Brussels Sprouts with Mom’s Chili Fish Sauce
We made these crispy fried brussels sprouts for holiday meals and Mom approves. Yay! Honestly, the chili fish sauce is the secret ingredients and it’s not just delicious on brussels sprouts. Take this sauce over any vegetables or simple meats and the meal will explode with flavor. If you don’t want to fry the Brussels sprouts, you can roast them. We have roasting instructions in the recipe box below. We first shared this recipe in 2013 and it continues to be a hit!
Crispy Fried Brussels Sprouts Recipe
Finally, I think Mom approves of this fried brussels sprouts recipe. Or at least she’ll loves my hacked version of her chili fish sauce. You see, I’ve been known to break many culinary rules. Mom has pretty much warmed up to my kitchen shenanigans and fiendish ways of using fish sauce. Seriously, who would take a traditional Vietnamese spring roll and make a BLT out of it? I did. She also raised both eye brows when I told her that I made a fried egg Vietnamese sandwich called a “Bang Me”. Oh please, it’s just a sandwich. A freaking good one, at that. And last but not least, I took her beloved pork banh mi and made little tapas, open faced bites out of it. She actually giggled about that one.
I love to make kitchen trouble. Or trouble in the kitchen. Or at least anything that has to do with fish sauce. It’s in my blood, I tell ya.
Make this flavorful brussels sprouts sauce recipe. Please.
My friends, you must make this and support me. If you like it, I’ll collect all your positive responses and show Mom that I’m not all that crazy. And if you don’t like it, then you’re a bit crazy too because fried brussels sprouts and fish sauce is a delicious combination. A match made in brussels sprouts heaven. Update: Click here for more fabulous Brussels Sprouts Recipes
Roasting instead of deep frying?
While many of you might not be comfortable with deep frying, you might ask if roasting the Brussels sprouts is ok? Sure! Roasting is great too but you don’t get the same super crispy texture. But that’s ok because it’s all about the fish sauce dressing. It’s always about the sauce.
Video and Photos on How to Make Brussels Sprouts with Mom’s Fish Sauce Dip
Inspiration for Great Asian Flavors in Brussels
It started back in 2011 when we ate our way through Austin IACP and had our minds blown at East Side King. His version of crispy brussels sprouts was out of this world. Circle around again to 2013 when we were at BlogHer Food Austin, we experienced another addictive version of crispy fried brussels sprouts at Uchiko and again at East Side King. We just had to do a double take on crispy brussels sprouts in two different restaurants because we just couldn’t get enough.
Now the cravings start to come around again and the cheapest way to indulge in this dish is to make it at home, rather than to fly out to Austin. The crispy fried brussels sprouts is a must for anyone who haven’t plunged their brussels sprouts into hot oil yet. The deep fried flavor and crispy outside, slight charred leaves of the brussels sprouts is a flavor that’s hard to describe. Add on top of that, my hacked (corn starch thickened) version of Mom’s Chili Fish sauce and what you have is about 2 pounds of goodness that you will want to eat all by yourself.
Best Fish Sauce Brussels Sprouts
You can’t go wrong on this recipe if you like fried brussels sprouts. And if you love fish sauce and if you don’t care about calories, even better. Plunge your brussels sprouts in hot oil, I tell ya! Do it, try it and trust me. I also love the chili fish sauce so much that I might fry a batch of potatoes and toss this addictive sauce on top. Next post! Enjoy! -Diane
How Long to Cook Brussels Sprouts chili fish sauce
Note on cooking times. Brussels sprouts can very tremendously in size. They range from the size of a large egg to as small as a 5-cent coin. Make sure to adjust your cooking times depending on the size that you end up cooking. Also, try to select all the same sizes for consistent cooking.
Brussels Sprouts with Mom’s Chili Fish Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound brussels sprouts , ends trimmed and quartered
- oil for deep frying or 2 Tablespoons of oil for roasting
For Chili Fish Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 Tablespoons fish sauce (use Tamari for Gluten Free)
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 fresh thai or jalapeno chili , minced (or to personal taste)
- 2 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic , about 3 large cloves
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
For slurry:
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon water
Equipment
- Parchment Paper optional
- Instant Read Thermometer optional
Instructions
- Make the Chili Fish Sauce: Combine all chili fish sauce ingredients (1/2 cup water, fish sauce, sugar, chili, garlic, and lime juice) in a medium saucepan. Bring the sauce to a boil.
- As the sauce is coming to a boil, make the corn starch slurry by combining the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Make sure to stir the slurry well and break up any lumps of cornstarch.
- When the fish sauce comes to a boil, gently stir in the cornstarch slurry. Slowly stir the sauce until it thickens. Once the chili fish sauce thickens, turn off heat. Set aside and allow chili fish sauce to cool.
- Prep Brussels Sprouts: Peel the outer, bruised layers of the brussels sprouts off. Trim the ends, then cut brussels sprouts in half or quarters.
- Option 1: Roast the Brussels Sprouts: Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Lightly oil a sheet pan or line with parchment paper.
- Toss the brussels sprouts with 2 tablespoons of oil then spread, cut side down, on the prepared sheet pan.
- Roast at 400°F (205°C) for 15 minutes. Flip the sprouts to cut side up, then roast for 10-15 minutes more or until browned.
- Option 2: Fry the Brussels Sprouts: In a large work, deep pot or dutch oven, fill oil to about 1 inch high. Heat the oil to about 350-375°F (175-190°C). Test the oil by frying one piece of brussels sprouts first. If it sizzles and cooks quickly, then the oil is ready. Or if you have a cooking thermometer, use that.
- Fry the Brussels sprouts in batches, start by frying about 1/4 of the brussels sprouts until they are golden brown. Remove them from oil and blot them on paper towels to remove excess oil. Add more oil is needed. Make sure the new oil is heated, then repeat the frying for the rest of the brussels sprouts.
- Final Saucing: Once all brussels sprouts are cooked, combine them in a large bowl. Toss the brussels sprouts with the chili fish sauce and serve warm.
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
More Brussles Sprouts Recipes
- Click here for our complete collection of brussels sprouts recipes
- Cheesy Brussels Sprouts Gratin
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sriracha and Mint
- Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Fish Sauce and Lime
- Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar
- Air fryer brussels sprouts
- Braised brussels sprouts with bacon and shallots
- Garlic roasted brussels sprouts with lemon mustard parsley dressing
- Baked brussels sprouts with parmesan cheese
- hope you enjoy our brussels sprouts chili fish sauce recipe!
Could you roast the brussel sprouts instead of frying them?
Hi Lisa,
Sure. The texture would be a bit different, but the sauce would be great on a roasted brussels sprouts, too.
Any chance this could be made with frozen brussels sprouts?
We aren’t sure. Probably but we haven’t ever tried. You might need to soak up any excess water from the frozen brussels sprouts. If you give it a shot we’d love to hear how it comes out.
i pan fried the brussel sprouts instead, and they were so yummy! (also, i think the fish sauce i used was a little saltier than normal, so next time i’d adjust the water/fish sauce ratio.)
I just tried this for the first time and it is AWESOME and tastes wonderful. I live in Austin and to be able to cook this dish so perfectly made me proud.
The oil I used was sunflower because i just wasn’t sure and it tasted very light.
Would love to try this recipe. Can you tell me what kind of chilis you use in the recipe? I live in Texas, but I’m sure you’re using some kind of Asian chili.
The most common chili that we use for this recipe would be Thai chilies. Although I’m sure in Texas you’ll have a great bit of options to chose from.
Sooooo excited to try these! The Brussels sprouts at Uchi here in Houston (same chef as Uchiko) are my favorite thing on the menu. Do you think they could be fried in advance, then reheated in the oven before tossing with the sauce? Or would they lose their crispiness? Thanks!
Just made this with some quite old Brussels sprouts (a month expired?), and it was AMAZING. Thanks for this delicious recipe, can’t wait to make it with fresh ones!
What brand of fish sauce did you use in this recipe?thanks!
Our house favorite fish sauces are the Flying Lion brand and Red Boat brand fish sauce. For this recipe we used Flying Lion.