“In New Yooooork! Its where foodie’s dreams are maaade oooof…there’s nothing I can’t eat! Oooohhh…”
New York: a food lover’s dream. My mouth starts to water just thinking of all the delectable choices. Before my trips to New York, my type-A personality comes out and I scour the Internet for the newest and hottest restaurants to visit: eating in the dark, the best vegan food in town, or a famous chef’s newest establishment. It’s all right there, in one city, and I get to taste-test it all! However, despite my best efforts to be organized, one of my best friends that lives in New York always scoops me up and takes me to a different place. Low and behold, it’s the best sangria and scallops I’ve ever put into my mouth. New York, you never disappoint!
During my last visit, I was actually visiting for a food-photography and styling workshop with the very talented Bea Peltre of “La Tartine Gourmande” (that’s a whole other blog post in its own!). After the first day of cooking, styling, photographing and taking in every word that poured from Bea’s mouth, I was ravished! I rushed to meet my friend and we headed over to a restaurant called the “Spice Market” in the meatpacking district. Now if anyone has been to this area, or even New York, I’m sure you have heard of it. It’s exactly what the name entails: spices, spices, spices! First glance at the menu and I knew I was in trouble: I want everything! We land on a few dishes to share and one in particular sticks in my memory to this day: the crispy Brussels sprouts with honey, lemongrass and mint. Oh my, the flavor combinations! I knew I had to recreate this dish to the best of my ability when I got home. So, that is what I have done here. I have no idea how they made that dish, however, I have played around in my kitchen quite a bit to come up with a close second. Originally this dish did not come with soba noodles, but I really like the addition of the Asian noodles with the lemongrass and mint flavors. The lemongrass-ginger-infused honey can be made in bulk and used for other Asian dishes. If you don’t want to bother making the infused honey, regular honey will work but will lack the flavor profile of the infused honey.
Brussels sprouts are great for liver support, increasing the production of liver-detoxifying enzymes. Actually, any vegetable from the cruciferous family is the liver’s best friend: broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. The cruciferous family also has anti-cancer nutrients and protects against heart disease: not a bad group of vegetables to have in your fridge!
If you have never had soba noodles, you must try them! They are actually noodles made from the whole grain ”buckwheat” and are safe for celiac’s who require gluten-free grains. Buckwheat also contains “rutin”: a natural phyto-chemical that strengthens blood capillaries. I used Eden Organic buckwheat soba noodles; the only ingredient is buckwheat flour.
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did. If anyone has ever had the original, I’m sorry I couldn’t replicate it exactly, but I think you will be happy with this version.
- 1 1/3 cup honey
- 1 lemongrass stalk plus 2 inches from a 2nd piece; reserve 3 inches from the larger end of the 2nd piece for the remainder of the recipe
- Approximately 2 inch x 1 inch piece of ginger, skin removed with a grater, cut in half
- 15 oz. of Brussels sprouts or approximately 25 small Brussels sprouts (the smaller the better!)
- ½ a package of soba noodles (about 4 oz.)
- 2 small garlic cloves or 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 3-inch piece of lemongrass (reserved from the 2nd lemongrass stalk used in the honey) stem end trimmed, minced
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 1/16 teaspoon of sea salt
- ½ a mild pepper of your choice, sliced, seeds removed
- 1 green onion, sliced
- Mint leaves and sesame seeds to garnish
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice (approximately 1 lime)
- 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ginger-lemongrass-infused honey
- Cut the lemongrass into 2-3 inch pieces. Gently bruise the outside of the lemongrass with the back of your knife. Once all the lemongrass is cut and bruised, tie the pieces together with a piece of kitchen twine.
- In a saucepan, bring honey, lemongrass stalks and ginger to a low simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat without removing the lid and let the honey steep for at least 1 hour. The longer you leave it, the more flavorful it will become (I left mine for 8 hours). Remove the lemongrass bundle and ginger, or keep them in the honey indefinitely for a stronger flavor. Transfer the honey to a jar with a tight fitting lid; can be kept in the fridge for up to 6 months.
- Trim the stem ends and cut in half lengthways from stalk to top. Peel off the outside layer of leaves. Set Brussels sprouts aside.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil; add the soba noodles and cook for 7 minutes or according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
- While the noodles are cooking, prepare the dressing. Mix the extra virgin olive oil, lime juice, sesame oil, rice vinegar, tamari, and ginger-lemongrass-honey to the lemongrass and ginger you transferred to a bowl earlier. Stir to combine.
- In a skillet or non-stick fry pan, heat coconut oil, garlic and lemongrass over low heat; sauté over low heat for 5 minutes. Be careful not to brown the garlic and lemongrass; we want to allow the lemongrass to become fragrant, not to burn. Remove a 1/8 of a teaspoon of the garlic and lemongrass and transfer to a separate bowl for the dressing. Transfer the remaining garlic and lemongrass to a bowl with the Brussels sprouts and toss together.
- The coconut oil will probably be cooked away, so add another tablespoon of coconut oil to the skillet. Sprinkle salt over the Brussels sprouts and add the Brussels sprouts in batches to the skillet, cut side down, along with the sliced peppers. Brussels sprouts should be in a single layer. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, depending on size. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove Brussels sprouts and transfer to a bowl; drizzle with a bit of the lemongrass-ginger-infused honey. Be careful not to use too much honey! A little goes a long way! If you need to cook the Brussels sprouts in more than one batch, wipe the pan after each use and add more coconut oil each time.
- Mix soba noodles, Brussels sprouts and peppers and toss with the dressing. Garnish with plenty of mint, sesame seeds and the green onion.
Steve Pearson - Looks and tastes unreal.
Love & Garnish - Thanks Steve!
Brittany - I am making this for dinner tonight. My husband and little girl love Brussels sprouts so this will be perfect. Thank you for this beautiful recipe.
Love & Garnish - Oh wonderful! Let me know how it goes!
Patti - My favourite go-to “meatless Monday” dish. I’ve made this several times already and can’t get enough.