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Momofuku's Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

Name: Momofuku's Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 4 to 6, as a side
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons very thinly sliced cilantro stems, plus 1/2 cup leaves; 3 tablespoons chopped mint; 2 pounds brussels sprouts (smaller ones are better); 2 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil (or 3 cups if frying instead of roasting); 1/2 cup fish sauce (adjust to taste -- some fish sauce brands are saltier); 1/4 cup water; 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime); 1/4 cup sugar; 1 garlic clove, minced; 2 red bird’s-eye chiles, thinly sliced, seeds intact

by: Genius Recipes

November 7, 2012

4.3

28 Ratings

Momofuku's Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

Photo by James Ransom

Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 35 minutes
Serves 4 to 6, as a side

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Author Notes

This recipe will add much-needed spark to your winter diet (and your Thanksgiving spread). Adapted lightly from Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan (Clarkson Potter, 2009) —Genius Recipes

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Momofuku's Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
2 tablespoons very thinly sliced cilantro stems, plus 1/2 cup leaves
3 tablespoons chopped mint
2 pounds brussels sprouts (smaller ones are better)
2 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil (or 3 cups if frying instead of roasting)

Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
¹/₂ cup fish sauce (adjust to taste -- some fish sauce brands are saltier)
¹/₄ cup water
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
¹/₄ cup sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 red bird’s-eye chiles, thinly sliced, seeds intact

Directions

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Combine the vinaigrette (below), cilantro stems, and mint in a bowl, and set aside.
Peel away any loose or discolored outer leaves, trim the dry end of the stems with a knife, and cut the sprouts in half. Cut any especially large ones in quarters. Do not wash, especially if frying the sprouts. If roasting, and you must, dry very well.
To roast the brussels sprouts (recommended): Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or just enough to evenly coat the bottom of the pan) in 2 oven-safe wide skillets (12 to 14 inches) over medium heat. When the oil slides easily from side to side of the pan, add the brussels sprouts cut side down. When the cut faces of the sprouts begin to brown, transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking, about 15 minutes. Alternately, if you don't have 2 large skillets or are cooking more sprouts for a larger crowd, roast them in the oven: toss them with 1 tablespoon of oil per pound and spread them on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Roast in the oven, checking for browning every 10-15 minutes, tossing them around with a spatula only once they start to brown nicely.The sprouts are ready when they are tender but not soft, with nice, dark brown color.
To fry the brussels sprouts: Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat until a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer registers 375°F. Line a plate with paper towels. Fry in batches that don’t crowd the pan -- be careful, these will pop and spatter. Brussels sprouts will take about 5 minutes: when the outer leaves begin to hint at going black around the edges—i.e., after the sprouts have sizzled, shrunk, popped, and browned but before they burn—remove them to a paper towel–lined plate or tray.
Serve warm or at room temperature. When ready to serve, divide the brussels sprouts among four bowls (or serve it all out of one big bowl), top with the dressing to taste and cilantro leaves, and toss once or twice to coat.

Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
Combine the fish sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, garlic, and chiles in a jar. Taste; If too salty, add more water and/or lime juice. This vinaigrette will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.

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65 Reviews

brushjl January 22, 2023

The roasted Brussels sprouts were great, but the vinaigrette ruined it. Sorry, I don't think you'll ever need a half cup of fish sauce for anything. Two tablespoons would have been fine and the sugar was totally unnecessary. A waste of roasted Brussels sprouts.

Ro R. October 9, 2022

I had hopes that I could tweak the recipe into goodness per the suggestions, but having tasted the results, I think it doesn’t have the right ingredients to begin with. Don’t waste the goodness of roasted Brussel sprouts on it.

Rachel January 12, 2021

I made this with broccoli, putting the tray back in the oven for a bit after adding the vinaigrette to allow it to soak into the florets and caramelize.
I was using Red Boat fish sauce which is strong, and mine was old and concentrated, so I cut it down to 2 tbsp. I used brown sugar and instead of chiles I roasted the broccoli with chile flakes.

Kristina T. November 27, 2020

Winner for Thanksgiving. Nice contrast to all the rich flavors on the table. Love the cilantro. Roasted first then tossed with vinaigrette, kept it simple. Will definitely cook this again.

Rachel November 27, 2020

I made this for Thanksgiving last night. To say it was not a hit would be an understatement. My husband’s face changed expression abruptly. He got very quiet. My young son took a forkful, jumped up from the table and fled to the kitchen to spit it out, shrieking. I used about 1/4 of the finished sauce on the roasted Brussel sprouts. And I made a half recipe of the sauce to begin with. The brand fish sauce, Thai Kitchen, overpowered all other flavors in a most unfortunate way. I have used this brand (not my favorite) before in my recipe for pad Thai and it has been fine.

girlwithaknife November 18, 2020

Overall a solid recipe. The sauce is a keeper! I’ve made similar versions but this stands out because of the cilantro stems—who knew they had so much flavor! OTOH, I prefer pan-roasting the Brusselies a la Dan Barber: more caramelization and less mushy (I prefer a slight crunch). I served this with Vietnamese caramel salmon (by Melissa Clark) over rice and it was a gourmet weeknight meal.

craftaddiction November 28, 2019

Thank you for the recipe. Made it for Thanksgiving and it was a hit.

Gwynnie October 29, 2019

So good!! I threw the whole bunch of cilantro that I bought in since I know my tendency to let herbs wither in the fridge...tossed it all with some soba and ate it chilled later on in the day. Delicious :)

Chris G. March 2, 2019

If you liked this dish, with the sauce, I'm pretty sure you will also like the Vietnamese Pancakes recipe, which uses a very similar fish sauce vinaigrette and you can use up the excess sauce with it!

Vietnamese Happy Pancakes, or Bánh xèo
https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/banh-xeo-vietnamese-happy-pancakes/
The tough part about the above recipe is getting the Vietnamese "crepe" or pancake
cooked right...but it is well worth the trouble! (we first had this "above" dish at at "Pho 36"
restaurant in Lynnwood, Washington (state)...happy eating! (by the way the sauce keeps well in the refrigerator (in a covered glass jar for about a week!)

Ashley December 5, 2018

This is so delicious! I wanted something different than standard roasted sprouts, and this was the ticket. The cut sides were well browned and crispy, and the insides were soft and buttery, and the vinaigrette was a perfect unusual accompaniment. I didn't have fresh chiles, so I crushed a couple of arbol chiles, which were plenty hot.

Zenzero September 26, 2018

12 Tbsp (3/4) cup lime juice from 1 lime... that is 1 big lime!

AlexM September 26, 2018

I think this recipe (in this particular link/page) is misprinted. If you search this recipe on the Food 52 site, there is another recipe page (with the same title, but instead of a Genius Recipe it is by an author (Kristin something)), it has proportions that are more in line with what literally every other version of this recipe has out there- juice of one lime (period). I use the following ratios (from the other link)

1/2 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 to 3 red bird's-eye chiles, thinly sliced, seeds intact

Kristen M. September 28, 2018

Hi there—thank you both for noting this. Indeed some of the measurements in this recipe had recently been bungled in an effort to standardize the ingredients, but I just gave the recipe an edit. Please shout if you notice anything else amiss.

Catherine W. September 24, 2018

I would substitute mirin to taste for the sugar

W R. June 26, 2018

Is it actually possible to get 12 tablespoons of juice from one lime? How big is this lime?

Jude T. July 15, 2018

I asked myself the same thing. That lime would have to be the size of an orange - 12 tbsp = 3/4 cups! I just kept tasting it until it suited what i liked... i think i ended up using 2-3 limes

Mary January 14, 2016

I made this dish for Christmas ... everyone loved it! There was more sauces than needed. As others have stated, you can save time by making the sauce a day or two ahead. Super easy, super yummy!

Natalie R. November 25, 2015

I just made this with my 9 year-old daughter for an early Thanksgiving dinner with friends. She said it was the best thing she's ever tasted; I keep catching her red-handed with a fork in the dish and there's not a whole lot left for us to take to dinner. Next time, I'm doubling the amount of Brussels sprouts - I don't think I need to double the vinaigrette, though. We had way too much. Also, resist the temptation to salt the Brussels sprouts before you put them in the oven to roast because the fish sauce in the dressing is very salty. I'm going to make this tomorrow with cauliflower. Thank you for a recipe that children and adults can enjoy together!

Nancy February 17, 2017

Agree these sprouts are delicious! Was thinking of making other vegetables (wedges of cabbage, stalks of broccoli) like this and saw your comment on cauliflower. Did you make it and, if yes, how did it turn out?
BTW, agree with you about not making more sauce when doubling the recipe...plenty left as written.

Natalie R. February 18, 2017

Hi Nancy, I did make it with cauliflower (twice) and it was good - but not as good as with the sprouts. For some reason, the fish sauce and sprouts are like culinary magic. The broccoli stalks may be a better choice? I may try broccoli, too.

J H. March 29, 2015

My trick to "save" time or make this faster is to make the vinaigrette the day or 2 before. On the day of, you just need to cut and roast the brussels sprouts and mix in the dressing. Perfect recipe...blows away my dinner guests every time.

laura January 27, 2015

Former brussels sprout hater here, newly converted by this recipe. The roasting method is key I think, but the vinaigrette is great too - granted I haven't tried it as written, I heavily modified it for the amount of ingredients I had on hand, reduced the sugar and left out the chilies so my kids would eat it.

Crystal January 14, 2015

Probably the only way to mask that bitterness associated with brussel sprouts, love this recipe so much it's now converted me to a brussel sprouts lover hehe.

AlexM November 18, 2014

Why does this printable recipe call for 1/2 cup fish sauce to 1/4 each water and sugar, when all of the other recipes for this dish (from the cookbook, epicurious, serious eats) use a 1:1:1 ratio?

Crystal January 14, 2015

I think it might depend on the brand of fish sauce you use, different brands are stronger in flavors then others. It's best to play it by ear and taste it as you put it together.

SPersaud October 13, 2014

Love this recipe. You'll get a rice crispy sprout using the roasting method, I forgot to add sugar at all and it still turned out delicious.

Lauren R. April 4, 2014

I'll echo some of the other comments here - I think the sugar can be reduced. It caught me a bit off guard with how sweet it was. I would also add more jalapeno next time around, but otherwise, a different way to serve brussels!

Verna P. March 31, 2014

I made this for a potluck Saturday night -- lots of compliments!

Joseph H. January 7, 2014

Sorry - bad case of Fat-Fingers today!

Joseph H. January 7, 2014

Man...I used to HATE Brussels Sprouts with a capital "HATE". Then I discovered the joy of roasting them or pan braising them with BACON (yeah, you knew it was coming). Well, now I have been informed that there is more than ne way to appropriately prepare them and I LOVE this! Thanks, Momoofuku.

Joe aka Culinary Crook - just a thick-necked guy who cooks...LOL

ss December 2, 2013

birds eye chills? I have been to two locations looking for these. Any suggestions for a substitution? Thank you!

Kristen M. December 2, 2013

Any other fresh, hot chile will work -- other commenters in this thread have subbed serranos and Thai chiles with success. Hope you like it!

pierino December 2, 2013

You can find dried bird chiles at Surfas http://www.culinarydistrict.com/ under there own lable. I prepared this for a Thanksgiving meal where it was met with shock and awe. Mostly shock.

anne November 16, 2013

I just made Pad Thai with this dressing. I had nothing in the house, but broad rice noodles, chicken breast, green onion, eggs. Had some peanuts too, so chopped em up. Wow. Really good for not getting to the store in a few days.

anne November 14, 2013

If you use the Red Boat fish sauce, be careful. It is strong and can overpower the recipe ratio. I had to add a lot of water to get the flavor right. Red Boat is really good, but it is really different if you've been used to the fish sauce with the scale and the babies, or the one with three crabs on the label.

pierino November 14, 2013

Yes, I usually go with Three Crabs myself. I will be inflicting this on my unsuspecting hippie neighbors at Thanksgiving. They are basically a bunch of Puritans who can't think past turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.

darksideofthespoon April 26, 2013

Planning on making this tonight! It's also great on broccoli!

makan January 14, 2013

My husband loves roasted brussels sprouts, so we tried this recipe last night and we're both over the moon. Only regret from my husband was that we didn't buy enough sprouts. Kudos and thank you for sharing

serendipity2425 November 24, 2013

Same here! Only regret is never enough sprouts. I've made this with so many veggies - broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus. First made this last March when my vegetarian daughter was home for spring break. While she is "ok" with most of what I cook, she isn't easily impressed. This dish in all it's various forms has WOWed her and I've now made it close to a dozen times. It's now a regular, go to recipe in our house!

Butternut December 30, 2012

Oh, one more thing - I cut the sugar to 1 teaspoon, and it is great!

Seven S. December 30, 2012

Interesting mix for the vinaigrette! I usually grill with salt and pepper for something really simple - I'd love to try this!

elizabarrie December 12, 2012

I substituted two serrano chilies for the bird's-eyes, and some mirin for the sugar. It turned out wonderfully! Disappeared in minutes from the two dinner parties I took it to. The vinaigrette was delicious on other veggies, as well. Very happy to have found this!

Butternut December 2, 2012

This is SO good. Favorite new way to cook brussels. For some, it was a little spicy - this was partly from the peppers, and partly from the raw garlic. If you have some spice-averse eaters in your crowd, you may want to consider making two versions of the sauce: one with less garlic and no peppers, and another with the full clove of garlic and the peppers. The red peppers are really pretty in the dish, though, so maybe a non-spicy red pepper could be subbed in for the mild version of the sauce.

gingerroot November 26, 2012

Made these for Thanksgiving and I'm so glad I did! Bright, salty and tart, these were the perfect palate pick-up to complement typical Thanksgiving fare. They are on the menu for next year, but I'll be sure to make them again and again before then.

cateler November 26, 2012

When your guests say that Brussels Sprouts were the favorite dish on the Thanksgiving table, you KNOW they were special. Just a fabulous flavor profile with the vinaigrette. So glad I found this!

Alexandra S. November 18, 2012

Made these tonight -- SO delicious! I served them with pork chops and apple sauce, and they were the star. Husband said it was one of the best meals he had ever eaten. I saw that AntoniaJames used the sauce on some cauliflower, which sounds amazing, but I'm wondering if anyone has any other ideas for other uses of the sauce? Grilled skirt steak maybe? With rice noodles?

Chau December 25, 2012

In Vietnamese food this is the common dressing used in bowl of noodle dishes or rice plates. Your idea is right on the money. On a dinner plate grilled meat (pork, chicken or beef) is served on a bed of cooked rice with a salad on a side (lettuce, sliced cucumber, cilantro, and sliced tomato) and fish sauce dressing is poured on top.

stephanieRD November 18, 2012

This was a recipe I was skeptical about but intrigued by the flavors, so I had to give it a try. And wow, glad I did! I love the vinaigrette! It reminds me of the fish sauce you're served at a vietnamese restaurant and it is very tasty! I didn't want it to be overpowering so I only used 1/4 cup of fish sauce and it turned out wonderful. I also substituted thai chiles because that's what I had on hand. Will definitely make again!

Carla B. November 16, 2012

I'm thinking of making this to bring to a big Thanksgiving gathering but I will have to make it well in advance, as the oven will be occupied. Usually brussels spouts don't hold very well - in my experience they get cabbagey if they wait. Thoughts? Have any of you had this experience, or the opposite?

serafine November 13, 2012

what other chilies can be substituted for the bird's eye? jalapeno?

ShepSF November 13, 2012

I couldn't handle the heat of the bird's eye so the guy at our local specialty spice shop recommended Thai chiles. They worked beautifully.

pierino November 13, 2012

I haven't yet prepared this but if I can't find bird's eye chiles I will probably substitute serrano which are hotter than jalapeno but not quite up to the heat level of Thai chiles.

serafine November 16, 2012

Thanks for the response

Consultant W. November 13, 2012

This is really good! I roasted the sprouts after washing and prepping them the day before, and they got nicely crispy in the oven. The herbs were key to pulling all the flavors together. I served it with monkeymom's Soy Saucy Chicken and Eggs and jasmine rice, and my dinner guests devoured the whole meal.

AntoniaJames November 12, 2012

Had some leftover dressing, so I tossed it with roasted cauliflower. Incredible. Note to self: keep a jar (a large one) of this dressing in the fridge at all times. ;o)

Betsey November 3, 2013

Agreed, AntoniaJames. This has been my go-to for Brussels sprouts AND cauliflower for the past few years and yes, a large jar of the dressing is in my fridge at all times!

ShepSF November 9, 2012

This might be a silly question, but how can I ensure that the sprouts are clean if I don't wash them? I got mine at the farmer's market, so they're not all shiny and perfect like supermarket sprouts. Thoughts? Thanks!

Kristen M. November 9, 2012

If you're planning on roasting them, feel free to wash, then cut, then drain well on paper towels. A little water won't hurt; a lot will keep them from crisping up. With frying, I wouldn't add extra water to the equation, or you'll get scary oil splattering.

pierino November 8, 2012

I think you just made my Thanksgiving. I love ambushing my neighbors with unexpected flavors.

AntoniaJames November 8, 2012

Made these tonight; used brown rice vinegar because it was handy, and brown sugar (and less than the recipe calls for). Delicious and so easy. I highly recommend this!! ;o).

jhoranco November 7, 2012

Same question: oven temp?

Kristen M. November 7, 2012

Sorry that part of the recipe went missing -- it should be updated now! It's 400 degrees F.

AntoniaJames November 7, 2012

400 Fahrenheit. ;o)

The L. November 7, 2012

Hot. I have done Brussels this way for YEARS, only with olive oil and lots of sliced garlic. Usually do them at 450F, checking the pan about every ten minutes and tossing them.

ShepSF November 7, 2012

Temp for the oven?

Author Notes

Ingredients

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Recipe by: Genius Recipes

Popular on Food52

65 Reviews