Sometimes inspiration for food comes from thin air; an aroma wafts pass me while walking down the street and like a virus it latches onto my brain and I’ll stop at nothing to recreate it. But other times, inspiration comes from tasting something so perfectly executed that I’ll craft something similar as homage to a great work of art. In this case, these brussel sprouts pay tribute to a divine dish I had in Denver a few weekends ago. While my friends and I exchanged “Cheers!” and good laughs at Cholon, the geniuses in the kitchen were preparing one of the most amazing brussel sprout dishes I’ve ever had. Although the ground pork, red chiles, and puff rice that composed the dish brought out beautiful flavors, the real stars of the show were the kaffir lime leaves.
Isn’t it funny how as soon as you learn about something, it seems to pop up everywhere? This was the case with kaffir lime for me. I only had it for the first time a few weeks earlier at a Malaysian restaurant in the Bay Area. Kaffir lime is a citrus fruit native to Southeast Asia and can be recognized by its bumpy exterior, although the leaves are more commonly used in cooking than the fruit itself. While the leaves are too thick and bitter to actually be eaten, they release a wonderful tangy and bitter flavor when added to soups and stir frys.
Naturally, to add more Southeast Asian flair to the brussel sprouts, I prepared half a cup of Vietnamese fish sauce to add some umami and spice. It’s absolutely pungent but once you have it, you’ll want to add it to everything! Sigh if only my mother knew what a change of heart I’ve had with her beloved nước mắm.
