Nina Parker shares with us her three favourite recipes from her new cookbook, Saucy.
London-based chef Nina Parker has just published her latest book, Saucy, a compendium of sauce recipes from around the world that will help elevate even the simplest plate of food.
To celebrate the launch of Saucy, Nina shared three of her favourite recipes from the cookbook with us.
Vegan Burger, Comeback Sauce Nina Parker recipes
My cousin Andrew, who is a devout meat-eater and hardcore foodie, couldn’t believe these were one: vegan and two: this delicious! These burgers are inspired by my last LA trip which pushed me to combine flavours and textures that I hadn’t thought of before. Using soaked not cooked beans are key to the burger’s texture and I promise the sweet potato is only there as a binder and not for flavour. I’ve named the sauce “Comeback” which is taken from the iconic Howlin’ Rays chicken joint in downtown LA. The sauce is a spicy mayo, and, let’s be honest, after one helping, you will indeed be coming back for more. This recipe makes four burgers.
Ingredients: Nina Parker recipes
- 140g cooked sweet potato (about 1.5 medium potatoes, baked for 50 mins at 190C degrees)
- 140g soaked black beans (soak in cold water for at least 4 hours or overnight)
- Bunch of coriander
- 140g chickpeas, cooked
- 40g mushrooms, chopped
- 2 tsp mushroom powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp miso paste
- 300ml sunflower
- Salt and pepper
For the comeback sauce:
- 4 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- Zest of a lime and the juice of half
- 3 tbsp soya sauce
- 5 tsp gochujang paste (or substitute with 1/2 tsp chilli powder/1 tsp chilli paste to make 1 tsp gochujang)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic, grated
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
Method: Nina Parker recipes
- Blend together the beans, coriander, chickpeas, mushrooms, mushroom powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, ground ginger, onion powder and miso paste. Mix to a rough paste. You will need to scrape down the sides of the blender and re-blend.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the baked sweet potato and use a fork to break it up and whip up. Add the blender contents to the sweet potato and combine so it is evenly mixed together. The sweet potato just acts as a binder so you don’t want patches of orange anywhere. Divide into 4 equal patties and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Set a large frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the sunflower oil. Depending on the size of the pan, you might need to add a little more oil. The oil needs to reach halfway up the burger. Test the oil is hot enough by adding in a little flour. If it sizzles, then it is ready. Use a frying spatula to carefully lower the patties into the oil. Fry for 2.5 minutes until golden and then carefully flip over and fry for another 2 minutes. Place on a kitchen towel for a minute before adding to the burger bun.
- Add all of the ingredients together for the sauce and taste to double-check the seasoning.
- Serve the burgers with toasted brioche buns, pickled onions, lettuce, sliced tomatoes and the sauce on top!
Hispi Cabbage, Egg, Asian Inspired Chilli Oil
This is a more intense version of the chilli oil from the scrambled tofu recipe. I re-vamped the recipe for a rainforest charity dinner that I hosted and it was such a hit on the night. People also went crazy for it during lockdown as it goes with ANYTHING! It’s not very spicy, but it has depth of flavour. I would advise wearing gloves when chopping the chillis in case your hands are sensitive. This recipe will make 600ml which is about two jars of chilli oil.
Ingredients:
- 6 mild chillis, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 3 banana shallots / 1.5 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 600ml sunflower oil
- 8 garlic cloves, diced
- 60g grated ginger
- 40ml sesame seed oil
- 80g brown miso paste
- 20g sesame seeds
- A pinch of dried chilli flakes
- 1/2 hispi cabbage, sliced lengthways into 1cm thick, thick stalk removed
- 2 tbsp chilli oil
- 1 fried egg
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- For the chilli oil, it’s important to have everything weighed out and chopped before you start. When I’m pushed for time, I use a blender to cut the ingredients separately instead of chopping.
- Add the sunflower oil to a large saucepan ensuring that there is at least a 5cm space from the top in case the oil spits. Slowly bring to a high heat. Add a small pinch of the chopped shallots to the oil and if it sizzles, you are ready to add the rest. Fry the shallots for about 6 minutes until they start to go a little golden. Then add the chopped chilli and fry for another 6 mins until they are starting to crisp up a little. Next, add the ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Keep watch as it can burn easily. The shallots should be quite crispy-looking by now. Remove the pan from the heat and leave for a bit to cool. Then add the miso paste, sesame oil, sesame seeds and a pinch of dried chilli. Store in a jar and when it’s completely cooled keep in the fridge for weeks and weeks.
- For the cabbage, set a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add a spoon of chilli oil. Then place the cabbage pieces into the pan to colour on one side. Use a spatula to press down to really char the edges for 1 minute. Then cover with a lid for 2 minutes before turning them over to do the same on the other side. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with chilli oil on top and a fried egg.
Roast Pepper Sauce, Pangrattato Pasta
This sauce is a mix between a romesco sauce and an incredible pasta that I ate at my favourite London restaurant, Pophams. I love using up stale bread to make breadcrumbs and this compliments the pasta, adding in lots of texture. I usually like to sprinkle them on a Puglia-style broccoli pasta but I think this might be a better combination. This also can work well for a larger party as you can prep everything before! This recipe serves two.
Ingredients:
For the pangrattato:
- 3 handfuls stale bread
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
For the roast pepper sauce:
- 440g red peppers (I use a mix of bell and romano), thinly sliced and deseeded
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus 70ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 banana shallots, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1.5 tsp ground paprika
- Few sprigs of thyme
- 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- Zest of 1 lemon and 3 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- For the pangrattato, blend the stale bread to a rough consistency, leaving some chunky bits. Add to a baking tray and drizzle over the olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix everything around and place into a 190C degree oven for 4-5 minutes until crisped up and golden. Leave to cool and store in a jam jar.
- For the sauce, preheat the oven to 190C degrees and line two baking trays with baking paper. Add the sliced peppers to one and season with 2 spoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Then add the onions, thyme leaves, garlic and tomato halves to the other and season with another two spoons of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place both trays into the oven. Take out the garlic and thyme at 12 minutes and the onion at 20. Take out the tomatoes and peppers at 30 minutes.
- Scrape this into a blender along with 30ml of olive oil, paprika and cayenne pepper. Blend to a smooth consistency and scrape into a bowl. Add the remaining olive oil and check the seasoning, adding in the lemon juice. Serve with the pasta of your choice using some of the starchy water to loosen the sauce. Top with pangrattato!
Recipes and pictures from Nina Parker’s new book, Saucy, £13.
