Even if we’ve started to recover from mushy
brussels sprout flashbacks, we can still take them further than roasting them
plain—by shoving them into a puddle of fish sauce vinaigrette, for
example.
While fish sauce is nothing you should eat—or,
yes, smell—by itself, like an undercurrent of anchovy or soy sauce, it can light
up a dressing. Especially when combined with flickers of garlic and chile,
bursts of lime and rice vinegar, and cilantro stems, which have all the
fragrance of the leaves but more crunch.
You cook the sprouts till they’re crackly, with
pretty brown surfaces and lots of crevices for the vinaigrette to seep in and
bounce around. Momofuku founder and chef David Chang likes to get
this going with the sprouts laid face-down in a skillet of sizzling oil before
finishing them in the oven.
The original recipe includes some other fun
doodads—fried cilantro leaves and spicy toasted puffed rice. I skip them—with a
bowl of handsomely roasted sprouts, that vinaigrette, and a finishing blanket of
fresh mint and cilantro, any more excitement just wouldn’t be fair to the rest
of dinner.
Serves 4 to 6
FISH SAUCE VINAIGRETTE
½ cup (120ml) fish sauce (adjust
to taste; some fish sauce brands are saltier than others)
¼ cup (60ml) water, plus more as
needed
2 tablespoons rice wine
vinegar
Juice of 1 lime, plus more as
needed
¼ cup (50g) sugar
1 clove garlic,
minced
1 to 3 red bird’s-eye chiles,
thinly sliced, seeds intact
2 tablespoons very thinly
sliced cilantro stems, plus ½ cup (8g) leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh
mint
2 pounds (900g) brussels sprouts
(smaller ones are better)
Grapeseed or other neutral oil
(lots for frying, little for roasting)
1 To make the vinaigrette,
combine the fish sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chiles in
a jar. Taste; if it is too salty, add more water and/or lime juice. This
vinaigrette will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
2 Combine the vinaigrette, cilantro stems, and mint in
a bowl, and set aside.
3 Peel away any loose or discolored outer leaves from
the brussels sprouts, trim the dry ends of the stems with a knife, and cut the
sprouts in half. Cut any especially large ones in quarters. Do not wash,
especially if frying the sprouts. If roasting, and you must, dry very
well.
4 To roast the brussels sprouts
(recommended), preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Heat 2 tablespoons
grapeseed oil (or just enough to evenly coat the bottom of the pans) in each of
two large oven-safe skillets (12 to 14 inches/30 to 35cm) over medium heat. When
the oil slides easily from side to side in 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. Alternatively,
if you don’t have two large skillets or are cooking more sprouts for a larger
crowd, roast them in the oven: Toss them with 1 tablespoon of oil per pound and
spread them on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast in the oven, checking for
browning every 10 to 15 minutes, tossing them around with a spatula only once
they start to brown nicely. The sprouts are ready when they are tender but not
soft, with nice, dark brown color.
To fry the brussels
sprouts, heat 1½ inches (4cm) of oil in a deep saucepan over medium-high
heat until a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer registers 375°F (190°C). Line
a plate or tray with paper towels. Fry in batches that don’t crowd the pan—be
careful, these will pop and spatter. Brussels sprouts will take about 5 minutes:
when the outer leaves begin to hint at going black around the edges—that is,
after the sprouts have sizzled, shrunk, popped, and browned but before they
burn—remove them to the paper towel-lined plate.
5 Serve warm or at room temperature. When you are ready
to serve, divide the brussels sprouts among four bowls (or serve it all out of
one big bowl), top with the dressing to taste and cilantro leaves, and toss once
or twice to coat.
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