The flavors of traditional okonomiyaki get re-interpreted in this dish where crispy air-fried Brussels sprout leaves get topped with katsu sauce, Kewpie mayonnaise, furikake, and bonito flakes.
- Prep Time:
30 mins - Cook Time:
15 mins - Total Time:
45 mins
There aren’t any vegetable sides dishes that I am willing to put extra effort into on a weekday. Except this one. The pairing of fried Brussels sprout leaves with umami rich toppings of creamy Kewpie mayo, sweet-savory katsu sauce, salty-seaweedy furikake, and smoky bonito flakes make the extra time worth it.
The combination of toppings isn’t new. Traditional Japanese okonomiyaki (a savory cabbage pancake) has been topped with similar ingredients for years. However, I had never seen them combined with crispy Brussels sprouts leaves until my daughter had them at Hondo restaurant and came home saying we needed to replicate the dish at home. ASAP.
The key is separating the leaves rather than just roasting the Brussels sprouts whole (or halved) to allow for maximum crispiness. Those crispy leaves make all the difference.
Tips for making crispy air fryer Brussels sprouts
- To separate the leaves, first wash the Brussels sprouts and discard any damaged leaves. Trim the stems with a knife and peel off the leaves. You may need to cut the stem again to better access the inner leaves. Continue trimming and peeling the sprouts until they are the size of a marble and the leaves become too difficult to separate. On average, it takes me about 20-25 minutes to separate the leaves of about 1 pound of Brussels sprouts.
Save the Brussels sprout “hearts” for another use. I usually drizzle them with olive oil and roast them to serve as a side dish for another meal.
- As the Brussel sprouts are cooking, shake the air fryer basket regularly (about every 2-3 minutes) to encourage even browning.
- Once the Brussels sprout leaves are fried, spread them out in a single layer on a large baking sheet so they stay crispy as you air-fry the other batches or if you aren’t serving them immediately. They will stay crispy for about 45 minutes as long as they aren’t piled on top of each other.
Okonomiyaki-Style Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 2-3 servings
- Category: Sides
- Method: Air-Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts
- Cooking spray (I use avocado oil spray)
- Katsu sauce, either store-bought or homemade (see Note 1)
- Kewpie mayonnaise
- Furikake
- Bonito flakes (see Note 2)
Instructions
- Prep Brussels sprouts. Rinse and dry the Brussels sprouts. Cut the stems off the Brussels sprouts and remove the leaves. Continue cutting the stem away in order to remove more leaves (see Note 3). Place the leaves on a dish towel and pat the leaves dry.
- Air-fry Brussels sprouts. Heat the air fryer at 375 degrees F for 5 minutes. Spray the bottom of the air fryer tray with cooking spray then place the Brussel sprout leaves on the tray in a single layer (see Note 4). Spray the tops of the leaves then air-fry for 6 minutes, shaking the tray 1-2 times (see Note 5).
- Serve. Place fried Brussels sprout leaves on plates. Top with desired amounts of katsu sauce, Kewpie mayo, furikake, and bonito flakes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- I use the recipe from Plays Well with Butter for an easy homemade katsu sauce.
- You can use the same bonito flakes you would use to make dashi. Lately, I’ve been using bonito flakes topping which has a slightly less fishy flavor.
- I usually remove leaves until the Brussels sprouts are about the size of a marble. Save the Brussels sprout “hearts” for another use. I usually drizzle them with olive oil and roast them to serve as a side dish for another meal.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the Brussel sprouts in batches.
- Once the Brussels sprout leaves are fried, spread them out in a single layer on a large baking sheet so they stay crispy as you air-fry the next batch or if you aren’t serving them immediately. They will stay crispy for about 45 minutes as long as they aren’t piled on top of each other.
- Recipe inspired by the Brussels sprouts at Hando restaurant.
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