Bubala’s Sprouts with Dates and Harissa Crumb
Served over a tangy whipped tofu dip, these fried brussels sprouts make an incredible side dish to serve during the Christmas season.
Introduction
This take on the festive favourite will ensure you never boil a sprout again. The whipped tofu here is based on a classic French vinaigrette and should be quite loose in texture. It carries a real mustard punch, and any leftovers you’re lucky enough to end up with will liven up your salads
Ingredients
| 30–35g (1–1¼oz) | medjool dates, stones (pits) removed |
| olive oil, for drizzling | |
| 130g (4½oz) | Brussels sprouts |
| rapeseed (canola) oil, for frying | |
| 2 tbsp | capers, drained |
| 2 tsp | lemon juice |
| 10 sprigs of | dill |
| For the harissa crumb | |
|---|---|
| 2½ tsp | rapeseed oil |
| 20g (¾oz) | panko breadcrumbs |
| 15g (½oz) | rose harissa |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| For the mustard-whipped tofu | |
| 290g (10¼oz) | pack tofu, drained |
| 85g (3oz) | Dijon mustard |
| 2 cloves of | garlic |
| 20g (¾oz) piece of | white onion |
| 5 tbsp | sherry vinegar |
| 1½ tsp | salt |
| 1½ tsp | cracked black pepper |
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| zest of ¼ | unwaxed lemon |
Method
For the harissa crumb, heat 2½ teaspoons of rapeseed oil in a frying pan (skillet), add the breadcrumbs and toast until golden brown. Towards the end of the toasting time, stir in the harissa.
Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool. For the mustard-whipped tofu, put all the ingredients and 6 tablespoons of water in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning. It should be punchy. This recipe makes more mustard-whipped tofu than you will need for this recipe. Store the remainder in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Chop the dates in half, and each half into thirds. Dress with a little olive oil to prevent sticking and set aside.
Bring a small pan of salted water to the boil. Halve the sprouts and blanch them for 45 seconds to 1 minute, then scoop out and refresh in a bowl of ice-cold water. Squeeze the capers to remove as much brine as possible and pat dry.
Heat 5cm (2in) of rapeseed oil in a heavy-based pan until it reaches 180ºC (360ºF) on a digital probe thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer to hand, it is ready when a sprout dropped into the hot oil sizzles. It should take about 5 minutes to reach temperature. Working in batches if needed (don’t overcrowd the pan), drop the sprouts into the hot oil and deep fry, turning, until deep golden brown. Remove the sprouts with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Briefly fry the capers in the hot oil until they stop sizzling and turn crispy, then scoop out and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
Toss the fried sprouts with the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the harissa crumb, the crispy capers, the dill sprigs and the chopped dates.
To serve, spoon about 4–5 tablespoons of the whipped tofu onto a large serving plate and spread it over the base. Pile the sprouts on top and sprinkle more harissa crumb over to finish.
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