Hae Bee Sambal Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Cette recette était inspirée d'un pot de sambal offert par la mère de mes cheres copaines. J'avais vu lnstagram d'Endmorefood et elle avait posté une photo du "sambal" de sa mère et j'avais audacieusement demandé si je pouvais en avoir. Certains m'appelleraient impertinente, mais je choisis de croire que si on ne le demande pas, on ne l'obtiendra jamais 😝😂😂 Donc, si quelqu'un ici souhaite me faire des cadeaux de nourriture, je serai plus qu'heureuse de le recevoir!! 😋

 

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So, I've recently discovered that in addition to sycophantic pandering, a lack of shame and a thick skin reaps numerous benefits. First revelation was at Salted & Hung where our insolent fawning and unrelenting cajoling netted us delivery-only sandos to supplement our dine-in degustation #yaytocheaptrillsinlife. 

And the other day, an outrageous request to partake in a friend's scrumptious-looking dinner over Insta, accompanied by unabashed compliments of course, resulted in the complimentary procurement of a jar of homemade hae bee hiam from said friend's mom. 

Hae bee hiam is something that reminds me of my childhood, where my gran would whip up after-kindergarten bites of freshly fried spicy hae bee, which she'd either set a dollop thereof on a cold cucumber coin Peranakan-style, or serve up as a side dish to plain porridge Teochew-style. Her cooking was so amazing, I can still remember, to this day, how her dishes taste. Tragically she passed on without any one of her daughters-in-law learning her recipes (my ma wasn't neither a decent nor keen cook geez) 😢, and I was far too young to have been allowed into her domain (in this regard, I gotta say that Nonyas can often be ridiculously territorial over their kitchens sheesh). So whenever I get to eat anything that evokes fond memories of yore, I'm gratefully ecstatic. 

In addition to the aforementioned pairings, I wondered if I could incorporate the condiment into contemporary recipes. Jazz it up a little, ya know? Brussels sprouts are in season now so the grocers are flush with that, and I thought, maybe I could do a warm roasted sprout salad with hae bee sambal; fuse a western vegetable with a distinctively Southeast Asian flavour profile. I then rounded it off with perilla leaf ribbons and kecap manis, to lend a peppery lightness and some sweetness to take the sting outta the chilli. The egg is optional, and it really doesn't matter if it's fried or hard-boiled; I like supplementing eggs in mine because, I love eggs and am happy to add them in any dish possible; and also, it makes for a prettier presentation, no? 

 

Ingredients (feeds 2 as a main, 4 as a side):

30-ish brussels sprouts, cut into halves and patted dry

8-10 perilla leaves, washed and patted dry

1-2 eggs

3-4 tbsp-heapfuls hae bee sambal (feel free to adjust this according to spice tolerance)

1 tbsp maple syrup

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil ("evoo")

1/4 cup peanut oil (or any oil with a high smoke point)

1 tbsp kecap manis

salt

 

 

Directions:

 

1) ) Toss brussels sprouts with 1-2 tbsp evoo and a light sprinkle of salt; the hae bee chilli dressing will add flavour so salt sparingly. Roast said brussels sprouts, flat-side up, at 200C for about 20 minutes, turning over, at the half-way mark. Increase oven temp up to 220C for another 5 minutes to brown and crisp the sprouts. 

2) While the brussel sprouts are roasting, prep the other components: slice the perilla leaves into chiffonade ribbons. 

3) Saute sambal with about 3 tbsp evoo and 1 tbsp maple syrup. Feel free to play around with the quantities according to your personal preferences. 

4) Heat peanut oil till smoking, fry egg till edges are crisp. Drain and set aside. 

5) Assembly time: Brussels sprouts at the bottom, slather with sambal-evoo dressing, and top with perilla leaf chiffonade (fried egg is optional, as seen below). Finish with a drizzle of kecap manis.