Pan Asian Brussel Sprout Pastries with Cucumber vinegar

A beautiful pastry filled with chilli brussel sprouts and almonds, served with chilled cucumber vinegar.

I have been obsessing over the beautiful Thai cucumber vinegar dipping sauce served with many appetizers. I did a fusion recipe, combining brussels, a little more western with all Thai ingredients to create a pastry to be served with the beautiful dipping sauce.

The end result was a warm pillow of puff pastry centred with a savory brussel sprout and almond filling, dipped into sweet vinegar: a marriage of sweet and savory and of pastry and vinegar

Ingredients

Serves two - three

For the pastries

400g brussel sprouts, chopped

1 clove garlic

1 tsp ginger

1 shallot/scallion

½ cup almonds, chopped

1 small bullet chilli

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 tsp soy sauce

½ tsp satay oil from sauce

½ tsp corn flour

1 tbsp brown sugar

Salt and white pepper

Cucumber Vinegar

¼ cup water

¼ cup white vinegar

¼ cup white sugar

½ cup cucumber, chopped

½ tsp ginger, crushed

½ tsp garlic, chopped

Directions

 Combine vinegar, water and sugar and boil until sugar has dissolved, then remove from heat and add cucumber, garlic and ginger once cooled and rest.

In a pan add minced garlic, ginger and chilli to some olive oil, fry and add brussels. Add all wet ingredients and coat brussels, cooking for 2 minutes before adding sugar and corn flour. Cook until brussels are soft, add chopped almonds and shallots and set aside to cool.

Take each sheet of puff pastry and divide into four squares. Spoon the brussels into the middle, fold over pastry to create triangles. Raise edges with your hands and pull the two bottom ends of the triangle inwards and link tips of pastry, creating a floral shape. With a fork, spike the edges of the pastry to create air and help raise edges. Coat each pastry with milk to help browning.

Place in a preheated oven of 200 degrees Celsius/392 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 25 minutes.