v:gourmet

We had a potluck dinner at my parents’ house the other day for my dad’s birthday. My sister was organizing it and decided to make sweet and sour tofu stir-fry as one of the main dishes; she asked me to bring a side. I had a pile of brussels sprouts that needed to be used up and decided to do an asian-inspired sprouts and ‘shroom dish with crispy shallots on top because after making them for the basmati and wild rice dish with chickpeas, currants, and herbs, we just can’t get enough. Deep flavours, different textures, roasted yumminess.

Pile of brussels sprouts, shaved finely

1/4 olive oil

5 cloves garlic minced

Pile of mixed mushrooms like miatake, shitake, oyster

4 tbsps soy or tamari sauce

2 tbsps brown rice vinegar

2 tbsps sesame oil

sea salt and pepper

1/2 cup sunflower oil

2 large shallots

3 tbsps flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Shave or slice brussels sprouts finely with a knife or mandolin. Add them to a a oven-proof baking dish. Toss with olive oil and minced garlic and bake for about 20 – 30 minutes until they are cooked through (this will depend on how thinly they are cut).

Meanwhile, chop mushrooms into strips. Cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until they begin to brown and release their juices. Once cooked, add tamari sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Let the mushrooms cook in the tamari mixture for a few moments to let the mushrooms soak up the liquid and to let the flavours meld.

Toss the mushrooms with the brussels sprouts. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Heat sunflower oil in a heavy skillet until quite hot. Slice shallots into rings. Toss in the flour. Add shallot rings to the hot sunflower oil and saute until they are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towel and let cool. Cook in batches so that the shallots brown evenly.

Garnish brussels sprouts and mushrooms with crispy shallots and serve warm.