Fragrant Sprout Curry


Banish bland Brussels sprout dishes from your dinner table and try this spicy and tangy sprout curry. Crunchy Brussels sprouts are a match made in heaven for this creamy sauce. This dish is so good that even sprout haters won’t turn it down.
There’s nothing worse than a plate of bland and watery sprouts. It’s no wonder that Brussels sprouts prove rather a contentious vegetable when most people just resort to boiling them into oblivion. Many a home chef has marvelled at the enormous amounts of leftover sprouts on the Christmas dinner table Yet they persist, year after year to prepare their sprouts the very same way. It’s like we’re stuck in some never ending loop of terrible sprout dishes.


Don’t fret, here’s a dish that celebrates these wonderful crunchy brassicas in all their glory. This sprout curry packs tons of flavour and is delightfully simple. Don’t be scared by a somewhat extensive spice list, this curry is a doddle. It’s my favourite way to enjoy the mighty green orb that is the Brussels Sprout.
How to make the perfect sprout curry
Brussels sprouts have a distinctive earthy flavour that lends itself well to bold dishes. A vegetable curry featuring sprouts is an excellent way to use up these small cabbages. In this recipe I’ve used a blend a chilli and spices to create a mild and smooth curry that blends well with the dense cabbages. Then at the last moment the dish is finished with some citrus to tone down the earthiness of the cabbage and elevate the sauce flavours.
A tangy and spicy curry is my preferred curry to enjoy sprouts, but it’s most definitely not the only way. Follow these basic principles for a perfect curry each time.
- Create an aromatic curry base using the “curry holy trinity” – garlic, onion and ginger.
- Fry the aromatics combining with spices of choice. If you’re feeling lazy, you can just use plain curry powder with some generic chilli powder for added heat. Otherwise get funky and throw in any combo of spices you like into your sprout curry. Some spices that work well with sprouts: cayene pepper, black pepper, cumin, coriander, cloves, nigella seeds, turmeric.
- Then add your Brussel sprouts and cooking liquid. I always use a can of tomato as I find the acidity works wonders for the cabbage, however the coconut milk is very much optional. If you want to make a healthier sprout curry just replace the coconut milk with equal quantities of stock. (For a fiery sprout curry toss in 6 green finger chillies, a bunch of coriander and use omit the coconut milk in favour of stock).
- Cook for 15-18 mins until the sprouts are soft.
- Elevate the curry with citrus notes. Lemons, limes or even oranges and serve immediately.
If you like this you’ll also enjoy
Fragrant Sprout Curry


This meal is around 87% less polluting than the average UK meal.
Eating this recipe will save around 2.55 KG CO2e per person.
That’s equivalent to the emissions produced driving 21.08 KM in a modern car.
How do I calculate this?Ingredients
- 350 g Brussels Sprouts (halved)
- 2 Medium Onions (quartered)
- 1 Head Garlic (cloves peeled)
- 1 Red Chilli (loosely chopped)
- 1 Lemon (juiced)
- 1 Teaspoon Mustard Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Sugar
- 1 (400g) Can Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 (400g) Can Coconut Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Place the red chilli, 2 quartered onions and all the peeled cloves from the head of garlic into a food processor or blender and whizz into a smooth slurry.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Toss in the onion slurry and cook for 3-5 minutes until the mixture begins to take on some colour.
- Now tip in all the spices (teaspoon of mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, teaspoon black pepper, teaspoon of cumin, teaspoon of coriander, teaspoon of paprika and 2 teaspoons of sugar). Stir to combine with the onion slurry and cook for a further minute.
- Pour in the can of chopped tomatoes, can of coconut milk, 350g of halved sprouts and a teaspoon of sea salt. Stir to combine then bring the mixture to a rolling simmer. Cover and cook for 15-18 minutes or until the sprouts are fork soft.
- Once cooked remove the pan from the heat and stir in the juice from the lemon. Serve immediately with a good helping of freshly prepared rice or a warm naan.
3 Comments
Diane
September 25, 2022 at 6:53 am
I made this curry with mixed beans instead of sprouts, had so many compliments & I’ve made another pan today with fresh mint & parsley to change it up love the recipe thank you
Mark Wolfe
November 17, 2022 at 7:54 pm
Delicious! There you go one word describes it! We spiced it up a bit more because we like the heat! Flavour is amazing and the sprouts have a lovely bite still! Mnnnnn will return to this curry recipe again and again!
hugo
February 2, 2023 at 2:29 pm
Lovely to know Mark, this curry is one of my favs too!