Curry Simmered Brussels Sprouts Recipe | Cookin' Canuck (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to soak brussel sprouts before cooking? ›

Don't soak sprouts before cooking them, they don't need it. Rinse before cooking, and if you want to store them ready-prepped but them in a reusable bag or container in the fridge.

Add some curry spice paste and gently cook for a few minutes. This allows the spices to release all their • wonderful flavours and aromas. Next add your meat or vegetables and cook until sealed. Finally add some water and leave to simmer for 15-30 mins depending on the recipe.

Steaming and boiling use moist heat, and moist heat can make Brussel Sprouts mushy and stinky—not a good combo. Give them the treatment they deserve by roasting them instead.

One of the most common ways to cut a Brussels sprout is in half or quarters. By doing so, you reduce the size of the sprouts, speeding up cooking.

It won't take a lot -- just add 1 tablespoon of salt per 1 quart of water and toss in trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts. Soaking the sprouts in salt water doesn't take long --10 to 30 minutes is plenty long enough to soften up the centers.

Use a splatter guard (they look like a flattened sieve which goes over the pan) to reduce the amount of splatter from curries when you cook them. Avoid covering pans completely with a lid as steam needs to evaporate to help reduce the curry sauce down.

Take your time: A good curry doesn't have to take hours but it's important to allow ingredients such as onions to cook properly, to get the most flavor out of them. Another trick is to save powered spices like garam masala until last.

Simmering a curry allows time for the flavours to infuse; a long, slow simmering time generally produces the best curry.

Like other cruciferous veggies, Brussels sprouts have a type of carbohydrate that your body can't easily break down. This can cause you to have belly pain, gas, and either diarrhea or constipation.

Throw out fresh brussel sprouts that have a foul odor, yellow or wilted leaves, a mushy or slimy texture, or dark spots. Use fresh brussel sprouts within 1–2 weeks of getting them. Store the brussel sprouts in a plastic bag inside your fridge, and wash them before cooking them.

Why avoid brussel sprouts? ›

Although a healthy vegetable, consuming too many Brussels sprouts can be unsuitable for people on anticoagulants since it contains vitamin K, which results in blood clotting. Another issue with consuming Brussels sprouts excessively is that it can lead to gas and bloating.

A Dutch scientist named Hans van Doorn, who worked at a seed and chemical company, figured out exactly which chemical compounds in Brussels sprouts made them bitter. The next step was to plant sprouts with the least amount of these chemicals and eventually cross-pollinate the chemicals out.

Over the last twenty years, farmers have mellowed the "unpleasant" flavor of brussels sprouts by breeding a vegetable that contains fewer bitter compounds or glucosinolates. So, brussels sprouts just taste better than they used to when we were kids. The rub is that glucosinolates help protect sprouts against pests.

The soak time tenderizes the sprouts so the middles are softer. Don't worry, they won't be soggy! I would never do that to you. If, like me, you don't mind some chew to your sprouts, you don't need to soak the Brussels sprouts prior to cooking.

The sweetness works with the bitterness, and the sugar helps to caramelize the sprouts and bring out their own sweetness. A bit of brown sugar will also work. Acid can be useful as well. A splash of lemon juice, or even apple cider vinegar, works wonders on bitter sprouts.