This Brussels sprouts story started with Thanksgiving in mind.
I wanted to publish enough recipes to fill a table for Thanksgiving dinner beginning with a healthier version of the classic French Canadian tourtiere (meat pie) and followed by a video recipe for a savory sweet potato and squash puree. Making Brussels sprouts was the next logical step in order to add more color and veggies to the feast.
The plan was to start them off in a pan (to speed up the cooking process) and finish by baking them in the oven, wrapped in foil. Which is exactly what I did except for the part where I stick to seasoning them with Western flavors.
Oops!
One of my favorite ways to eat bok choi is with ginger, garlic, Thai chilis and oyster sauce. I could eat this flavor combination everyday with a bowl of rice and feel perfectly content.
Out of the blue I realized there was no reason why the same combination couldn’t also be used for Brussels sprouts since they are from the same plant family.
So I went ahead and tossed them in a hot pan with garlic, ginger, chilies and a splash of soy sauce and already, they tasted delicious. After a few minutes in the pan, I transferred them to a sheet of foil and baked them in the oven for 20 minutes.
What’s also great about cooking sprouts this way is they don’t stink up the place the way they do when they are boiled.
As I waited for the timer to go off I gave my spice and sauce rack a little clean up. That’s when I saw my dear bottle of Maggi seasoning quietly sitting behind fish sauce and rice vinegar.
I had forgotten about it and I knew right then that this genius Swiss invention was going to take my Brussels sprouts to the moon. Maggi seasoning is widely used in Asian cooking because of its powerful umami taste. A few drops can turn something meh into something wow!
And that’s exactly what happened here: Rich, meaty and spicy, it’s almost like an umami bomb exploded in my mouth. Could these be the best Brussels sprouts ever? Ben and I think so.
It’s going to be hard to sit through Thanksgiving dinner and eat boiled Brussels sprouts knowing I could have these instead.
Brussels Sprouts with Maggi Seasoning
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Total Time: 38 minutes
- Yield: 4 sides 1x
- Category: Side
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
A simple Brussels sprouts recipe served with Maggi seasoning.
Ingredients
- 20 Brussels sprouts (stems removed and halved)
- 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 thumb size ginger (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1–2 Thai chili (finely chopped (optional))
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- Maggi seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- In a pan over medium high heat, add oil, garlic, ginger and Thai chilies and cook for 1 minute.
- Add Brussels sprouts, lower heat to medium and cook for about 7 minutes, until the leaves are slightly charred.
- Turn the heat off and add soy sauce. Stir well.
- Cut a piece of aluminum foil big enough to hold the Brussels sprouts and brush with a little oil.
- Transfer Brussels sprouts to the foil and close by folding/ each side, leaving a little slit opened in the center. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Put the Brussels sprouts on a plate or a bowl and season with plenty of Maggi seasoning.
Notes
These Brussels sprouts will keep refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 272
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 275.4 mg
- Fat: 7.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 9.3 g
- Fiber: 3.8 g
- Protein: 3.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
