My Chinese upbringing did not include Brussels sprouts but in recent years I’ve been drawn to these stalks full of little cabbages. Because I so love the regular cabbage in every way I decided to buy some sprouts from the market. While unpacking, I realized the stalks were too long to stick into the fridge. So I decided to break them off one by one and for some reason I started to count how many I would get. There were sixty perfectly round sprouts.
Next, I began to think of all the ways to prepare my round friends...
I started with oven roasting at high heat with kosher salt, fresh pepper and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Toss well then bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Next method, I moved on to just simple steaming until fork tender then finished with a sprinkle of kosher salt. I know you can sliver them for salads but I found them too chewy and moved on to cutting them into quarters then sautéing in oil until tender.
Last week I brought some sprouts to a birthday party. First I sautéd them with a little garlic, oil, and when they were golden in color, I added a little butter for flavor and a quarter cup of water. This cooked them until tender. I covered it for a few minutes then at the last minute I slivered 1/2 a red bell pepper and zucchini, then topped the entire dish with a tablespoon of soy and a little dark sesame oil to taste.
When the sprouts were devoured at the party and people asked how I prepared it, I was happy they enjoyed the sprouts and of course I shared the recipe...