Thursday, June 21, 2007

Brussels Sprouts & Leek?


Was thinking of a new veg to cook and brussels sprouts came to mind! I love these little green balls! They resemble mini cabbages don't they? And they have such a vibrant green colour that makes my picture look good haha!


Surfed around for ways to cook. hmmm looks like the common ang moh style is to steam them. This method will help prevent overcooking as they will turn bitter and release sulphur when overcooked. I decided to do a quick stir fry with leeks. Can you imagine - 10 years ago i would have made a face at such a combination... yelch. (Brussels sprout was once Britain's most hated vegetable, I don't know about leeks though)

However, I think age or maturity helps you to learn to appreciate the different aspects of things in life, in this case brussels sprouts. ahem. (my hubby didn't like the dish so that's saying sumthin heee)

There were some recipes that combined these 2 vegetables together so it shouldnt go so bad. I just cut the leek into thin slices, stir fried them, then added the halved brussels sprouts. Add salt to taste. Dish them up quickly when the sprouts turn a brighter green or suffer the taste of sulphur! Cooking certainly has its hazards.

Some tips: When selecting, go for small sprouts with tight heads. Apparently small sprouts are more tender and the tight head indicate freshness. Also, cut of a bit of the base off and discard the outer, older leaves.

Verdict: Not bad (6.5/10). The leek gave a slight meaty taste - I'm not sure if it does that when its stir-fried though. And the brussels sprouts were slightly bitter and sweet. I didnt get the nutty flavour which they say comes out when its cooked correctly. I do like its crunchy texture and felt a sense of satisfaction that i was doing a big favour to my bowel movement (its green and leafy and high in fibre)

2 comments:

Chinchillas said...

OW! Look so healthy to me! I want a BITE!!!!

coffeedreames said...

Yea - I love veggies!