Savory Thai Noodles With Seared Brussels Sprouts

Savory Thai Noodles With Seared Brussels Sprouts
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(1,306)
Notes
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Isa Chandra Moskowitz runs a vegan restaurant in Omaha, Neb., so she knows how to make plant-based food that meat-eaters will also like. This one-pot noodle dish, loosely based on pad Thai, has lively textures (like shredded brussels sprouts and chewy rice noodles) and super-satisfying flavors. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: What Omnivores Get Wrong About Vegetarian Cooking

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Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings

    For the Sauce

    • cup tamari sauce
    • cup packed brown sugar
    • 3tablespoons white miso
    • 3tablespoons tomato paste
    • 2tablespoons tamarind concentrate
    • 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes

    For the Noodles

    • 8ounces Thai rice noodles
    • 3tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon coconut oil
    • 1bunch (6 to 8) scallions, trimmed
    • Kosher salt
    • 8ounces trimmed brussels sprouts, shredded or quartered
    • 4cloves garlic, minced
    • 2cups loosely packed cilantro leaves and thin stems
    • 4ounces mung bean sprouts (optional)
    • ½cup salted roasted peanuts, lightly cracked in a mortar or coarsely chopped
    • 1red chile, such as Fresno, thinly sliced (optional)
    • 4lime wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

595 calories; 22 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 88 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 2053 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the sauce: In a blender or bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until smooth. It should be thick but pourable like barbecue sauce; add water as needed to thin it out.

  2. Step 2

    Cook noodles for stir-frying according to the package directions; they should be slightly underdone. After draining, rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking. Toss noodles in 1 teaspoon coconut oil to prevent sticking.

  3. Step 3

    Cut scallions: Thinly slice the white parts, and cut the pale and dark green parts into 1-inch lengths.

  4. Step 4

    Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over high. Add 2 tablespoons coconut oil and sprinkle in salt. Add brussels sprouts and sear, tossing occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

  5. Step 5

    In the same pan over high heat, heat remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil. Add scallions and cook, stirring often, just until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, stir, then pour in about half the sauce and stir until bubbling.

  6. Step 6

    Add noodles and cook, tossing in the sauce until cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining sauce, cooked brussels sprouts, cilantro and bean sprouts, if using; toss to coat and heat through.

  7. Step 7

    Divide among plates. Garnish with peanuts, chile and lime wedges (if using) and serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,306 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Delicious, plenty of sauce for extra noodles. Tamarind concentrate was not available; Google search suggested lime juice which worked very well.

This is unique and delicious. As made it was overly sweet, but next time I will cut the brown sugar by at least 1/3. Other wise easy steps and tasty.

Despite the fact that I halved the sugar per suggestions here, I found this cloyingly sweet. Perhaps eliminate the sugar altogether?

This was wonderful. I crumbled up half a block of tofu and pan-friend until dry, it bulked the dish up a little and soaked up the extra sauce beautifully. Just the right amount of brown sugar is called for if using tamarind concentrate, I could see it needing a bit less sugar if made with lime juice.

Wow! Amazing! A bit of a mess on my first try since I haven't worked with tamarind concentrate -- a bit sticky and it got all over the place! But what flavor. I used Roland rice vermicelli and the 8.8 oz bag seemed like too much after I cooked it so didn't put it all in. (Saved to throw in some soup.) Squeezed the lime right in at the end. This was enough for three hungry adults and leftovers. Big hit!

I subbed lime for tamarind. This was better than the episode of RHONY when Kelly Bensimmon has a psychotic break on a yacht.

First time didn’t have tamarind so used a bit of gochujong. Also learned to add much more veggies - carrots, julienned peppers, mushrooms. Added tofu on top as well to give some protein. Make sure you check whether you’ve got tamarind paste vs tamarind concentrate!

I also cut back on the sugar and found 8 oz of noodles to be too much; I held back about half the cooked noodles for another use. Next time, I will add carrots or red pepper for color and textural contrast. I didn't have sprouts, so the dish seemed to need something more. Even so, my 12-inch frying pan was overflowing. The dish is very good and might work just as well with cabbage in place of the sprouts. I'm thinking of adding shredded chicken to the leftovers.

We loved this dish, but thought next time we will use more vegetables because of the generous amount of sauce recipe makes. Also, we might up the amount of tamarind concentrate and lower the amount of sugar.

Really interesting and tasty. Overly sweet, should be easily adjusted by decreasing brown sugar by 1/3 to 1/2. I only had half the required amount of miso, so not sure if that affected it. I used a 14 oz box of rice noodles and it was perfect to the amount of sauce.

Have learned my lesson with tamarind on other recipes. I used about 2 tablespoons of tamarind paste, didn’t have tamarind sauce. That was plenty for my family! Thanks to the other reviewers only used a couple tablespoons of sugar. Reduced the tomato paste to a about a tablespoon and added chili crisp from Momofuko. Also added a pinch of chili flakes to the Brussels sprouts.

Very good and very easy. Subbed lime juice for the tamarind.

I can’t figure out why you are proposing Brussels sprouts at this time of year.

I made this last night. Very satisfying and will make again. I made a few adaptations based on what was in my pantry. I used Napa cabbage instead of Brussels Sprouts, and added grated carrot. Plus Gochujang Korean chili paste and added a tablespoon of crunchy peanut butter! I added a ton of fresh basil to the cilantro and it was delicious. I would add a few more veggies next time, but there will definitely be a next time!

I swapped out rice noodles for Chinese wheat noodles and it was fantastic. Also used 1 Tbsp of lime juice + 1 Tbsp fish sauce instead of tamarind concentrate. Next time I plan to double the brussel sprouts, and halve the sauce. Overall it was really good. I loved how the taste of coconut oil really shone through this, and using a whole bundle of cilantro was delicious.

This would be better without the Brussels sprouts. Their bitterness detracts from the dish, imo. I’d also add some crispy cubed tofu next time. I used tamarind chutney in place of the concentrate, since I had it on hand. The sauce is okay; the tomato paste was too strong at first.

This is a great meat free idea for people who love Thai flavors and brussels sprouts. I am wondering about the serving sizes though since my husband and I didn't even get what we felt were two full portions out of this, let alone 3-4. Next time I'll double it, but if this is the only component of your meal, just be aware you may want to grab some spring rolls or something to round out the meal.

I read through the reviews before making this dish to ensure I was making any adjustments that previous cooks had called for. So I reduced the sugar and started with just a small smidge of tamarind concentrate, and still this sauce was SO ACIDIC. I think the tomato paste needs to be reduced by about half. Since I realized this too far into the process, I added more tamari and a big glug of tahini which helped a lot- it even made it taste even more like pad thai than I think the recipe intended!

Big Isa Chandra fan, big Thai food fan but sadly this was so gross. Too sweet, too mushy, too saucy..

Delicious. Subbed 2 tsp fish sauce for the miso because I didn’t have any, and it worked well (not vegan, anymore, obviously). Rich, with multi-layered flavors. Will make again.

The sauce is very salty and rich. I would make less sauce next time and add more water when blended. I plan to use unsalted peanuts too as the garnish. The Brussel Sprouts were the favorite!

Good but next time cut tamarind by half. Used 1/4 br sugar. Add veggies!

I added some tofu to make a more substantial meal. Turned out pretty well, but next time I’ll try a little less tomato. My tamarind concentrate is quite strong, so I definitely didn’t have an issue with the dish being too sweet.

This was good with 1/2 -3/4 of the tamarind concentrate. Also good with all of it, but quite strong flavored.

Watch out how concentrated your tamarind paste is! Mine is very dense (like a brick) and the recipe came out horrendously sour and overwhelming. I tried doctoring it up, but there is no fixing this.

I say to skip this one. It was a little ketchupy. :(

When we doubled this recipe we also doubled the sauce but that was a mistake. It was TOO MUCH sauce! Next time we would not increase the sauce at all. It has so much flavor it can be overwhelming. Otherwise we LOVE this recipe.

When we doubled this recipe we doubled the sauce and it was TOO MUCH — it overwhelmed everything else. So when doubling the recipe I would NOT double the sauce. Maybe not increase it at all. Otherwise this is an EXCELLENT recipe!!!

If you double the recipe, don’t double the sauce. Just do 1 1/2 times. Add more than double the Brussels sprouts and scallions and bean sprouts. Also don’t need to double the peanuts.

So very good. I added some mushrooms and edamame for protein and cracked 2 eggs in it after the noodles as I do in my pad thai. Excellent!

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Credits

Adapted from “I Can Cook Vegan” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Abrams, 2019)

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