This Honey Ginger Wok Brussel Sprouts was inspired by twitter foodies who rave about Sakaya Kitchen’s dish and because my husband loves Brussel Sprouts in any shape or form. They cause such a stir when you mention them, you either hate or love them, which camp are you?
The HUGE bag I bought gave me a bit of problem with figuring how to eat them all before they spoiled. So, I decided to apply my latest fad: By using a few different ways to prepare the same ingredient gives your palate a little variety and you won’t get bored eating the same dish for days. I’ve used this method with grilling meats and works wonderfully. Lesson learned here is not to buy a lot of produce in one go because they overwhelm you and fresh produce is best when eaten at its peak not kept for days even if they’re refrigerated!
When my #LetsLunch twitter friends came up with the March theme for Green Foods, I knew immediately this was the dish I wanted to post. I hope I’m not taking this too literally. #LetsLunch is a virtual lunch where food bloggers come up with a theme. Cheryl Tan spearheads #LetsLunch and organizes us all with our posts. I’m not sure how she does this as well as her book tour! Visit her wonderful blog, also named A Tiger in the Kitchen, I’ve met the neatest food bloggers, if you want to join, post a comment below or on Twitter using #LetsLunch. Do visit other #LetsLunch posts below for their Green idea!
Just a reminder if you’ve not visited my blog before, I don’t use measurements or recipes when I cook, just a pinch of this and that and viola. So here’s my easy way of making Honey Ginger Wok Brussel Sprouts, enjoy.
Ingredients:
Brussel sprouts, rinse and cut off bottoms with small sharp knife
1/2 lime
water
3 cloves of garlic, diced
1 thumb size ginger, diced
San-J tamari
medium drinking sherry
Honey (mine came in a convenient squeeze bottle, Whole Foods organic)
Tea Seed oil or grape seed, canola, safflower oil for high heat frying
Directions:
1. I used my cast iron wok to first par boil the brussel sprouts then stir fry them. It was the perfect vessel cause it gave them room to cook and is the best material if you want crunchy vegetables. By adding a drop of oil in the water, it keeps sprouts looking bright colored instead of ‘grey’. Don’t be afraid to use your cast iron wok with liquid, it won’t hurt it as long as you always dry it thoroughly. Once you start cooking in it, the patina will build back up immediately.
2. When you can stick a fork into a sprout, they’re ready. Drain and set aside. Par boiling doesn’t take long so don’t overcook them.
3. Wipe out the wok, I didn’t even need to wash as nothing stuck. Set on high heat, squeeze oil round wok 3 times, add garlic and ginger and immediately add in brussel sprouts, give them a swish around. Sprinkle tamari & sherry all over the sprouts, squeeze in 2 good dollops of honey and fry to spread tamari and honey all over sprouts. Adjust the taste to your liking. Lastly, squeeze some lime juice in to ‘wake’ them up and they’re READY!
Here are some ways I served the Honey Ginger Wok Brussel Sprouts:
left: Tuscan spice rub grilled pork, grilled peppers and corn, stir fried mushrooms & sprouts.
right: pineapple, cucumber, tomato salsa, grilled pork, curried grilled tofu & sprouts.
left: pineapple, cucumber, tomato salsa, roast chicken, Sakaya Kitchen’s ginger honey eggplant & sprouts.
right: roast lamb, sprouts and radish soup.
Hope you’ll share some unusual ways you’ve prepared your Brussel Sprouts!
Here are my fellow foodies’ take on Green foods and please check back for more updates from around the world! I can’t wait to read their posts…
How to Brew a Better Pot of Tea from Grace at HapaMama
Green Chorizo from Felicia at Burnt-Out Baker
Pandan Tapioca from Charissa at Zest Bakery
Natanya’s Guacamole from Lisa at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Notos Pesto from Ellise at Cowgirl Chef
Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes from Cathy at ShowFood Chef
Green Bean and Vidalia Spring Onion Soup from Lucy at A Cook and Her Books
Asparagus with Poached Egg from Karen at Geofooding
I realize that this recipe dates back a few years, but I just received this info in my newsletter today, and I wonder now (as I would have wondered back in 2012) why a recipe gets published without quantities of ingredients.
IMO, you get feedback about a recipe if you provide a recipe that can be duplicated, and with a suggestion for the number of servings that can be expected. This recipe lacks quantities for the main ingredient, the Brussels Spouts, and for numerous other things, like the tamari and the sherry! And what, pray tell, is a “medium drinking sherry”? Could not an example be suggested?
To summarize…. this recipe is a big disappointment. Maybe that is why no one has posted back to tell us that they actually made it and enjoyed it!
Robin, thanks for your observation. I don’t teach “recipes” hence no quantities. If you know about my Wok Star approach, you’ll know how to squirt, squeeze, shake your seasonings so you’ll never worry about quantities. It’s all about tasting and adjusting to suit your taste buds!
Just bought a flat bottomed carbon steel wok from Amazon.com. It will arrive next week. I’ll be 65 next month and need to reverse some health issues, i.e., high blood pressure. Made a list of all foods I should be eating then started thinking of how to mix and match them together. WOK!! suddenly came to me so I bought it on the spot 2 hours ago, then ran out and bought bamboo spatulas and cutting board. Came home and googled ‘wok recipes’ and found your site. Thank you so much for the brussel sprouts recipe and all the rest. Can’t wait to get healthier and feel great. Signed up for your newsletter. Thanks again so much for this amazing resource! Laura
After reading Eleanor’s and other people’s views on the difference between round bottom and flat bottom I changed my Amazon order to a Joyce Chen ROUND bottom wok. I have a gas stove so I also bought a wok ring.
I do like the long wooden handle and the short wooden helper handle better than the metal handles because I’ve heard of people getting badly burned trying to grab onto those little metal handles, even with the best mitts. Supposedly the wooden handles do not conduct heat. I’ll know soon enough.
I also prefer an unseasoned carbon steel wok as my first wok. I like the idea of learning how to season it myself. It’s kind of like training a puppy yourself vs having a stranger do it for you. I’m doing this to improve my health and I do expect to bond with my wok through the seasoning and care process. Having someone else do it for me just doesn’t feel right for me.
http://www.myrecipes.com has a ton of wok recipes and you can even save them in your own little recipe box on their site. You can add notes to each recipe and reviews. This is so exciting for me!
My wok is shipping Monday. I can’t wait!
No, the handles are terrible, they get in the way and also fall to one side when you have food in it cause it’s not balanced! However, you already have it so make the most of it. I ‘seasoned’ my cast iron woks because it removes all the obstacles to starting. All the reasons I mention on the Wok Star Kit page! I hope you’ve done it because with all good intentions, people don’t end up doing it, so never get started with wok cooking and their health just gets put on the back burner. With regard to ‘recipes’, they don’t help you be a good cook. Again all the reasons I mention. It’s not fun or creative following one, makes you a slave and locked into set ingredients. Sad after reading all my explanations, you’ve chosen the path you’re going, good luck.
Hi Laura, glad you decided to take care of your health, it’s the most important thing! I wish I saw this earlier. Also glad you figured out round bottom wok is best for all the reasons I mention. However, just having the wok won’t be enough to make you successful. I see you got a wood spatula, wrong tool to stir fry, I mention this too. It’s too thick to scoop under your food. They are for non-stick pans and woks, useless. That’s why I put a Kit together with EVERYTHING to help you get started and be successful. I see you running around getting stuff that’s not efficient.
Linda, Lucy and Cathy, thanks for your input. I’ve so enjoyed reading your posts on Green Foods. Interesting how we all have different perspective on the topic!
Delicious! We love brussels sprouts. Glad to have another recipe in the arsenal!
Oh my goodness, these Brussels sprouts look and sound delicious! I love your easy-going, elegant cooking style.
These sound so good! Love the tip on keeping them green, and what could be better than honey to balance. Great idea!