I grew up with tempeh. When I’m hungry and think about home, I imagine eating rice with Gado Gado and tempeh. For some people it is an acquired taste and I know friends that never eat it when served. But when you are used to Indonesian cooking you find tempeh is very tasty, usually served as a side dish, snack or main dish.
Tempeh (témpé) originated from Java, an island of Indonesia. Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans therefore has probiotic qualities and is a good source of fiber, calcium, iron and vitamin B. You can buy tempeh now in most grocery stores since plant based foods are becoming more and more popular.
In this blog post, I am presenting two different kind of recipes. The first one is a tempeh dish with ginger, tumeric and coconut milk (santen) cooked verysoft and can be made in 10 minutes. I call it Tempeh Lodeh, using the name lodeh as in Sajoer Lodeh, a popular Indonesian vegetable dish. Every rijsttafel has sajoer lodeh. Lodeh means cooked until soft and that is exactly what this tempeh is. I added zucchini and tomatoes but you can use green beans and red bell pepper instead. See what you already have in your kitchen and create! The taste is wonderful, soft and delicious. Serve it with rice for a perfect lunch or supper.
Tempeh Lodeh
Ingredients
- 5 oz tempeh cut into cubes
- 1 onion sliced
- 6 small cherry tomatoes sliced
- 1 large zucchini
- 2 tsp ginger shredded
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp tumeric
- 1/2 can coconut milk
- 1 lemon squeezed
Instructions
- Saute the onion in a wok or stir fry pan. Use a table spoon of avocado oil or vegetable broth.
- Add all the spices and stir until you smell the aroma. Add the tempeh cubes and stir fry until golden. Add some broth if it's dry.
- Now add the coconut milk and salt. Simmer for 2 minutes. Now add the zucchini.
- Cook until the zucchini is almost soft, add the tomatoes and cook until those are soft but not dissolved.
- Add the lemon juice and stir. The tempeh should be cooked soft and done.
Notes
Fried Tempeh
The second recipe is fried tempeh. Gebakken Tempeh as we would call it in our family. Eat it as a snack with gado gado sauce and cucumber and you are in tempeh heaven.
Gebakken tempeh is very easy to make. The trick is the frying part. First, I buy the best organic sunflower oil that is specially made for deep frying. It also helps if you have a wok in your kitchen so you can fry the tempeh quickly on high heat.
After both sides of the tempeh are golden brown, take them out quickly and put them in a stainless steel fry basket. Then move them to a plate covered with a paper towel. that way the excess oil will soak into the towel. The fried tempeh should look crisp. Eat them when cooled off.
Fried Tempeh (Gebakken Tempe)
Ingredients
- 8 oz one block of tempeh
- 1 tbsp tamarind (asem)
- 1 tbsp coriander
- 1½ cups water
- 3 garlic cloves chopped fine
- 1 tsp kumin
- 2 tbsp soya sauce
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cut the tempeh in not too thick slices and set aside.
- In a bowl, soak the tamarind in a little hot water until its dissolved and soft.
- Add the 1 1/2 cups of water and all other ingredients. Add the tempeh and stir well. Put the bowl in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- After two hours. Prepare the wok for frying. Add the organic sunflower oil. Strain the tempeh and pat it dry with a paper towel.
- When the cooking oil is preheated, add a third of the tempeh and stir gently. keep the stove on medium heat. Turn the tempeh pieces until light brown.
- Take the tempeh out quickly when done and transfer to a plate covered with paper towel to absorb the access oil. Serve when cooled off.