ramyaramesh3007The perfect blend of savoury, spicy and tangy chaat with a base of smashed roasted brussels sprouts, and layers of yogurt, chutneys and crunchy garnish.
This was the most spontaneous idea I’ve ever tried but it also turned out to be the most flavourful that would convert any brussels sprouts hater! Believe me or not, I’ve never grown up eating brussels sprouts because I’ve only heard people hating on it – but once I discovered it, there was no going back.
I think of them as mini cabbages and when they’re roasted, they give this beautiful char while also retaining that crunch. We’ve all heard of smashed potatoes, but smashed brussels sprouts are such a fun way to eat them! Simply boil them, smash them with a heavy glass or your hands and roast them in the oven until crispy. You can also pan roast them.
Chaat is also one of my FAVOURITE EVER indian snacks because of all the beautiful layers of chutneys and garnish. Combining smashed brussels sprouts with chaat means that you get to enjoy this versatile vegetable with all the flavours of tamarind-date chutney, mint coriander chutney and refreshing vegan on yogurt.
The cherry on top is definitely the garnish which is essentially pomegranate pearls and sev, which is an indian snack made with gram flour, oil and spices making it gluten free too!
Ingredients You Need
- brussel sprouts – you can also recreate them with potatoes. You can find my Smashed Potato Chaat recipe here.
- olive oil – be generous with the olive oil to get sufficient crisp
- seasoning – try using nutritional yeast to get that cheesy flavour
- condiments – asafoetida, chili powder, salt and pepper
- to get that crisp – corn starch slurry made with corn starch and water
- chutneys – tamarind-date chutney, mint-coriander chutney, vegan soy yogurt
- garnish – pomegranate pearls, sev (fried indian snack you can find at an indian grocer)
- spices – chaat masala, kashmiri chili powder
Gluten free substitutions: Ensure hing (asafoetida) is gluten free.
Allium free substitutions: None!
Smashed Brussels Sprouts Chaat
Ingredients
Smashed Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- 15 brussels sprouts
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- pinch hing
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp salt (boiling)
Tamarind-Date Chutney
- 4 medjool dates
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- 2.5 tbsp tamarind paste or sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1.5 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup warm water
Mint-Coriander Chutney
- 2 tbsp mint leaves
- 1/2 green chili
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tbsp peanuts
- 1 tsp salt
Toppings
- 1/4 cup pomegranate pearls
- 2-3 tbsp sev
- 3 tbsp vegan yogurt (with salt)
- 1/2 tsp chaat masala
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- handful coriander
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt to the water.
- Remove the tough ends of the brussels sprouts and any discoloured leaves. Boil brussels sprouts for 10 minutes and drain excess water. Keep the water to use in other steps of the recipe.
- Make seasoning by combining olive oil, nutritional yeast, hing, chili powder, black pepper, salt, corn starch and water. Whisk until well combined.
- Place each brussels sprout on a baking tray and gently flatten it with the bottom of a glass or a plate. You can also use centre of your palms to do so.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Arrange the smashed sprouts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with the seasoning on both sides.
- Roast for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crispy.
- For the tamarind-date chutney, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Add more water if the chutney is more like a paste than a sauce.
- Repeat the same process for the mint-coriander chutney.
- Whisk some vegan unsweetened yogurt until smooth. You can add a pinch of salt if necessary.
- Arrange the roasted brussels sprouts on a large serving plate. Drizzle the whisked yogurt, and sprinkle some chaat masala and chili powder.
- Drizzle the tamarind chutney, and mint-coriander chutney over the sprouts.
- Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds evenly on top. Add a generous handful of sev for crunch and coriander to taste. Serve!