Recipes like this go to show how easy it to take your basic dishes up a notch. We love roasted Brussels sprouts in our house, and they are delicious with just olive oil, salt and pepper. Whether you sear them in a pan or roast them in an oven, as long as your Brussels sprouts are seared properly and seasoned well you are going to be in for a treat (if you like Brussels sprouts). But spend a couple extra minutes whipping up this simple Asian-inspired glaze and you go from simple to sensational in a second!
SHOPPING LIST: 1 lb. Brussels sprouts, chopped garlic, orange juice, grapeseed oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic chili sauce, sesame seeds, honey, salt, pepper
As mentioned, the first step is just getting your Brussels sprouts perfectly cooked. Because I was going to use a pan eventually, I decided to make this entire dish on the stovetop to only dirty one pan. Trim the ends off of your Brussels sprouts and then slice them in half lengthwise, through the core. Add 1 tB. of grapeseed oil (because you want to get your oil smoking hot so you olive oil won’t cut it) and heat over high heat. Add your Brussels sprouts and DON’T TOUCH for 5 minutes. This will let them get a good sear. Give a quick toss, season with salt and pepper, allow for another five minutes of searing. Add 2 tB. of orange juice and quickly COVER your Brussels sprouts so they can steam for the final 5 minutes. When a fork can easily puncture the Brussels sprouts, remove them from the pan and set aside.
Now for the sauce – in the same pan, add 1 tB. of sesame oil and heat over medium heat. Add 1 tB. of chopped garlic and sauté until it begins to develop some color. Deglaze your pan with 1/4 cup of orange juice (using a wooden spoon to really clean the bottom of your pan) and increase to high heat. Then add 1 tB. of soy sauce, 1 tB. of garlic chili sauce, 1 tsp. of rice wine vinegar and 1 tsp. of honey. Allow your glaze to come to a SIMMER so that the orange juice reduces and gets thicker. After a few minutes of simmering, re-add your Brussels sprouts and finish cooking them in the glaze for three more minutes.
Before you serve your orange glazed Brussels spouts, give them a quick sprinkle of sesame seeds. I used the tuxedo – black and white mixed! – variation because it looks pretty I had them on hand for my favorite seared tuna. If I can get my hands on some fresh tuna, I’ll make sure to get that up on the blog soon!
The Kitchen Koach 