Jesse Jenkins (ADIP) Shares His Top Sous Chef Ingredients
by Jesse Jenkins
If you watched Jesse Jenkins aka ADIP (another day in paradise) cook on Instagram @adip_food, you'll know that his food is bold, big and bursting with character! It's no surprise the perfect meal for Jesse is "fresh, fast and filthy".
His cookbook Cooking With Vegetables is a fast-paced tour of flavour, texture and brilliant ideas. Are these the most rock and roll veg recipes of the decade?
Here in an exclusive interview with Sous Chef, Jesse shares some of the inspiration behind his food, and reveals what he cooks for himself when no-one is watching...
Take a look at Jesse's recipes here, or shop his top picks at Sous Chef.
Cooking with Vegetables by Jesse Jenkins, ADIP (Another Day in Paradise), Published by Bluebird, £28
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten recently?
Cockles, Grezzina, pea & wild garlic at Sessions Arts Club
What’s the one dish to make anyone fall in love with your new book?
Smoky Aubergine Parmesan
Which Sous Chef ingredients are always stocked in your pantry?
- Red Boat fish sauce
- Belazu Early Harvest olive oil
- Belazu sherry vinegar
- white and red miso
- Korean sesame oil
- White Mausu Peanut Rāyu
Were you always destined to cook? What has been your path into food?
I spent most of my youth eating fast food and having little to no interest in cooking. When I started working as a busboy, I couldn't stop watching the chefs cook.
I made any excuse to hang in the kitchen until eventually I was cooking. If you hang out in a barber shop long enough, you'll get a haircut.
What are the components of a fantastic meal for you?
Fresh, fast, filthy.
COOK: Jesse's fast, fresh (filthy?) Kimchi Pasta Puttanesca
What is one kitchen tip everyone should know?
Water boils 30% faster with a lid on.
What dish do you make most often?
Caponata
Who do you most like to cook for?
My wife and kids.
What do you cook when you’re cooking for yourself?
Something fried with something pickled, and a big salad.
TRY: Jesse's recipe for Grilled Radicchio with Caper and Anchovy Sauce
What’s your favourite ingredient to cook with right now?
Thai chilli jam (Mae Pranom)
Where do you find inspiration?
Watching movies and TV shows, often while I'm cooking. Traveling. Reading old cookbooks.
What ingredients have you recently discovered that you are excited about?
Belazu apple vinegar and Moscatel. I love using vinegar to finish dishes and these are both fantastic.
What is your favourite ingredient to work with and why?
Any seasonal vegetable – there’s nothing better.
COOK: Braised Fennel with Spicy Chickpeas and Goat's Curd
How do you stay current with food trends and incorporate them into your food?
I try to keep “the blinders” on in regards to trends, but eating out (especially at other people’s homes), travelling, and reading cookbooks/books about food cover to cover always helps me stay excited about cooking.
Can you tell me about a particularly memorable meal you have had and what made it so special?
Petersham Nurseries in 2006. I had just moved to London and had never had a meal or been to a restaurant like it. The ingredients were at the height of their season and were totally uncompromised. I have continued to eat Skye’s food ever since.
What will you be cooking next?
It’s taco night in our house.
What’s your favourite kitchen tool – do you go in for gadgetry?
Good stainless steel and carbon steel pans (I love De Buyer). I do love a good spoon – Kunz and Gestura are my favourites. Bench scrapers and good microfibre towels as well.
Which cookbooks have shaped the way you cook, or think about food?
Roast Chicken and Other Stories, Morito, The Essentials of Italian Cooking, and How to Cook a Wolf
How do you balance tradition and innovation in your cooking?
You have to respect the technique and work from there. Being able to push boundaries without messing with tradition is always a tightrope.
Shop the products Jesse mentions above:
About the author
Jesse Jenkins aka ADIP (Another Day in Paradise) is a chef and social media sensation based in London. Jesse’s cinematic vegetable-focused cooking videos on Instagram reach up to 2.1 million views – solidifying his status as a new star on the UK cooking scene.
