Three Layer Sprouts?

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredient Availability: 4/5

Difficulty: 2/5

After trying the fried brusslels sprouts from An Unapologetic Cookbook, I thought that was about as good as sprouts could get. This recipe from the Zaytinya Cookbook has something to say about that. While the former seems to have somewhat of an Asian inspiration, the latter is firmly in the Mediterranean category. I’m looking forward to see which is more impressive.

Key Ingredients & Omissions:

The only ingredient at I left out was the barberries. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen nor heard of them before. Other than that, all of the other ingredients are pretty easy to find. Oh, I also kinda skipped out on the confit garlic for one of the sauces in this recipe. I had intended to make it, but I forgot until it was time to use it. Instead, I microwaved a couple garlic cloves in some olive oil in an attempt to soften them up enough to be used in s similar way. It worked for the most part, but it definitely wasn’t as soft as the confit garlic would’ve been.

Tools:

• Frying Vessel

• Sharp Knife

• Whisk

• Rolling pin or pot for crushing

Cooking Review:

Coriander Dressing: 13 minutes

To make the coriander dressing, I crushed some coriander seeds between a towel using a rolling pin and put them in a bowl along with the rest of the dressing ingredients, aside from the olive oil. While whisking the mixture, I slowly added the olive oil to emulsify it.

Frying Brussels Sprouts: 22 Minutes

After quartering the sprouts, I fried them up. Just like the other fried Brussels sprouts recipe, this is where the recipe earns its elevated difficulty score. When added to the oil, the sprouts will sputter a lot, so be prepared with a frying guard or something to shield you and the rest of your kitchen from the hot oil. I fried the sprouts in 3 batches, each taking about 4-5 minutes. I transferred them to a bowl with paper towels to drain before being tossed with flaky salt and chopped dill.

Finishing: 6 minutes

To finish, I made the greek yogurt spread. I mashed the garlic that I microwaved in the olive oil as well as I could before adding the yogurt and the rest of the ingredients and mixing thoroughly. The yogurt spread was smeared on a plate, topped with the fried sprouts, and finished with the coriander dressing.

Analysis:

I guess I was wrong. Brussels sprouts can get even better. Not only can they get better, they can be one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. The two cool sauces just work perfectly together against the warm, crispy sprouts. The coriander dressing has so much flavor, which is balanced by the yogurt spread which has less flavor, but more creaminess and tanginess. Every flavor that was put into this recipe shows up in the end product. The dill, lemon, garlic, yogurt, sprouts, coriander, even olive oil can be discerned when tasting this dish. Despite the sprouts being fried, when paired with the sauces, this in a very fresh and cool tasting food. I really can’t complain about anything here. Besides the sputtering when frying and not being able to find barberries, there’s nothing I’d change about this. This is so good, I’m willing to overlook those two things and give it a 10/10. You have to give this a try.