Love your brussels: A recipe for sprout sushi rolls

As far as I work out, there are two attitudes when it comes to brussels sprouts.

The first attitude is that of the sprout dodger: they should be wheeled out for Christmas dinner, eaten under duress, and then the unfortunate digestive after-effects lived through during the Queen's speech. They should never be eaten under any other circumstances. 

The second attitude is that of the sprout pusher, who views the sprout as a little ball of surprisingly versatile, green cabbagy joy that sprout pushers, if only they would put aside their cruciferous prejudices, would learn to appreciate.

I'm firmly in the second camp: sprouts aren't just for Christmas, they're for life.

When I mean they're not just for Christmas, that's because the tail end of the continent-sized bag I brought for Christmas is still hanging around, so I need to use them up. This recipe is one of my favourite ways to cook them - there's something about sprouts and soy sauce that's just meant to be. 

With that in mind, the other day, craving a bit sushi, I though maybe I'd put some of my leftover sprouts to good use. Add bit of sushi rice to a few lightly fried sprouts and a bit of soy sauce, and you'll get one very happy Joey. 

I'm sending this to Shaheen from A2K - A Seasonal Veg Table for January's Eat Your Greens Challenge.


Sprout sushi
Makes six pieces

Ingredients
100mls (not grams) of sushi rice
150mls of water
One tablespoon of rice vinegar
One tablespoon of mirin
One sheet of nori
75g of sprouts, any discoloured outer leaves removed, larger sprouts cut into quarters, smaller ones into halves
A teaspoon of dark soy sauce

How you do it
Rinse the sushi rice until the water runs clear
Put into a saucepan with the water, pop a lid (ideally a glass one) on top, turn on the heat to high.
When the water starts boiling, turn the heat down to low, and let cook for seven minutes. 
After the seven minutes, take the rice off the heat, and leave to cool for 10 minutes. (At no point during the cooking should you take the lid off - only after the 10 minutes are up.)
Once the ten minutes are over, add a tablespoon of rice vinegar and one of mirin. Stir and leave to cool some more.
While the rice cools, warm a little oil in a frying pan and fry the sprouts over medium high heat until crisp tender and a little brown on the outside. If the sprouts begin to stick on your saucepan, add a little water to the pan. After about ten minutes, they should be cooked through. Add the soy sauce to the sprouts and turn off the heat.
Once the sprouts and rice are cool, spread the rice after the nori, and roll it up.
Using a sharp knife, cut into six pieces.
Appreciate the joy of sprouts.


7 comments

  1. brilliant - I am in the sprout pusher camp - though I still have nightmares about the time I bought a huge bag of sprouts when staying with my in laws and I finally finished it and my mother in law bought me another monster bag because she thought I was missing them!

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  2. I used to be a major sprout dodger, now I'm a sprout pusher. Times sure have changed. :-) The sprout sushi roll is an awesome idea, I'm trying that out next time I make sushi.

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  3. I'm a bit neutral on sprouts - I was once an avoider, now I see their potential but am still a bit unsure. These rolls look fantastic though!

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  4. Ah forgive me for not commenting yestersay, I saw your blog post but was at work and naughtily read a few blog posts before i got into checking my e mails. I love this. I am still one who resents Brussels sprouts even calling them fairy cabbages doesn't win me over, but I am getting my head round to eating them. I do love them roasted. I have to say I think I would love them in sushi esp if doused heavily in soy or tamari sauce. The next time i make sushi, i will try to remember to pick some sprouts (if in season) and try some as you have made here. Thank you so much for also sharing with EatYourGreens, a fantastic contribution.

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  5. I'm a sprout pusher for sure!!! I was a vegetable hater as a kid, but one time I went to someone's house for dinner, and they served brussels sprouts. Not wanting to appear rude, I gave them a taste and was instantly a fan. They were honestly my gateway vegetable <3.

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  6. I'm in the middle - brussel sprouts must be cooked correctly, and it's all about the accompaniment! I've not tried soy sauce, so I need to check out that link. BUT, all this aside - this sushi is so cool!!

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  7. I can't say I've ever had brussels sprout sushi — and I've had a LOT of sushi. But, you know, just the other day as I was scarfing down sushi, I was thinking how tired I was of the same old varieties. Bring on the Brussels!

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