Strange flavour Brussels sprouts

Strange flavour sauce, or guàiwèi (怪味) is a Chinese sauce from Sichuan, most commonly eaten with chewy wheat noodles. Why "strange"? The name refers to its unique and complex flavour profile - it's sweet, salty, sour, savoury and numbing.

• serves

  6

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 litre vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 4 cups Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved

For the strange flavour dressing

• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 tbsp Chinese roasted sesame paste (available from Asian grocers)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 cm x 3 cm piece ginger, very thinly julienned
• 3 thin spring onions, very thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp Sichuan chilli oil (or your favourite chilli oil)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil for deep-frying in a large wok or saucepan to 180˚C. Deep-fry the Brussels sprouts (take care – the sprouts will splatter!) in batches for 4-5 minutes, or until the sprouts are crisp and golden-brown. Use a spatter guard or a fine mesh strainer for the first 30 seconds of cooking to help prevent oil spitting out of the pan. Remove the sprouts using a slotted spoon to a wire rack to cool, then repeat until all the sprouts are cooked.
2. While the sprouts are cooking, make the strange flavour dressing. In a small frying pan, dry-toast the Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, then transfer to a mortar and pestle. Grind to a coarse powder, then combine in a medium bowl with the remaining ingredients for the dressing.
3. Transfer the slightly cooled Brussels sprouts to a large serving plate. Pour over the strange flavour dressing and serve immediately.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.