The Best Thing I've Ever Done With Brussel Sprouts

Wow, this was good: brussel sprouts and carrots with chilis, hoisin and black bean sauce.

I took maybe two cups of brussel sprouts, cleaned 'em, split them in half and blanched them (a fancy way of saying I boiled them in salted water for about 3 minutes and then threw them into ice-water). Don't over-cook 'em -- you don't want them soft just yet.

Then I cut up two carrots into bite-sized chunks (not huge ones). I sauteed the carrots and brussel sprouts in a frying pan over medium heat -- in a half-tablespoon of olive oil -- with maybe a third of an onion, chopped medium fine. I added black pepper, but no salt -- black bean sauce is super-salty stuff.

After about... 3-4 minutes, I added a half clove of garlic (this is huge, very fresh garlic, so you might want to use a whole clove of supermarket stuff), a third of a jalapeño -- both chopped fine -- and let that cook for about a minute.

Then I added a tablespoon of chinese black bean sauce, an equal amount of hoisin sauce (you can get both at the supermarket) and a little bit of water to thin it out. After a few more minutes -- until carrots and brussel sprouts are soft ... Yum! Try it!