Try to get them cut-side down, to help maximize the browning of the
cut inner leaves. After about 3 minutes, flip one over and check for browning.
If it’s well browned, from the center to the outer edges, stir and keep frying
for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until they’re just beginning to
get tender. If it’s not yet browned all the way across the cut side of the
sprouts, keep cooking for another minutes before beginning to stir.
Turn the heat off and pour the miso mixture over the Brussels
sprouts. Stir to coat and serve.
