Brussels Sprouts Curry (Indian Sabzi)
Updated: May 31, 2023, By Swasthi
Brussels Sprouts Sabzi or Curry is perfect for a healthy and busy weekday meals or when you want something fast and healthy. Serve this Brussels Sprouts Sabzi as a side to any lentil/ dal or paneer dish. You can also make it a meal by serving it on its own with steamed rice, Turmeric Rice or flatbreads such as Chapati or roti.
While the word “sabzi” comes from the Persian sabz which means “greens” or “herbs,” in Indian cuisine it refers to a mixed vegetable dish. It can be served wet or dry and can consist of almost any vegetable, making it a delicious and versatile part of any recipe library.
This particular version is served dry and cooked with onions, tomatoes, and an array of aromatic spices. Sabzis can contain any number of vegetables, but the star here is more unique: Brussels Sprouts.
What are Brussels Sprouts?
Brussels sprouts are a cruciferous vegetable that look like small, green cabbages. They’re actually from the same family as cabbage!
Named after the Belgian city of Brussels where they are believed to have originated, the edible buds grow on stalks and can have a range of colors from green to purple.
They are a cool weather crop with their season peaking from October to March.
The history of Brussels sprouts makes them seem a little unusual in a sabzi, but their health benefits make them a great addition to any diet.
Why Should I Eat Brussels Sprouts?
These little cabbage-like buds are a natural nutritional powerhouse. Brussels sprouts are full of fiber, Vitamin K, folate, antioxidants like Vitamin C, and are a good vegetable-based source of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which the body converts to omega-3 fatty acids.
Tips for Cooking & Storing Brussels Sprouts
If you’re worried about Brussels sprouts having a terrible sulfur taste, there’s some good news – breeding improvements since the 1990s have led to higher yielding, less bitter sprouts.
Here are some tips to make sure yours are perfectly cooked and stored.
- Use fresh small young Brussels sprouts. Fresh Brussels sprouts should have tight leaves, be firm to the touch, and have no yellow, brown, or dark green spots. To keep them fresh & tender for as long as possible, try to buy them on the stalk and cook them as early as possible, in a day or 2.
- Keep size and cut in mind when deciding how to cook them. Larger Brussels sprouts can be more bitter. They may take forever to cook. They benefit from being halved or quartered and browned using roasting, sauteing, or braising.
- Smaller sprouts are sweeter and delicious steamed or boiled whole, or shredded and served raw.
- Don’t overcook Brussels sprouts! This is the most important trick. Overcooking Brussels sprouts, especially in water, turns them gray, soft, and sulfuric.
- Cook Brussels sprouts only until tender–you should be able to pierce them with a fork.
- Fresh Brussels sprouts generally last longer than cooked ones. Stored properly, fresh Brussels sprouts can last up to a week in the refrigerator while cooked ones only last 2 to 3 days in an airtight container.
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Photo Guide
How to make Brussel sprouts curry
1. Make sure you use fresh and smaller brussels sprouts in this recipe. Remove yellow leaves if any over the brussels sprouts. Prepare the following:
- 250 grams (9 oz) Small Brussel sprouts – Rinsed well, pat dry, remove the core and quarter them
- Fine chop 1 medium onion to make ½ to ¾ cup fine chopped onions
- Deseed and chop 1 large tomato to make ½ to ¾ cup chopped tomatoes
- Slit or chop 1 green chili (optional)
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a pan. Add ½ to ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds and garlic.
3. Let the garlic fry in the oil until it begins to smell good for a minute. Add onions and saute until light golden.
4. Next add tomatoes, ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon turmeric. Saute until the tomatoes turn mushy. If needed cook covered till they become soft.
5. Add the green chili, ¼ to ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds powder (saunf) and 1 teaspoon coriander powder & ¼ ½ teaspoon garam masala (optional).
6. Next saute until the masala smells good, for 1 to 2 mins.
7. Add Brussel sprouts and ½ to ¾ cup frozen green peas. Saute for 3 to 4 mins on a medium heat.
8. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Regulate the flame to low. Cover and cook until fork tender. Keep stirring in between to prevent burning. It can take about 10 minutes to longer to cook them well. Avoid adding too much water as excess water alters the flavors.
9. Lastly open the lid and saute for 2 to 3 mins. Taste test and adjust salt as required. Sprinkle coriander leaves. Switch off. Add lemon juice and mix.
Serve Brussel sprouts curry with rice or roti.
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Recipe Card
Brussels Sprouts Curry (Indian Sabzi)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 9 oz. (250 grams) Small Brussel sprouts
- ½ to ¾ cup onions fine chopped ( 1 medium)
- ½ to ¾ cup tomato (deseeded and chopped)
- 1 green chili slit – optional
- 2 tablespoons oil or butter
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon cumin seeds / jeera
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric / haldi
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (adjust to taste)
- ¼ to ⅓ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder / daniya powder
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds powder (sombu, sompu, saunf)
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon garam masala (read notes)
- ½ to ¾ cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or as needed)
Instructions
How to Make Brussel Sprouts Curry
- Rinse, pat dry and remove any yellow leaves over the Brussel sprouts. Remove the core and halve or quarter them.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and garlic.
- Fry the garlic for a minute until it begins to smell good. Add onions and saute until lightly golden.
- Add tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Saute for a minute. Cook covered until the tomatoes turn mushy.
- Add chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, fennel powder and green chili. Saute until the masala smells good, for about a minute.
- Add Brussel sprouts and green peas. Saute on a medium heat for 3 to 4 mins.
- Sprinkle 3 to 4 tablespoons water all over the veggies. Cover the pan. Lower the heat completely and let them cook until tender. Keep stirring in between to prevent burning. It should take about 10 minutes.
- Open the lid and check if Brussel sprouts are cooked al dente. Taste test and more salt if you want.
- Saute on a high flame for another 2 mins. Add coriander leaves and switch off the stove.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice. Mix and serve Brussels sprouts curry with rice, roti or just as a side with anything.
Notes
- Avoid overcooking Brussel sprouts else they smell Sulphur-like, similar to cabbage.
- I don’t use a lot of garam masala for this recipe. If you want you may try with a small quantity.
- Cook the veggies at the earliest after you buy. Leaving them in the fridge for too long can alter the flavor.
- Avoid using Brussel sprouts that have been harvested long time ago. They won’t cook faster.
- Green peas add sweet tones to the curry.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
I made it just now and it came out very well. Thanks for sharing this. Love all your recipes
Thanks Sridevi. Glad you like them
really enjoyed this. Just the right heat.Did add liquid, coconut water, at the end as it was very dy. I cooked the sprouts for an extra 5 minutes as at the end of 10 they nearly raw. I added a left over vegetable biriani and half a can of diced tomatoes. I also added Asafoetida to bring out the flavours.
thank you
James levett
loved this recipy just hot enough. Was tempted to halve the chill glad I didn`t. I added coconut water for the last stage as it was very dry. Sprouts were still crunchy after 15 minuets when I added a left over vegetable biriani and half a can of diced tomatoes. its delicious with interesting textures.
Things to try in the future
Use coconut cream instead of water,
Increase the spices or create a sauce to add at the end or eat alongside
Loved it and would suggest a few order of operation changes.
Caramelize the onion and pepper before adding the garlic (don’t want burnt garlic).
Add frozen peas for the last ten minutes and not when adding the brussel sprouts (if using fresh peas add as recipe states).
Used a sweet onion (half moons).
Used an anaheim pepper as that was all I had.
Put it over brown rice and air fried some paneer to go with it.
Thank you so much Eric for trying. Love the changes you made.
Thanks so much, it came out very well and was easy to prepare.
Glad you like it Vina
In my experience the sprouts need far longer coming with the lid on. After the cooking time in this recipe they were still virtually raw!
Hi Rishabh,
I will look into it.
I am about to try the recipe later but there is only a mention of salt in the recipe itself, not in the ingredients. Is there a specific reason or is it just add as required?
Hi,
I forgot to mention. I have updated it now.
I loved the recipe but would eliminate the addition of water at the end. It is much better with crunchy brussels sprouts. (So many vegetables in Indian coooking are overcooked.
Hi Carolyn
Thanks for reading. There is no water used in the recipe. The flavor of brussels sprouts will be ruined completely with the addition of water. Yes they have to be cooked just al dente to keep the crunch.
You have missed the ‘s’ from Brussels.
I am interested in linking to your Brussels sprout recipe but noticed the spelling on your website is incorrect. There should be an ‘s’ on the end of Brussel.
Hi Caroline
Thanks for the mention. I have corrected it.
Brussels sprout curry – shouldn’t work but tastes really good 🙂
Thank you!
The plural ‘s’ should be at the end of the name: brussel sprouts. If you want a possessive ‘s’, then it is Brussel’s sprouts. But, by that logic, we should say “France’s fries” instead of french fries.