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Besan bhaji with brussels sprout tops

A bowl filled with green sprout tops and topped with sliced red onion, green coriander with yogurt on the side

Besan bhaji with brussels sprout tops

Name: Besan bhaji with brussels sprout tops
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 40g gram flour; extra-virgin olive oil for frying; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 2 tsp garam masala; 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped; 1 red onion finely sliced; 1 green chilli finely chopped; 6 sprigs coriander leaves picked, stalks finely chopped; 100g spinach shredded; 300g brussels sprout tops shredded, or 150g brussels sprouts with 150g spinach, shredded; kala namak salt or sea salt, chapatis, natural yogurt, unwaxed lemon wedges and cranberry jelly to serve

Tom Hunt

Published: November 24, 2021 at 4:55 PM

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Serves 2

Easy

Total time: 25 mins

A star rating of 5 out of 5.1 ratingRate

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Celebrate sprout tops in this Indian-inspired brunch dish, served with a side of cranberry jelly. Besan bhaji is similar to scrambled eggs in texture, so it’s a nutritious plant-based alternative

Gluten free

Vegan

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Try this recipe for Besan bhaji with brussels sprout tops, then check out our bubble and squeak, shredded brussels sprouts salad and more Christmas leftovers recipes.

This recipe is courtesy of Tom Hunt, an award-winning chef, columnist and climate change campaigner. He owns acclaimed Bristol restaurant Poco Tapas Bar and has written two cookbooks, Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet and The Natural Cook. pocotapasbar.com

Tom says: "I love cooking world-inspired dishes with local, seasonal ingredients. Besan bhaji is a traditional Indian dish made with besan, or gram flour, and fried vegetables. It’s traditionally made with green peppers and/or methi (fenugreek leaves), spinach and beetroot leaves. I’ve given this recipe a seasonal twist by swapping out the usual greens for sprout tops. If you don’t have access to these, the sprouts themselves work well.

Sprout tops are delicious but often wasted as they’re chopped off and left in the field. They can be used to replace cabbage or kale in any dish, and work really well in this Indian-inspired brunch. Cranberry jelly gives it added sweetness and a Christmas twist. Besan bhaji is similar to scrambled eggs in texture, so it’s a nutritious plant-based alternative. It becomes especially egg-like when coloured with turmeric and seasoned with kala namak salt."

Ingredients

Nutrition

40g gram flour
extra-virgin olive oil

for frying
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp garam masala
4 cloves garlic

roughly chopped
1 red onion

finely sliced
1 green chilli

finely chopped
6 sprigs coriander

leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
100g spinach

shredded
300g brussels sprout tops

shredded, or 150g brussels sprouts with 150g spinach, shredded
kala namak salt or sea salt, chapatis, natural yogurt, unwaxed lemon wedges and cranberry jelly

to serve

Nutrition: per serving

kcal263
fat10g
saturates1.3g
carbs23.9g
sugars9.8g
fibre13.3g
protein12.8g
salt0.1g

Method

step 1

Toast the gram flour in a dry pan over a medium heat until it begins to smell aromatic and turns light brown, then set aside.
step 2

Heat a glug of the oil in a frying pan or wok over a medium heat and add the spices, garlic, half of the sliced onion, half of the chilli and the coriander stalks. Stir-fry for 1 minute, making sure the garlic doesn’t brown. Add the sprout tops and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the toasted gram flour and cook for a further 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked through. Add 2-3 tbsp of water to loosen the mixture.
step 3

Season with kala namak salt, then pile onto chapatis and scatter with the coriander leaves, remaining onion slices and chilli. Serve with the yogurt, lemon wedges for squeezing over and cranberry jelly.

Find more imaginative brussels sprouts recipes here

Authors

Tom Hunt

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