Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Red Radishes

This recipe is adapted, with permission, from Divya Alter’s excellent book, The New Ayurvedic Kitchen: What To Eat for How You Feel. 

Brussels sprouts are one of those compelling vegetables: you either love them or hate them. With their bitter, pungent, and sweet tastes and heating qualities, Brussels sprouts and red radishes are ideal for busting sluggishness in late winter and early spring weather. Cooking those mini cabbages well neutralizes their bitterness and strong sulfury flavor. Select smaller Brussels sprouts, ideally attached to their growing stalk.

The sweet-pungent-bitter taste of these tender, ball-like vegetables will happily bounce on your palate. Serves 4.

1½ teaspoons salt
4 cups (1 pound) Brussels sprouts (preferably smaller size), washed, stem ends trimmed,and an X cut into the base of each piece
2 cups small red radishes, ends trimmed
1 tablespoon melted ghee or sesame oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Garnishes
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
A few turns of the peppermill

Preheat the oven to 400°F (350°F if using sesame oil).

Bring 6 cups of water with 1 teaspoon salt to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain.

Lay the Brussels sprouts and radishes in a baking dish (a 9 x 13-inch Pyrex pan works well). Top with the ghee, coriander, ginger, the remaining teaspoon salt, and the nutmeg and mix well. Level the vegetables on the dish. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are golden and crusty.

Remove from the oven, transfer the vegetables to a serving dish, and let them cool down a bit, then garnish them with thyme, orange and lime juice and pepper. Serve immediately.

NOTES

If your Brussels sprouts are larger than 1 inch, cut them in half or quarters.

If you are planning to reheat this dish later, reserve the garnishes and add them just before serving.

The Healing Benefits of Brussels Sprouts

This petite cousin of cabbage is medicinal in many ways:

Excellent source of folic acid, vitamins C and K, beta-carotene, and potassium

Support the functions of the stomach and large intestine

Gently stimulate the liver out of stagnancy

Contain numerous cancer-fighting phytochemicals

Bind mercury molecules (from the sulfur); when cooked with coriander and cilantro, Brussels sprouts help eliminate mercury from the body.