Recipe from Rawia Bishara
Adapted by Julia Moskin
- Total Time
- 1 hour if roasting; 40 minutes if frying
- Rating
- 4(387)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This recipe is a mashup from Rawia Bishara, who has gradually adapted the home cooking of her childhood in Nazareth to the tastes of Brooklynites at her restaurant, Tanoreen. She'd never cooked Brussels sprouts before she arrived forty years ago, and she said that at first, deep-fried was the only way her children would eat them. We modern cooks may prefer roasting for a weeknight dinner, but the golden, crisp fried version should be experienced at least once.
Sesame is one of the most universal flavors of the Middle East, and the base for many of its staples: tahini (sesame paste), hummus, halvah, and the spice mix called za'atar. But straight tahini sauce, with sesame, garlic, and lemon juice, comes on a little strong. The sweet sharpness of pomegranate molasses provides a counterpoint to the rich sesame, and yogurt lightens the mixture. —Julia Moskin
Featured in: A Gust of Sesame and Saffron
Learn: How to Cook Brussels Sprouts
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- ¾cup tahini (Middle Eastern sesame paste)
- 2garlic cloves, crushed or coarsely chopped
- ⅓ to ½cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
- ⅓teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1cup low-fat plain yogurt
- 2tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- Corn oil for frying or roasting
- 3 to 4pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½teaspoon minced garlic
- 1cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- Lemon wedges and chopped parsley, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
556 calories; 47 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 23 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 9 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 167 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the sauce: In a food processor or blender, combine the tahini, garlic, ⅓ cup lemon juice and ⅓ teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Add the yogurt and pomegranate molasses and blend again. Add more salt or lemon juice to taste, then set aside.
Step
2
Make the sprouts: If frying, pour ½ inch corn oil in a deep skillet. Heat until very hot but not smoking. (Test by gently dropping a half sprout into the oil; when oil is ready, sprout will pop loudly and sizzle immediately.) Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, fry sprouts until browned and crisp but still bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to paper towels to drain.
Step
3
If roasting, heat oven to 375 degrees and place a pan of water on the bottom shelf to prevent sprouts from drying out. Toss sprout halves in about 3 tablespoons corn oil until slick, but not dripping. Spread them out on 2 sheet pans and bake until tender and browned, about 30 minutes.
Step
4
Meanwhile, make the bread crumbs: in a small skillet, heat olive oil over gentle heat until medium-hot. Add garlic and stir; it will sizzle. Immediately add bread crumbs and stir until toasted and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in salt, then remove to paper towels to drain.
Step
5
When ready to serve, spread cooked sprouts on a platter. Drizzle with about ½ cup sauce and top with bread crumbs. Tuck in lemon wedges around the edges and sprinkle parsley over the top. Serve immediately, passing any extra sauce at the table.
Ratings
4
out of 5
387
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Cooking Notes
Maggie
Pomegranate molasses, which is what the recipe calls for, is very different in flavor from maple syrup. Not only is it distinctly sour (albeit with a sweet edge), but it also has a pleasantly bitter note. It tastes kind of horrible, right out of the bottle, but it's magical to cook with.
Cie
Roasted broccoli was a good alternative!
dimmerswitch
Helen: If you're still looking for ideas to use the leftover sauce, it would make cardboard taste delicious! Kidding...it would it is so good...but try it drizzled on roasted sweet potatoes, or as a dip for fresh veg like red bell peppers - radishes - cukes (the kind of veg you'd use in Fattoush), or as dressing for a roasted veg and rice or pasta salad...or just eating it with a spoon works too. Ask me how I know this? :-)
Sara
I also used Greek yogurt because it's what I had on hand, and I don't regret the thicker sauce that resulted at all - I just dolloped it on top of the Brussels sprouts instead of drizzling it. And since I have a lot left over (full batch of sauce but only enough sprouts for 2), I'm now using it as a hummus-like dip with tortilla chips and it's fantastic.
Loriltx
Easy to make your own pomegranate molasses. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pomegranate-syrup-or-mol...
Harriet
Hurray for a tahini sauce with yogurt and pomegranate molasses. I'm going to use this one for the other roasted vegetable dishes that call for a tahini sauce.
Klkruger
Yes you can.
Dennis M Callies
If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, it’s easy enough to make. Buy a bottle of pomegranate juice (or juice concentrate), then boil it until it has reduced and become thick.
Stephen
I used soy milk instead of milk yogurt to make it vegan. Wow. Incredible sauce.
Jennie
This sauce is enchantingly delicious. It was great on bluefish and roasted broccoli. I didn't use the bread crumbs.
Felicia in Portland
30 minutes on the roast was a tad too long for my first go at this. Had fairly large sprouts and still came out a too mushy. I’ll make sure to set the timer for 20-23 min and check early next time, so I don’t get distracted and let things go too far! Flavorful sauce, but a bit on the thick side with Greek yogurt, which is what I had on hand. I’ll also add a bit more garlic and salt next time around.
Anita
I adore Brussels sprouts and will make just about any recipe that I see has them included. This recipe was such an interesting twist that I decided to give them a try. Even my husband, who is in the "ick - Brussels sprouts" camp really liked them! That's a definite win and I'll be making these again.
Erin
The sauce is delicious on pretty much any roasted vegetable! A new go to.
Stacy M
Such a great preparation! Loved this side dish. They sauce is dreamy. I saved it for crudités and roasted veggies. It’s a crowd pleaser!
AG
The sauce itself is versatile. Family loves it as a dip and now it’s a standby for any gathering.
Dennis M Callies
If you can’t find pomegranate molasses, it’s easy enough to make. Buy a bottle of pomegranate juice (or juice concentrate), then boil it until it has reduced and become thick.
Xochitl
Made this for Thanksgiving on a whim, happened to have everything on hand (I keep a jar of pomegranate molasses in the fridge), we cook some kind of Brussel Sprout dish every year. Everyone raved! The tahini dressing is a little odd to me by itself but when paired with roasted Brussel sprouts and the bread crumbs it was a well rounded, tasty bite. Gonna use left over tahini dressing and breadcrumbs over roasted okra next!
Vivek
I made this with greek yogurt and half lemon, half lime juice (because that’s what I had) and plated it with the thicker yogurt mixture on the bottom rather than drizzled on the top. My family loved it.
BFrey
Made this with roasted Brussels sprouts, no bread crumbs, mostly followed the sauce recipe except I used less garlic and maybe 2 tablespoons of honey for sweetness instead of the pomegranate whatever.
Darby
Substituted tamarind paste for pomegranate molasses, greek yogurt for plain (not for any good reason, just what we have around), and peanut oil for corn when it came to roasting. The tahini sauce is SO GOOD and I have been returning to this recipe regularly and am at the point where I just have a jar of it in the fridge at all times. I slather it on sandwiches, dress salads, other roasted veggies, it's good on everything.
Linnea
Baked the brussels. They need to go for longer. The tahini sauce was so-so, I recommend the one in the NYT recipe for glazed carrots instead. Bread crumbs were a nice touch, but also need to go for much longer than two minutes.
patty
Delicious, I also topped the tahini sauce on roasted carrots. I'll make this again.
Anna
I used pear molasses instead and breadcrumbs of a dry baguette. Worked well. Plate is delicious!
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