A sizzling recipe to convert the sceptics

Sprouts aren’t just for Christmas. Here, Ching-He Huang, author of Asian Green, gives them a brief immersion in boiling water then sizzles them in a sweet, aromatic, citrussy glaze. The sticky, hot sprouts are then piled onto a salad of rice, tofu and bitter salad leaves to balance the sweetness. It sounds unusual, and delicious.

Sprouts return to the spotlight on Saturday week, when Russ Parsons, former food editor of the Los Angeles Times, now living in Waterford, sings their praises his monthly column in the Irish Times Magazine. He wonders why we don’t eat them more often and treat them with the same respect we do our many varieties of cabbage. Here’s a good starting point on the conversion route.

Wok-fried orange-soy sticky sprouts and wild rice salad

Serves 2

Ingredients
200g (7oz) Brussels sprouts, trimmed
pinch of salt
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root ginger, grated
juice of 1 orange
50ml (2fl oz) vegetable stock
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tbsp tamari or low-sodium light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds, to serve
juice and zest of 1 lemon, to serve

For the salad
100g (3½oz) smoked tofu, drained, rinsed in cold water and sliced into 0.5cm (¼in) cubes
2 heads of chicory, washed, leaves separated
1 small handful of dried cranberries, finely chopped
150g cooked wild rice, cooled
150g  cooked jasmine rice, cooled
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced

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Method
1 In a wok or medium saucepan, bring 500ml of water to the boil over a medium heat. Add the Brussels sprouts and salt and boil for four minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water, then set aside.

2 Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and leave to chill in the refrigerator.

3 Heat a wok over a high heat until smoking, and add the rapeseed oil. Once hot, add the ginger, orange juice, vegetable stock, hoisin sauce, golden syrup, tamari or light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Bring to the bubble, then reduce to a sticky glaze. Add the cooked Brussels sprouts and toss together, coating well.

4 To serve, spoon some of the salad mixture on to a plate. Top with the hot, sticky sprouts and garnish with some toasted flaked almonds. Squeeze over some lemon juice, sprinkle over the lemon zest, and eat immediately.

Recipe from Asian Green, by Ching-He Huang, published on February 11th by Kyle Books