Brussels sprouts were on sale a while ago and I picked some up without knowing what to do with them. I knew that I wanted to try something different but I wasn’t sure exactly what. Eventually I settled on the idea of brussels sprouts in a black bean sauce but before I got the chance to make them I came across the fermented black beans in my pantry. This was pretty fortuitous as it lead me to try making my own black bean sauce with them that I as then able to use on the brussels sprouts!
Over the last while I have really come to enjoy dishes with a nice blend of sweet, salty, spicy and tart and I have been trying to incorporate that concept in my cooking. While I was making the black bean sauce I remember thinking to myself that it had the sweet and salty down but it was missing the spicy and the tart, so any recipe that used it would have to provide that. With that in mind I relied on the brussels sprouts tendency to be a little on the sour side and that just left me with the spicy heat which I added with a touch of red pepper flakes. With that I may just have found my new favourite way to enjoy brussels sprouts!
Brussels Sprouts in Black Bean Sauce
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound brussels sprouts (trimmed and quartered)
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
- 2 tablespoons black bean sauce
directions
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add the pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the brussels sprouts and broth and cook until they brussels sprouts turn dark greens and tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the black bean sauce, cook for another minute, remove from heat and serve while warm.
Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite veggies but black bean sauce is something new to me. Fermented black beans are a novelty, too, but I think I can find some in Chinese shops. I'm curious to try!
This surely is my kind of recipe, love Brussels sprouts and used to just saute them in butter and eat. Now I have one more recipe to devour these healthy veggies.
An interesting combo, yummy! I've never tries cooking my BS with black bean sauce, but with oyster sauce (not bad too)….
Cheers,
Rosa
Now that sounds GOOD! I wonder if my friend who says he hates brussels sprouts might like them?
After a childhood spent hating them, I have developed a deep and dividing love for Brussels sprouts, especially roasted ones.. Yum! As soon as I track down some fermented black beans for the sauce, I think I'll have to try these!
SO simple yet so good! I have recently been acquainted with brussel sprouts and to my surprise, love them!
That's a fascinating idea! I never thought about combining these two things before. I also had no idea that you can make your own black bean sauce at home. Thanks for the recipe, Kevin!
This recipe interests me very much. I'm thinking it would be a nice accompaniment to an asian salmon dish I make. Thanks Kevin.
Brussels sprouts are so good for you and I love black bean sauce!
I love Brussels sprouts and am always looking for something new to do with them. I'll have to try this idea.
Huge fan of brussel sprouts. I'm always looking for new ways to cook them. These sound tasty.