When you’re trying to eat clean and be healthy(ish), whether as part of your beginning of year efforts or just a general attempt at “adulting,” one looming pitfall is the danger of becoming bored with simpler fare and making a crazed beeline for less healthy options. We’ve all been there. Mercifully, this recipe is a utilitarian marvel in your battle against said pitfall. Inspired by a dish found in David Chang’s Momofuku cookbook, it has enjoyed a fair amount of popularity over the last few years. If you routinely search for great vegetable recipe ideas online (we don’t know anyone like that), you’ve most likely stumbled across some version of it already. Its popularity is due in large part to the fish sauce vinaigrette, the flavor and simplicity of which are equally mind-blowing. Chang gives you the option of either deep-frying the vegetables or pan posting them. While we’re sure that deep frying would be delicious (because hello, it’s deep-frying), remember that we’re at least trying to be grown ups here. Besides, this method of pan roasting the sprouts—after giving them a good, caramelizing sear on the stovetop—might just become your new favorite way to cook vegetables in general. It’s also exponentially easier to clean up after. Seriously, if you don’t already own an oven-safe skillet or pan, it would be worth the investment for that reason alone.
The depths of flavor and color achieved here are such that you can never attain with simple oven roasting. The cut sides of the sprouts sport a perfect, golden brown crust that is not only visually stunning, it also imparts the dish with a wonderful textural “crunch” that will appeal to even the most finicky of palates. Chang also makes the dish with cauliflower, and we honestly can’t think of a single vegetable that wouldn’t shine in this recipe. We opted for the Brussels sprouts, and even if they weren’t already our favorites, they would most definitely be after tasting this dish. Holy. Moly.
The vinaigrette is a paragon of gustatory delights. It is, at turns, sweet, salty, tart, spicy, and thanks to the fish sauce, a lesson in umami. All that aside, Kyle couldn’t help but fiddle with it slightly, but the quality of the finished product remained unscathed.
The original recipe called for those delightful little red “bird’s eye” chiles, but he had a good amount of sambal oelek—a fantastic spicy chili sauce from Southeast Asia—left over from another recipe (coming up next week, btw). He used that instead and it complemented the fish sauce perfectly, playing right into the overall Asian theme of the dish. Mind you, the chiles are relatively easy to find and will work wonderfully here, but if you have chili sauce in the house, why bother with the extra expense?
Depending on your personal taste, you might want to start with half the amount of sugar called for in the recipe. Someone mentioned in a comment thread on another site that they found the vinaigrette too sweet. While you might agree with that assessment, we ended up using the full two tablespoons of sugar (of course). All things considered, that extra sweetness was needed to balance the salt of the fish sauce, the sourness of the lime, and the heat of the sambal.
On that note, brace yourself when you go to taste test the dressing by itself. It is very intensely flavored and might even seem too pungent, but trust us the way we trusted Chef Chang. Once it’s tossed with the vegetables and some fresh herbs, the flavor is tempered to a heavenly, balanced brightness.
The recipe yields about twice the amount of vinaigrette that you’ll need for this dish and you’ll be glad for it. It’ll keep for about a week in the refrigerator and if you’re anything like us, you’ll probably go right back to the oven and start roasting another batch of veggies so that you can have the rest of it.
If you have concerns about the fish sauce with regard to food sensitivities, our best advice is to read labels diligently. Some varieties are made with shellfish. Red Boat brand is a little pricey, but it is gluten, soy, and shellfish free, so the peace of mind might be worth the added expense. If you’re still not comfortable, you can use regular soy sauce. You won’t get the more expansive flavor profile, but the saltiness will be there. If you can’t have soy, you can use coconut aminos to equal effect.
In the end, you’ll have a brilliant vegetable dish that will stave off burnout and boredom, even if all you pair it with is a piece of simple grilled fish or chicken. These sprouts pack enough flavor and punch for the entire plate. Enjoy!
Adapted from Momofuku.
- For the Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup fish sauce (adjust to taste -- some fish sauce brands are saltier
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (or 1 to 3 red "bird’s eye" chiles, thinly sliced, seeds intact)
- For the Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- 1 tablespoon very thinly sliced cilantro stems, plus ¼ cup leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped mint
- 12 ounces brussels sprouts (smaller ones are better)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil.
- For the vinaigrette, combine the fish sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and sambal oelek (or chiles) in a jar. Taste; If too salty, add more water and/or lime juice. This vinaigrette will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. Combine the vinaigrette, cilantro stems, and mint in a bowl, and set aside.
- Peel away any loose or discolored outer leaves from the sprouts, trim the dry ends of the stems with a knife, then cut the sprouts in half. Cut any especially large ones in quarters. Wash and dry the sprouts very well.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat canola oil in a 12 to 14 inch oven-safe wide skillet over medium heat. When the oil slides easily from side to side of the pan, add the brussels sprouts cut side down. When the cut faces of the sprouts begin to brown, transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking, about 15 minutes.The sprouts are ready when they are tender but not soft, with nice, dark brown color.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. When ready to serve, divide the brussels sprouts among four bowls (or serve it all out of one big bowl), top with cilantro leaves and about half of the vinaigrette according to your taste. (You'll have the rest left over for future use - you’re welcome.) Toss once or twice to coat.
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