Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cilantro & Peanuts

Crispy, tender, spicy, sweet, and addictive are just a few of the adjectives that describe these amazing Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cilantro & Peanuts.

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Last May, Mr B and I had tickets to see Marc Cohn at the Aladdin Theater in Portland, so we decided to make a night of it. We started out with a light meal at Southpark Seafood (our current Portland happy hour spot!) before the concert.

With a relaxed-chic vibe, this northwest Portland eatery features sustainable seafood and farm-fresh ingredients, and while their happy hour drink menu is just average ($6 house wines and sangria, $5 local brews), Southpark Happy Hour Eats are outstanding in every way.

For our meal, Mr B ordered six Oysters on the Half Shell [$6/3] for himself (I don’t do raw oysters) while I opted for the Spicy Shrimp & Grits [$10]. We also shared a Caesar salad [$6] and an order of their signature Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cilantro & Peanuts [$7], and finished with a board of their amazing Maple Cream Puffs (with maple pastry cream, maple frosting, AND candied pecans) [$5].

The entire four-course meal for two was less than $40… in Portland!!! (Excluding beverages and tip, of course). AND, everything was delicious!

We especially enjoyed the Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts – they were literally the best Brussels sprouts I’ve ever eaten! Crispy, tender, spicy, sweet, and addictive are just a few of the adjectives to describe these amazing oven-roasted sprouts.

I immediately put it on my list of recipes to figure out and blog about (as in, I opened Evernote right there at the restaurant and typed myself a quick reminder). I’ve heard that Southpark will just give you the recipe if you ask, but I was interested in learning more about its mysterious new-to-me ingredient, Gochujang paste, so I decided to take it as a challenge.

What is Gochujang Paste?

Gochujang Paste, or Korean Red Chili Paste, I’ve since learned, is a savory, sweet, spicy fermented condiment made from chili powder, glutinous rice, fermented soy bean powder, and salt. It gets its sweetness from the glutinous rice and has about the same consistency as a thick hoisin sauce or tomato paste, but is much stickier.

You can find Gochujang paste at almost any Asian market. If you’re at all worried that the Gochujang paste will make the sprouts too spicy, don’t be. The end result is a savory, sweet, almost mapley Brussels sprout with a subtle but respectable hint of heat.

The sauce in this recipe (olive oil, vinegar, honey, and paste) has a multitude of uses beyond Brussels sprouts, from chicken marinade to kale chip dressing.

I’m not sure how close this is to the Southpark Seafood recipe, but it sure tastes spot-on. I hope you enjoy these Gochujang Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cilantro & Peanuts as much as we do!

Additional recipe credit: While the inspiration for this post came from Southpark Seafood, the actual recipe shared here is an adaptation of this recipe by The Garlic Pad. 

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