Faux Ko: Roasted Brussels Sprouts a la Ssäm Bar

This straight-from-Ssäm recipe is where the term “Chang-alicious” first started (confession: the first half of the sentence is true, the second not so much). Truth is, we first had this dish at David Chang’s Ssäm Bar and lusted after it shamelessly ever since. Lucky for us and that pesky restraining order, epicurious.com posted the recipe for the rest of us mere mortals to test-drive (pasted below). Now you don’t have to stalk the Lower East Side to get your Brussels sprouts fix. For our Faux Ko night, we added turnips (the spicy-sweet dressing zapped its bitterness), but you can toss in your favorite farmer’s market find. The plate-full we had at Ssäm would euthanize our attempt on the spot, but with practice, this baby is completely do-able.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Turnips

Vegetables

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
• 1 pound Turnips, trimmed and quartered
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees with rack in upper third.
2. Toss Brussels and turnips with oil, then arrange, cut sides down, in a 17- by 12-inch shallow baking pan.
3. Roast, without turning, until outer leaves are tender and very dark brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
4. Add butter and toss to coat.

Dressing

• 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (preferably Tiparos brand)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped mint
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro stems
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 (1 1/2-inch) fresh red Thai chile, thinly sliced crosswise, including seeds

1. Stir together all dressing ingredients until sugar has dissolved.

Puffed Rice

• 1/2 cup crisp rice cereal such as Rice Krispies
• 1/4 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice blend)

1. Cook cereal, oil, and shichimi togarashi in a small skillet over medium heat, shaking skillet and stirring, until rice is coated and begins to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally.

To serve:

1. Put Brussels and Turnips in a serving bowl, then toss with just enough dressing to coat.
2. Sprinkle with puffed rice and serve remaining dressing on the side.
3. Garnish with cilantro sprigs; torn mint leaves; chopped scallions

So FYI, this dressing is damn good. We left a sidecar at each person’s setting during Faux Ko night for dipping throughout the meal. It upped the ante on the fish, steamed buns and lobster. We think it’d rock tossed with pasta, used as a seafood marinade or paired with dumplings as a dipping sauce. We’re also snacking on the spiced puffed rice, a great crunchy bite that will temporarily replace our wasabi pea addiction.