Brussel Sprouts Paruppu Usli

Brussel sprouts was not a vegetable that everyone in the family embraced at first go. It has a slight bitterness to it and shares some qualities with cabbage as well. Thinking of ways to incorporate it, I remembered that my friend (when studying/working) used to rave about cabbage paruppu usli that her mom made and I thought I could try that with brussel sprouts since paruppu usli works well with other slightly bitter veggies like vazhaipoo (banana flower), kothavarangai etc.  We were very happy with the result and this is something I have made several times now.

BRUSSEL SPROUTS PARUPPU USLI

Ingredients:
Brussel sprouts - about 3/4 pound
Mustard seeds - half tsp
Curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp 

To Grind:
Toor dhal & Channa dhal - 1/4 cup each, soak together for 3-4 hours
Red Chillies - 5 to 6
Garlic - 1 or 2 cloves (optional)
Jeera - 1 tsp
Asafoetida (hing) - a big pinch
Coconut (grated) - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

1) Wash, remove the hard end and chop the brussel sprouts finely.

2) Grind the soaked dhals, red chillies, garlic, jeera, salt,  asafoetida and coconut to a coarse paste.

3) Smear 1 tsp of oil in a glass (or microwaveable bowl) and add the ground dhal paste and microwave for 2 mins, remove after a minute, stir the mixture and microwave again for another minute or two (let it stay for a minute). It should've cooked and hardened by this time but it won't be crumbly.

4)To rectify this, run the cooked dhal mixture in a mixie/blender until the mixture has a crumbled texture.

5) Heat a wide pan with oil and season with mustard seeds and curry leaves when hot. Add the chopped brussel sprouts and some salt to taste. Cover and allow to cook until crisp tender. Sprinkle some water as necessary.

6) Add the crumbled dhal mixture and stir together until combined. Cover for 2 minutes to allow the flavors to come together and switch off the stove. 

Paruppu usli is now ready to serve.