15-Minute Shredded Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

This 15-Minute Shredded Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry has an Indian flair. It is made savory and delicious by a few simple spices, herbs, and a smidgen of chickpea flour. You will be back for seconds, and more.

Spring for me, as always, has started out with lots of plans for gardening, eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, cooking and experimenting more, finding new, delicious things to throw on the barbecue grill — but also getting out of the house and kitchen more to enjoy the outdoors.

I don’t spend a lot of my day in the kitchen, as contrary as that may seem, because I am, after all, a food blogger who’s been doing this for nearly a decade now. Other than perhaps half a dozen unscheduled breaks over the years, usually due to a pet loss that seems to always sap me of all energy and drive no matter how prepared I think I am, or the occasional bout of mind-numbing laziness, I have tried to be consistent with cooking and sharing my ideas with you during this time.

But as much as I love being in the kitchen, I love getting out fast, because there is so much else to do. Luckily, we live in times — unlike those that cooks of a previous generation did — where cooking has been made convenient by every kind of gadget and appliance imaginable.

Because I love to do most of my cooking from scratch, I often turn to the few appliances I have for help. With vegetables like Brussels sprouts, a food processor can be extremely handy, because you don’t have to go through the pain of slicing every individual sprout which can take a good bite out of your time.

The first couple of times I made this Indian style Brussels sprouts stir-fry, I shredded the sprouts using the grater blade with the largest holes, but the resulting shreds were too small and cooked too fast– something that didn’t really work for me because I like my sprouts to be cooked just to that point where they are tender enough to give easily under your teeth, but al dente enough to offer a little fiesty resistance.

This time, I used the slicer blade, and I was really happy with the results. The blade sliced the sprouts mostly into shreds, while leaving a few cross-sections intact: a really pretty effect, I think, for the final dish.

Shredding the Brussels sprouts also reduces the cooking time considerably, as you can imagine, because the heat can penetrate the shreds much faster than it can a tightly packed globe.

You don’t really need me to tell you why you should eat Brussels sprouts– if you’re reading this, chances are you love them already. But in case you need some affirmation, they are:

• Packed with nutrients that put your health and heart in top shape, including fiber, vitamins, calcium, iron and other minerals.
• Brussels sprouts belong to the cruciferous family of vegetables, known for their cancer-fighting properties.
• They help detox and purify your body.
• They are delicious! Especially so in this Brussels sprouts stir-fry, so try it.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed, then sliced into thin ribbons with a knife or in a food processor
• ½ teaspoon any neutral vegetable oil or coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoon coriander leaves, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoon chickpea flour or besan

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large saute pan or wok.
• Add the mustard seeds. When they sputter, add the coriander leaves and ginger garlic paste. Saute for a minute over medium heat.
• Add the turmeric and black pepper, stir to mix, and add the Brussels sprouts. Mix well. Season with salt.
• Cover and cook five minutes over medium-high heat until the Brussels sprouts are tender but still al dente. Stir a couple of times during this time. 
• Now sift in the chickpea flour evenly over the sprouts. Mix it in and cover the pan again. On the lid, pour a couple of tablespoons of water (a lid with a rim that will hold the water works best for this). 
• Let the sprouts cook another five minutes. Open and give the sprouts a quick stir. Check if more salt is needed.
• Serve hot.