The other day I tried my first recipe wit gochujang butter roasted Brussels sprouts. It was a flavor explosion for your taste buds indeed. Very few recipes are this rich in taste. Now, take for example roasted shredded Brussels sprouts. They are absolutely roasted to the next level, walkthrough in crunchy walnuts, and plumped dried cranberries are just the perfect uptick on their own. After all in goes the garlic butter sauce—what else to expect except for flavor explosion. If you haven’t tasted this dish, you are surely on the road to experiencing one.
I genuinely can’t say enough as to how Brussels sprouts have become part and parcel of my life. These seasoned Brussels sprouts are not a mere side dish of our households-even the children at my place can’t resist drawn to their delightful notes again and again. They have won a place as an all-time favorite for me over the years. I feel that there is no other sprout in the world that can compete with them.
Let me now introduce you to what makes these Brussels sprouts so endearing. The chopped Brussels sprouts are cooked to somewhere near and crispy, remaining gentle inside. That’s when the magic of love starts. There is walnuts that have been roasted justly with that enjoyment of satisfaction; then, there are plumped dried cranberries who bring a sweet touch to the whole drama. And finally, there is the ever-secret gochujang butter sauce.
Gochujang is a fermented chili paste widely used in Korean cooking, and its fiery heat is also so rich in flavor. Mixed with garlic, butter, and a bit of brown sugar, it transforms into this seductive sweet that blankets every bit of Brussels sprouts more addictively with each bite. Toasted sesame oil gives an extra level of warmth and umami, and as soon as the garlic hits the pan, the kitchen is filled in a good kind of way with its aroma. Trust me, you’ll soon have beautiful, soft vibes flow through you with just a whiff of it.
What I find interesting about this dish is that it is super quick to prepare. The dish contains no fancy ingredients and no long washing list of instructions to achieve something very simple with Brussels sprouts. Let’s see how it is done:
Step 1: Roast the Brussels Sprouts
First, get rid of the prep work for the Brussels sprouts so they can get in the oven. I used pre-shaved Brussels, which came out to be perfection, saving some weakening of the veggie. These are typically thin enough to cook quickly but thick enough to retain their shape. Spread them on a baking sheet and toss with some olive oil, salt, and black pepper, then roast at 425 degrees for something like 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye out for those near-to-perfection edges – feel like they are mere moments from curling up—which means they could burn. Want that right balance between crisp and tender.
Step 2: Toast the Walnuts
As far as the Brussels sprouts are concerned, the oven is their whole world today. However, an added step is available- toast handfuls of walnut halves on a separate rimmed baking sheet. They are toasted in about 5 minutes when smelling fragrant or to a deep gold hue. This step might be skipped; but quite naturally the walnuts become oiled when toasted, making the flavor much deeper, which increases the crunch factor and nourishes the whole dish.
Step 3: Prep the Gochujang Butter
And here comes the sauce, the beating heart of this whole affair. So to make it, you’ll first put some butter to melt in a skillet over medium heat and then stir in some gochujang, garlic, brown sugar, and toasted sesame oil. When you stop everything, lo and behold, your Brussels sprouts are therefore coated in a glaze of nyumminess! Take time on your sauce-making; it’s the labor of love that will not curse as you allow it to form.
Step 4: Add Butter to the Pan
Start frying your pulsing gochujang butter just about now. It starts to darken and sizzle as if in ecstatic pleasure from the exposure. You can smell it—garlic, butter, and gochujang magic floating all around you. Now is when you dump in the roasted Brussels sprouts and the toasted walnuts, thus creating a beautiful mess. Toss everything together sogily, allowing the gingery gochujang-y sauce to coat each piece of Brussels sprouts in creamy gobs.
Step 5: Add the Taste
So, you’ve got all the ingredients and a bowl. While mixing all the ingredients go wild with them by some finishing touches when the recipe is nearly done. I like to sprinkle some more toasted sesame seeds for crunch, and maybe go a handful of dried cranberries for a lil sweet treat. If you want to make it all indulgent and lavish (no judgment here!), just drizzle some extra melted butter over it.
These blustered Brussels sprouts serve any potential plan. from a quick week night meal up to a full-blown family gathering meal. Anytime they are served, everyone will be thrilled about them: Such funky tastes pair well with almost any main dish. I often do them with some grilled chicken or salmon. But if you take the plunge, they’re just…
…as good by themselves--with no major wreckage beforehand but with a bit of dressing and a poached or sunny side up egg. I have made them a permanent dish on my Thanksgiving menu since the day I conceived them. The flavors combine beautifully with traditional dishes like mashed potatoes and turkey. They’ll surely make your palate groggy and interesting. Moreover, they are super easy to pull together–bake them for 15 minutes and toss in that delectable gochujang butter, blend it together, and voila!
At the end of the day, these sprouts mean far more than just a semi-lima bean motherboard. I genuinely feel thrilled whenever my family, friends, or even the video team get together to finish the whole plate. It’s a huge hit and any one bite will make you understand why.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get our roses up, dust them in that to-be-wanted gochujang garlic butter sauce, and wow at the last bite. Trust me, you’re going to make this again and again. Enjoy cooking!
