Fried Brussels Sprouts

Fried Brussels Sprouts
Inspired by the incredibly delicious but also impossibly complicated fried brussels sprouts at Uchiko, these are crispy, salty, sour, and sweet.

 

And potentially deadly, as you see in the video. I’ve fried these in a wok and in a deep pot and I have to tell you that a wok is the way to go, if you have one. If you don’t, of course you can use a pot but please don’t fill the pot more than half-way with oil or you risk boiling oil bubbling over, splattering into your face and eyes, and basically causing instantaneous destruction of any attempt on your part to have a clean, non-greasy kitchen area.

If you prefer to not fry them, try making this roasted Brussel sprouts recipe, omitting the other seasonings and just roasting them with oil. Then dress with the sauce, cilantro, and some sauteed shallots (or store-bought fried onions!). Healthier, easier, neater, but not quite as crispy delicious.

Fried Brussels Sprouts inspired by Uchiko

Video Recipe

Fried Brussels Sprouts Recipe (Printable)

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Fried Brussels Sprouts

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5 from 4 reviews

  • Author: Hilah Johnson
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts
  • 2 large shallots
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 cups frying oil (peanut, canola, safflower)
  • 2 tablespoons minced cilantro (or mint if you hate cilantro)

Instructions

  1. Trim the Brussels sprouts and cut in half lengthwise. Peel the shallots and slice thinly.
  2. Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small pot and cook over medium heat until reduced slightly, about 3 minutes simmering.
  3. Add garlic and simmer 1 more minute. Add fish sauce and remove from heat.
  4. Heat oil to 350ºF
  5. Fry the sprouts in batches, about 3 minutes each, transferring to a large bowl as they are done. Fry the sliced shallots, too.
  6. Pour the vinegar sauce over and toss to coat.
  7. Add cilantro last.

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27 Comments

  1. Great Stone Face on September 30, 2013 at 8:33 pm

    This is so mouth-watering. Unlike me, I have no suggestions on this one — just a question. How and where do you dump the oil? I have taken a cooled pot into the woods behind our house, but that usually result in oil splashing on my sneakers — and that never comes out. I’d think a wok would be even harder to empty.






    • Hilah on October 1, 2013 at 8:45 am

      I can’t believe you have nothing to add! I bet once you try them, you will come up with some brilliant idea that makes me look bad. 😉 I kid! 😀

      For the oil, I let it cool and then either:
      A. double up 2 plastic grocery bags and set them open in the sink (may want to get M to help you by holding the bag open) and then pour the oil in the doubled bag, tie shut and place in trash can.
      B. once cool, place a large wide-mouth jar in the sink and strain oil into that for another use. Then I store the used oil in the fridge since used oil is more prone to rancidity than new oil.

      Hope that helps! I think doing everything in the sink is they key to not making a mess.

  2. Trying to Cook on October 1, 2013 at 11:37 am

    I toss used oil in empty coffee cans or any other empty condiment jar or container I would otherwise be tossing anyway. Just wash and keep a few on hand for this purpose! Cheap plastic kitchen funnels help tremendously. 🙂

    • Hilah on October 1, 2013 at 12:01 pm

      Thank you for that idea!

  3. The Other Randy on October 1, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    This sounds so great, I’m going to have to make it, but I’ll have to pare it down some for just me. If I use a deep 2 quart sauce pan, I can probably get by with half a cup of oil and fry two small batches. If I make the full recipe of the sauce, it should keep in the refrigerator for about a week, don’t you think?

    I’ll make this recipe no matter what, but I wonder how well frozen brussels sprouts would work? About a year ago I decided that I had to start losing weight (45 pounds so far) and change my eating habits. To stop wasting fresh vegetables, I found that frozen vegetables and a single portion microwave steamer works fantastically well. Sometimes, I just eat them steamed, but I’ve found that steaming them to defrost and then sauteing them works real well, so I would think that frying would work, too.

    BTW, I’ve found that filtering oil through a fine mesh strainer immediately after frying increases its lifespan considerably.

  4. Diane on October 1, 2013 at 5:36 pm

    Not a rip off, but a homage! And holy moly, these look wonderful (just like the ones at Uchiko!); I can’t wait to try them . . . and I *never* fry anything!






    • Hilah on October 2, 2013 at 10:01 am

      You are going to flip your lid, Diane!

  5. Lucinda on October 1, 2013 at 9:57 pm

    These photos are some seriously good food porn shots!
    Thanks for another way to make brussels. Will give them a try soon!

    Luc

    • Hilah on October 2, 2013 at 10:02 am

      Thanks, Lucinda! 😀 We just got a new camera lens and I’ve been trying a little harder. Thanks for noticing! Hope you like the sprouts.

  6. Marcie on October 14, 2013 at 10:10 pm

    Hilah,

    I stumbled across this video on Yahoo somehow. What a treat! I’m always looking for a tasty recipe for brussell sprouts since, as a grown up, I discovered they aren’t always served boiled to mush.

    You’re teaching style is fantastic! Instead of sounding condescending, you remind me of my best friend giving me a recipe over the phone. I love how down to earth and freaking funny you are. 🙂

    Many of these kinds of videos have intimidating recipes and don’t seem user friendly, but I’m totally fryin’ this up for dinner tomorrow! And, I’m really looking forward to checking out more of your videos!

    • Hilah on October 15, 2013 at 9:37 am

      Hey Marcie!

      I’m so glad you found me here! I think a lot of people get served previously frozen BS as a kid (I know I did) and they are just about always terrible. It’s so sad!

      I hope you like these BS. Just be careful when frying. That spray of hot oil in my face was not planned as a teaching moment. It was just a result of me being dumb 😉

      Thanks for writing!

  7. michele on October 15, 2013 at 7:31 pm

    Oh my…. these were unbelievable. This was my introduction to fish sauce and I was nervous after I cracked open the bottle and tried some…..whoa. this was a perfect balance of flavors!! SO glad I came across your recipe on Pinterest!!

    • Hilah on October 16, 2013 at 8:48 am

      Hooray! I’m so excited to hear that, Michele! Fish sauce is SO WEIRD, and kind of scary, but it is delicious when evened out with sour and sweet things. Thank you for writing! 🙂

  8. Jason Boyd on November 7, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Hellova video, i will be making this dish soon! I like the look of the site and printable recipes!






    • Hilah on November 10, 2013 at 3:18 pm

      Thanks, Jason!

  9. Lisa on November 14, 2013 at 4:25 pm

    I’m trying this now, my brother said to blanch before frying? Are they as hard as a rock if you just fry and skip blanching?

    • Hilah on November 14, 2013 at 5:10 pm

      Hi Lisa,
      I have never blanched these before frying. I would not recommend it actually, because then they are very wet and that means more splattering.
      If you cut them in half or quarters before cooking, they get cooked in the oil.

  10. Bill Radetzky on December 17, 2013 at 12:09 pm

    If you were too cheap to buy a thermometer for just this one dish, how would you cook there? After a burning pot episode while making pop corn, I am kinda afraid of oil.

    Oh BTW, I couldn’t find the search menu cause most times I use an iPad to look at your site and read emails. It is hidden inside the HILAH COOKING heading and couldn’t see it. AmI getting old? c ya

    • Hilah on December 18, 2013 at 9:40 am

      Hey Bill!
      I don’t blame you. What I’d do is make roasted brussels sprouts and then dress them with the sauce here.
      And yes, I’ve noticed the search bar on ipads is hidden. I’ll see if there’s anything to do about that.

      • Bill radetzky on December 18, 2013 at 10:03 am

        I will buy the thermometer. I made them last night. I heated the oil, Splashed water in it to see if it was hot enough and it splattered all over. I took it off the heat and put a handful of dry sprouts in to cool the oil and and it splattered again. I mean SPLATTERED!!!! I shot oil on the floor the wall behind the stove, just about every spot within a 4 foot radius of the pan. My wife was pissed!

        So in answer to my original question; if you’re not going to follow the recipe stay out of the kitchen. I will try the roasted ones tonight. BTW when i put the sprouts in the oil, they burned most of them. I am never going to deep fry without a fryer again. Thank you so much for your help.

  11. Gabe on June 9, 2014 at 9:46 am

    I just got back from ATX Television Festival in Austin and had something similar to these at Perry’s Steakhouse and now I’m obsessed with finding the recipe. Yours appears to be close but they did tell me that they added sriracha and red wine vinegar? Have you had them there? Does this sound right? Thanks so much. Great site. Sincerely, Gabe

    • Hilah on June 9, 2014 at 11:52 am

      Hey Gabe! Hope you enjoyed your trip to Austin. I haven’t been to Perry’s, but try this recipe with a little Sriracha added and see what you think. The rice vinegar should take the place of red wine vinegar.

  12. pym on April 15, 2016 at 6:26 am

    will this work with frozen defrosted BS? do i need to cook the sprouts first before frying? or just defrost and fry? thanks

    • Hilah on April 15, 2016 at 9:43 am

      Hi Pym,
      I do not recommend frying frozen Brussels sprouts, thawed or not. Frying frozen would splatter a lot and probably not cook through,; frying thawed would also splatter and probably turn out very mushy. I suggest steaming them and then serving with the sauce.

      • pym on April 18, 2016 at 12:31 pm

        thank you

  13. Lawanda Cummings on February 14, 2018 at 3:14 am

    OMG!!! I made these for the family and we had a battle for thirds! Thank you so much for this delicious option for the dreaded Brussels Sprouts






    • Hilah on February 16, 2018 at 6:57 am

      Yay! These are so good, even if they are a little bit of a pain. So happy your family liked them, Lawanda!

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