Brussels Sprouts Stir Fry Sabzi

This combination of shaved Brussels Sprouts with Indian spices is easy to make and super yummy with roti or rice. 

It easily doubles up as a salad too!

Stir fries are a big part of Indian cooking. We stir fry so many vegetables, proteins and sometimes even salad!

These stir fries often have interesting ingredients like gram flour, ground peanuts, coconut etc. These bring out the flavor of the veggies SO well! 

Earlier on I was not a big fan of these stir fries, because I ate it too often at home and events.

After moving to the US I almost never saw these stir fries. And that is when I started craving them and started making them at home.

Ivy gourd with potatoes and gram flour, okra and onions with gram flour, eggplants with peanuts and so on.

Certain not so conventional combinations did come up and Brussels Sprouts is one of them.

There are so many recipes on making shaved Brussels. They have a lot of delicious add-ins making them great salads and stir fries. I decided to make an Indian inspired stir-fry using them. This one is a great side for rotis or rice! 

What are Brussels Sprouts?

A popular vegetable that looks like small cabbages, Brussels sprouts are delicious and pretty easy to cook.

A seasonal green that is available on the stalk or as individual small rounds, this vegetable is used for stir fries, appetizers or even main dishes. Learn more about these amazing sprouts here. 

It needs only a few minutes to cook and overcooking them gives them an unpleasant gray color and onion garlic kind of odor. 

They are SUPER popular as baked or air fried appetizers and I have used them to make a delicious Indian inspired stir-fry.

The flavors of Brussels is as is and it combines with Indian spices and roasted gram for some extra texture. 

This stir fry is great with rotis, parathas or rice. It is also a great salad. Salty, a hint of spice and sweetness and has all the good for you ingredients. I would totally dig right in with a fork! 

This Indian Inspired Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

• is super quick and easy to make
• makes a great side for rotis and rice
• can be enjoyed as a salad 
• can be made ahead as part of meal prep and reheated to serve

This dish is a combination of Gujarati classic sambharia and shaved Brussels sprouts salad. 

I like to make this as long as I can find brussels sprouts in my farmers market. It is nutritious, delicious yet super quick and easy to make.

So often I shave the brussels and powder dalia as part of meal prep. Then the recipe comes together in under 15 minutes for weeknight meals. 

If you are looking for a variation from the regular stir fries for your meal, this one is definitely worth trying.

Adding Indian spices and seasonings along with roasted chana dal gives an Indian flavor to the otherwise popular American shaved brussels. It does go really well with one another. 

I have made this as part of many lunches with friends and family in the past and they have all loved it. Finally the recipe makes it to the blog! 

Other Brussels Sprouts recipes to try

If you LOVE Brussels Sprouts as much as our family does, you MUST try these:

• Caramelized Brussels Sprouts in Garlic Butter
• Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients and Substitutions

Brussels Sprouts: These are obviously needed to make the recipe. Use big ones or small, the choice is yours. 

The Brussels can be shaved using a food processor (my favorite way) or using a madoline. It can even be cut into thin strips using a knife. 

Using any method, you need a heap of almost evenly sliced brussels.

Roasted Chana Dal: An essential ingredient to bind the brussels is dalia or roasted chana dal. Available at Indian stores and on Amazon, roasted chana dal is an easy way to make the recipe.

However, this can be replaced by chickpea flour. The flour needs to be dry roasted on medium heat before using. 

Spices: This stir fry needs only a handful of spices. The whole spice used here is cumin. Adding some sesame seeds or mustard seeds is an option too. 

I also added curry leaves and a dried red chili for taste and flavor. These can be added or skipped based on availability.

Seasoning: The common spices of Indian cooking are used in the recipe. Salt, sugar, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala and dhania jeera powder are used. 

Red Chili powder can be substituted with green chili. Dhania jeera powder can be skipped. Turmeric powder and garam masala are good to have in the recipe for flavor and color. 

Oil: Any oil that you use in everyday cooking can be used here. I have used a blend of olive oil for the recipe. 

How to make this recipe

Before starting, wash and pat dry the brussels sprouts. Shave them using a food processor with a thicker blade. Process dalia to a fine flour. 

1- Add oil in a pan and heat it.

2- Once the oil heats up, add cumin seeds, curry leaves and dried red chili. Wait for the cumin seeds to pop.

3- Add the shaved brussels and toss them to coat in oil. 

4- Add the spices and seasoning. Mix well.

 

5- Let the brussels sprouts cook for 8-10 minutes. 

6- Once the sprouts soften, add powdered dalia (roasted chana dal), mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.

7- Add lime juice and cilantro. Mix well.

8- Serve with roti and rice. 

Tips and Notes

• The recipe calls for dalia or roasted chana dal. In case you cannot find that, lightly roast besan (chickpea flour) and use it. 
• Brussels sprouts come in various sizes. I used the small ones but the bigger ones work equally well after they are shaved. Store bought shaved brussels work for the recipe too.
• If using super tiny brussels sprouts, the recipe can be made with halved sprouts too. 
• The same recipe works for chopped asparagus and diced peppers too. It is equally delicious with okra.