Miso is the secret ingredient when making a ‘bean-naise’ sauce! This vegetarian version of a bolognese perfectly complements mashed potato and soy béchamel. You can easily impress your non-vegetarian friends with this dish, which I have done many times. This recipe is everybody’s favourite.
Super easy béchamel - Serves 4
60g (2oz) glutinous rice flour (sweet rice flour)
600ml (21fl oz) soymilk
1 teaspoon MSG-free vegetable stock powder
⅔ teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of white pepper
Extra soymilk, for wash
Bean-naise sauce
150g (5oz) tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine
1 tablespoon miso
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil, for frying
1 garlic clove, minced
½ onion, finely chopped
100g (3½oz) mushroom, finely chopped
60g (2oz) walnuts, finely chopped
1 tin (400g/14oz) red kidney beans
Mashed potato
850g (30oz) potatoes, peeled, coarsely chopped
120ml (4fl oz) soymilk
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pinch of white pepper
Garnish
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. To make the mash, cook the potato in a large saucepan of water for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Use a potato masher to mash until smooth. Add the milk and stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
3. To make the béchamel sauce, put glutinous rice flour into a bowl and add 1/3 of soymilk slowly. Mix very well with whisk. Gradually add the rest of the soymilk and mix.
4. Strain the mixture into a saucepan and heat over a medium heat. Add the stock powder, sea salt, nutmeg and pepper, stir occasionally and cook until thick.
5. To make bean-naise sauce, mix together the tomato paste, red wine, miso, sea salt and soy sauce ingredients then set aside.
6. Heat oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add garlic and onion and sauté until soft. Add mushroom and walnuts and cook until mushroom is soft. Add the sauce mixture. Cook until sauce thickens. Set aside.
7. Spread the mash in a lightly greased ovenproof dish. Spread bean-naise sauce over the mash. Top with soy béchamel. Brush soymilk on béchamel. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts evenly over béchamel. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve.
Tip
I like to make double or triple portions of ‘bean-naise’ sauce and freeze. This sauce is extremely versatile so it is very handy to have in the freezer.
Gluten-free option: Make sure to use rice miso not barley miso.