Don’t have a pan large enough to cook the sprouts in one batch?
Cook them in two batches in a medium (10-inch) skillet.
No coconut oil in your pantry?
Substitute unsalted European-style butter or vegetable oil.
We’d fled the communist takeover of South Vietnam and were joyful to be in America.
However, the overcooked, sickly green, gassy Brussels sprouts gave us little joy.
We didn’t eat them again until the early 2000s.
Back then, Brussels sprouts were not yet a super-popular year-round thing.
They have a sweet edge whereas larger sprouts have a stronger cabbagelike flavor.
“Don’t you remember the ones at the camp?”
my sister Yenchi said, starring at the vivid green orbs.
It didn’t work.
The adults didn’t want to trim and prep the sprouts.
I marshalled my unassuming nieces and nephews into helping in the kitchen.
That night, I boiled the halved Brussels sprouts and tossed them with brown butter.
My parents and siblings changed their minds after their first bites.
Since then, they’ve welcomed Brussels sprouts at our holiday table.
The dead-simple Vietnamese-Style Coconutty Brussels Sprouts is based on what I served for Thanksgiving in 2016.
To reinforce the coconuttiness, I use coconut water (nuoc duain Vietnamese) to steam-cook the sprouts.
For years, Vietnamese Americans relied up on cloyingly sweet coconut soda, which I disliked.
But thanks to the coconut water healthy hydration trend, nuoc dua is nowadays stocked at mainstream supermarkets.
Cook with coconut water that you like to drink!
The liquid lends extra sweetness to counter the Brussels sprouts' slight bitterness.
This easy dish combines ingredients and flavors that marry our life experiences across the Pacific.
Halve the sprouts from stem to top.
Add the Brussels sprouts, then use a spatula to turn and coat them.
When they are all glistening, arrange them, cut-side down, in one layer.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Poke one or two sprouts with the tip of a paring knife; they should be just tender.
Add fish sauce (or soy sauce); shake the pan and stir to distribute.
Cook, uncovered, for about 1 minute longer to further develop the flavor and caramelize the sprouts.
If needed, raise the heat to coax the cooking.
When the sprouts are lightly glazed, remove from the heat and let rest for 1 minute.
Serve the sprouts hot, warm or at room temperature.
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.
