Uchi: Or, How I got Tim to eat Brussels Sprouts



The Inspiration



We are fortunate enough to have Uchi, a fabulous little gem of a restaurant, right around the corner from us. Transplanted from Austin, I don’t deign to categorize it as a sushi bar; while they do serve sushi, it is just so. much. more. than just another sushi bar. The raw offerings are edible works of art, thoughtfully plated, complex and simple at the same time. The composed dishes are equally fantastic, and while the stock menu leaves nothing to be desired, I am always drawn to the daily specials for something new and intriguing.

When the new location opened in February, not only did I attend a soft opening night (thanks ML!), I immediately booked a dinner reservation for the two of us and a few friends. This particular night, we ordered several of the cool tastings, several of the hot tastings, a sushi roll as recommended by our server, and an order of the Brussels sprouts. Mind you, this was just for the first round of eating, as we continued to add bottles of wine and specials to the bill.

Tim is a good sport; he always eats what I make for dinner, and only on two occasions has admitted he doesn’t like it (I overcooked some cod with apples and apple cider vinegar; it was a weird combo and the house smelled awful. Lesson learned!). He’s also fairly adventurous, but like everyone has some reserved hostility for certain foods. Brussels Sprouts happened to be one such food.

Our server brought out the order of Brussels, quickly 'tempura'ed' without batter, and tossed in a “fish sauce caramel” with chili oil and probably crack. The bowl quickly vanished between the five of us and we quickly decided we needed another order.

These sprouts were so fantastic. Crispy on the outer edges with still a firm bite at the core, caramelized or charred slightly by the frying process, and the sauce. Fish Sauce Caramel pretty much sums it up, and I found myself thinking about the best way to copy this dish at home. Do I oven roast the Brussels and coat them in a knockoff sauce? Do I pan sear them in the skillet and cook them in said sauce? Where do I find caramel fish?!

In the end, I’ve made this dish several more times at home, always with very good (not quite Uchi-caliber) results, as I don’t have a deep fryer. If you have more time and don’t mind steaming up the house, you can use the oven. This is also good if you’re making sprouts for more than 2.

The cast iron skillet method is quickly becoming a go to side dish, because its quick enough to pull off during the week and you can literally watch the sprout turn bright green and start to caramelize before your eyes. I will provide instructions for both methods, and you can decide which one suits your fancy.

Also, the folks at Uchi have published a cookbook, and I believe they provide you with the real recipe for these wonderful little sprouts.

Enjoy!

Uchi Brussels Sprouts

1lb brussel sprouts, washed, cleaned, and halved

2T Fish Sauce (I use the Thai Kitchen brand)

1T sugar

1T chili oil

1 lime

Neutral oil, such as grapeseed

In a skillet:

Heat a small amount of oil, no more than a tablespoon, in a skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add brussels sprouts. Stir occasionally. Do not be tempted to add more oil-the sprouts will absorb the oil and then release their liquids back into the pan.

Once the sprouts have started to turn bright green and start to get a little brown on the cut edges, add the fish sauce and sugar. Stir well to combine and continue to cook until the Brussels are  ‘al dente’-you want them to still have a bit of bite to them. Once cooked, remove from heat and add chili oil and stir to combine. Squeeze half a lime over the batch and serve.

The Knock-Off

Note: if you want more than a warm tingle on your tongue, add more chili oil. If you can find chili flakes in oil (which is what I use) you can add the flakes too for extra kick. Be wary of salting this dish as the fish sauce is already pretty high in sodium. Also, both the salmon and sprouts in this dish look a bit anemic, so I apologize. I clearly needed to move that salmon closer to the broiler, and let the skillet heat up longer for the sprouts.

In the oven:

Heat oven to 400F. In a large mixing bowl, toss the halved sprouts with oil until they are lightly lubricated; you don’t want them to burn in the oven. Spread on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, and bake for about 20 minutes, until the sprouts start to brown.

In the meantime, mix the sugar into the fish sauce until dissolved. If you truly want to make a caramel, I would suggest doing this carefully over a low heat. Again, be wary of reducing the fish sauce too much; this will cause it to become even more salty.

Once the sprouts are done, toss with the sugar sauce until coated, then add the chili oil. Squeeze with lime, the acidity really is a nice balance with the salty fish sauce.