Recipe: deep-fried Brussels sprouts (does this still count as vegetables?)
The same people who count fries as potatoes with their meal, and see Melanzane alla Parmigiana as a nutritious vegetable dish, will probably happily eat two hundred grams of these Brussels sprouts. They’re a kind of bitterballen-style Brussels sprouts, deliciously coated in panko and briefly deep-fried.
The recipe’s creator serves the Brussels sprouts with buffalo sauce, but unfortunately that’s not something we have readily available on the shelves in the Netherlands. Of course, you can make it yourself: it’s a combination of hot sauce (for example Tabasco or sriracha), vinegar, Worcestershire sauce (here’s how to pronounce it) and garlic, with a little melted butter. But these crispy Brussels sprouts taste just as good with a ponzu dip or tartar sauce. Hang on, that last one contains pickles, capers and shallot, which you can also count as vegetables. The Wheel of Five, here we come!
How to make deep-fried Brussels sprouts
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil.
- Clean the Brussels sprouts: remove the outer leaves.
- Boil the Brussels sprouts for 8 to 10 minutes. They should still be a lovely bright green, but you should be able to pierce them easily with a fork.
- Prepare three deep plates: one with flour, one with the beaten eggs and one with panko.
- Coat the Brussels sprouts: roll them in the flour, then in the egg and finally in the panko. One coating is enough.
- Heat the oil in a pan to the right temperature. Want to test it? Dip a wooden spoon or a piece of bread into the oil: if it sizzles, the oil is hot.
- Deep-fry the Brussels sprouts until golden brown. Don’t fry too many Brussels sprouts at once, to prevent the frying oil from cooling down too much.
- Let the Brussels sprouts drain a little on a piece of kitchen paper. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
- Serve with your dip of choice.
Also read:
- Recipe: baked sweet potato with spinach and cheese
- Recipe: Turkish zucchini fritters with yogurt dip
- How to: deep-fry without a deep fryer
Recipe and photo: Delish.com
