Crispy Sweet and Sour Brussel Sprouts

As I mentioned last week, I had TWO delicious dishes at Ama in Hanalei. The Burmese Salad and then this dish, their Nuoc Cham Brussel Sprouts. Since Nuoc Cham contains fish sauce, this is my best attempt to not only re-create but to veganize this insanely good appetizer.

Crispy Sweet and Sour Brussel Sprouts - makes a great appetizer portion for 2 or 3, an air-fryer was used for this recipe. An oven can be used as a substitute. See instructions below.

• 3 cups rinsed and trimmed Brussel Sprouts cut in half lengthwise

• 1/3 cup de-stemmed cilantro

• 1 Tb chopped fresh mint

• 2 Tbs chopped salted and roasted peanuts

• 1 red Thai chili sliced

• 1 tsp avocado oil

• 1/3 cup pickled onions - recipe follows

• 3-4 Tbs ginger dressing - recipe follows

  Pickled Onions - makes a large batch. I store this in a 32oz Mason jar in the fridge

• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons

• 1.5 cups white vinegar

• 3/4 cup water

• 3 tsp salt

• 1.5 Tbs cane sugar or coconut sugar

• 10 black peppercorns

  This is a great condiment to have on hand in the fridge. Pickled onions go great on so many things! Especially Asian-inspired salads and Mexican food.

  *Slice a large red onion into half-moons and place in a large Mason jar. Add peppercorns.

  *In a small saucepan, add vinegar, water, salt, and sugar, and then bring to a simmer over low heat. Once sugar is dissolved, pour the liquid over the sliced onions and then cover. Place the sealed jar in the fridge to chill. Pickled onions should keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge.

  *It’s best to make the pickled onions at least a day ahead

  Ginger Dressing - makes a little over 1/2 cup of dressing

• 1/4 cup avocado oil

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

• 1.5 Tbs cane sugar or coconut sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 Tb grated fresh ginger

  *Mix/shake all the ingredients until the sugar is dissolved.

  Brussel Sprout Base

  *Rinse, trim, and cut Brussel sprouts lengthwise and toss with 1 tsp avocado oil in a medium mixing bowl.

  *Make the ginger dressing. You should have plenty of leftovers. This goes well on so many things. cold rice vermicelli bowls, rice bowls, Asian-inspired salads, and a tofu marinade just to name a few. The ginger dressing will last in a jar in the fridge for at least 1 week.

  *If using an air fryer, pre-heat to 400F. Once preheated, toss the Brussel Sprouts in the air-fryer and fry for 8-9 minutes. I check the Brussel Sprouts about every 2-3 mins and shake the tray until they look crispy, golden brown, and tender. Careful, not overcooked. If using an oven, pre-heat to 400F. Place Brussel Sprouts on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes until crispy, tender, and golden brown.

  *Once the Brussel Sprouts are done, place them back in the mixing bowl and add cilantro, mint, peanuts, pickled onions, and chili pepper ( optional ) and toss with the ginger dressing. Serve immediately.

Burmese Salad

Aloha!

I just returned from another incredible trip to Kauai!

We spent almost three weeks taking beach walks, surfing, free diving, beachcombing, ceramic hunting, muumuu shopping, and drinking a ton of green juice. It was amazing!

On this trip to Kauai, we finally opted for accommodations with a kitchen. We love eating out on vacation but over the years we have found that we are more comfortable making the majority of our meals at home. Especially on longer trips. Not only is it more affordable but we generally feel so much better when we do this. Plus, Kauai has some pretty amazing farmer’s markets so it makes it even more enjoyable to make meals at home.

However, we did make a few exceptions…

My favorite place to eat on Kauai’s Northshore is an upscale ramen restaurant named Ama. Not only is the food absolutely delicious but the airy building and general esthetics are so on point! Beautiful dark wood interior, open-air with garden seating, an incredible view of the waterfall abundant mountains of Hanalei, beautiful Balinese teak furniture, bamboo lanterns, and a generous amount of orchids. Seriously, EVERYTHING I LOVE! Check out their website HERE.

I think we went to Ama maybe five times on this three-week-long trip? I basically ordered the same exact thing every time…Fried Brussel sprouts ( minus the fish sauce ), ramen with a vegan spicy miso broth, and a Burmese salad with a ginger vinaigrette that I’m completely obsessed with!

As soon as I returned to Maui, I did my best to recreate the Brussel sprout dish and the Burmese salad and honestly, I think I nailed them both! Or at least made a very passable version of them.

So here’s my attempt at Ama’s incredible Burmese salad. I’ll post my version of the Brussel sprout dish in another post. If you make it to Kauai, make sure to make a reservation ahead of time at Ama so you can try the real deal!

Burmese Salad - two entree size salads or 4 small

Roasted Lentils - Pre-heat oven to 350F

• 1, 14 oz can of brown lentils. Drained, rinsed, and patted dry on a paper towel

• garlic powder and salt

• avocado oil spray

  Spread drained, rinsed, and dried lentils on an oiled parchment-lined cookie sheet making one layer. It’s important to use pre-cooked lentils when making this recipe. I used canned lentils for convenience but you can easily cook your own. After spreading the lentils on a cookie sheet, spray lightly with avocado oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, shake, add a sprinkle of garlic powder and bake for another 10 minutes until slightly crispy. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. I use about half the cooked lentils for this recipe and save the rest to snack on or to add to other salads for veggie bowls.

Ginger Dressing - you will have leftovers

• 1/4 cup avocado oil

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

• 1.5 Tbs cane sugar or coconut sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 Tb grated fresh ginger

  Mix/shake all the ingredients until the sugar is dissolved.

Salad Base

• Romaine lettuce ( 1 medium head ) finely chopped

• Napa Cabbage ( 1 medium head, tender green part of leaf only ) finely chopped. If you can’t find Napa cabbage you can just add extra chopped romaine.

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

• 1/3 cup sliced sushi-style ginger ( I used the Ginger People brand )

• 1 Tb sesame seeds

• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts ( or almonds if avoiding peanuts, cashews would work too )

• 2 Tbs sunflower seeds ( optional )

• 1 red Fresno thinly sliced or Thai chili thinly sliced ( optional ) These chilies are HOT so be careful.

  Place all the salad-base ingredients in a large bowl. Add about 1/2 of the prepared roasted lentils and 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of the ginger dressing. Toss everything together and enjoy!

  ***Cubed and baked teriyaki tofu make a fabulous addition to this dish. Add a side of sticky rice and you got a great filling meal.