Joe Woodhouse: chef, photographer, author
At the age of 10, Joe Woodhouse decided to become a vegetarian and then, to minimise the bother to his mum of making separate meals, he decided to teach himself to cook. “Easing in on a basic level, I either asked advice or taught myself using books and tips picked up from cookery shows,” he wrote in his debut cookery book, Your Daily Veg, back in 2022.
Joe, who did later train as a chef, also doubles as a food photographer and boasts some high-profile fans of his veggie-based recipes. Nigella Lawson has said of his food: “Just wonderful, not fancy or fussy, but beautiful cooking with care, a-brim with flavour, and joyfully seasonal.” For Rachel Roddy, “Joe just makes the most delicious food that happens to have no meat or fish in it – I think this and his knack for bringing out flavour is his superpower”.
His new book, Weeknight Vegetarian, is subtitled “Easy vegetable recipes for lunch and dinner”, and is winningly dedicated to “anyone who cooks from scratch”. He says: “I am a firm believer that you can eat well even when short on time.”
Joe lives with his wife – Olia Hercules, the co-founder of #cookforukraine – and their two sons in east London. “It does feel – in these days of rushing around and being constantly plugged in – that we have started to lose the art of slowing down,” he says. “But taking the time to cook for yourself, or for those who you love, is a sacred practice. Time spent in the kitchen can be a meditation: a way to balance yourself and reset.”
Here Joe shares his recipe for garlic-chilli potato dumplings. “My kids really like them and they are super versatile. It doesn't really matter what shape they end up – fat, thin, short or long dumplings – they taste just as good and make a fun plate.”
Words by Jane Ferguson
Photographs by Joe Woodhouse
Joe’s garlic-chilli potato dumplings
This one-pot recipe is designed for using up already-cooked potatoes. However, if you don't have any in the fridge, you can boil the same quantity, peeled and quartered, for 12-15 minutes until tender, then chill them under a cold tap.
If I am in a rush, I like to roll out the dough with a rolling pin then make criss-cross cuts to form little diamonds. Otherwise, use good-quality pre-made noodles like udon.
The sauce can be as spicy (or not) as you please, and a plateful of steamed green veg goes very well alongside.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the sauce/dressing
30g (1oz) dried shiitake mushrooms
200ml (7fl oz) boiling water
25g (1oz) coriander, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped, kept separate
2 tablespoons tamari sauce
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 heaped teaspoon chilli flakes
100ml (3½oz) sunflower oil
25g (1oz) roasted peanuts, chopped
3 spring onions, finely sliced
For the dumplings
900g (2lb) cooked potatoes, peeled and quartered
360g (12¾oz) cornflour, plus more to dust
salt
Method
For the sauce/dressing, put the shiitake in a small heatproof bowl and pour in the measured boiling water from the kettle. Leave to rehydrate while you make and cook the dumplings.
To make the dumplings, push the cooked potatoes through a ricer, or use a masher to crush them. Add the cornflour with a pinch of salt and form into a smooth dough. Pinch off the dough in sections and roll each out on a lightly floured surface to form ropes.
Cut along the lengths to form 1cm (½ inch) dumplings; I like a 5cm- (2 inch-) long, fat dumpling. Place on a lightly floured tray and repeat the process until the dough is all shaped.
Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to a simmer. Add your dumplings, wait for them to float to the surface, then cook for 1–2 minutes. Drain well and put in a heatproof mixing bowl.
Drain and slice the rehydrated shiitake, then add to the mixing bowl with the coriander stalks and tamari. Finally, add the garlic and chilli flakes in a small pile.
Heat the oil in a small pan. Pour the hot oil over the garlic and chilli to let both sizzle and cook. Toss, then serve topped with the peanuts, spring onions and coriander leaves.
Weeknight Vegetarian by Joe Woodhouse is published by Kyle Books (£26)