4 easy, tasty and vegetable protein-rich tempeh recipes

Tempeh is perhaps the vegetable meat less known to the general public. This legume-based preparation comes from Indonesia and has been in Europe for many years, but its flavor and texture are not to everyone’s liking, especially since people often don’t know very well how to prepare it.

Therefore, knowing some tricks for cooking tempeh and having some simple tempeh recipes on hand can be very useful.

What is tempeh and how to cook it

The most common tempeh is made from soyalthough it is common to find tempeh chickpeas and other legumes.

Unlike tofu, here the cooked grain is left whole and well drained and fermented with a fungus, the Rhizopus oligosporus. It is usually done in rectangular blocks, although now we also find cylindrical formats. This process is what makes the white mycelium that binds soybeans (or the base legumes of the tempeh).

Tempeh is therefore a fermented food. Its flavor is powerful, but at the same time it is a product more digestive than cooked soybeans.

Something to keep in mind is that most of the tempeh that is sold is pasteurized. It is still quite difficult to get unpasteurized artisanal tempeh in Spain. This one tends to have a milder flavor, but at the same time you have to take into account that the crop continues its course and that, therefore, it can become very potent.

My recommendation to get started with tempeh is marinate it, cut it into very thin strips, and grill itwell browned and cooked.

Depending on the brand, we will find more compact blocks of tempeh and blocks with less mycelium and looser grain, some with more split beans and others with somewhat looser beans. This will influence the marinating time, since, the more compact, the more marinating time you will need and more important will be that it is cut fine.

4 easy and nutritious recipes with tempeh

Here are four tempeh recipes. The first is a recipe for marinated tempeh that It will serve as the basis for many other recipes.including two of the other recipes that I propose below.

1. Grilled marinated tempeh

There are many marinades that go well with tempeh, but it is also true that it is common to do it with soy sauce and other ingredients that come from East Asia.

Here’s an Asian-style marinade that actually works great on tempeh. The measurements of this tempeh marinade are totally indicative and will depend on your tastes.

Ingredients for 250 g of tempeh:

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari 1 tablespoon rice or apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon ginger powder 1 teaspoon garlic or onion powder chopped fresh chives

Preparation:

Depending on the type of tempeh, you may want to boil it for 10 minutes. Slice the tempeh into thin slices or into cubes, depending on the recipe. Arrange the tempeh in a flat bowl, leaving it well even in height. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour over the tempeh. You can let it marinate from 4 hours until the next day. Cook it on the grill with little oil. You already have it ready for any dish, salad or sandwich.

2. Tempeh sandwich with roasted vegetables and yogurt sauce

A quick use of the above marinated tempeh that was grilled is to put it in a sandwich. You can solve any meal of the day. Roasted or roasted vegetables can be prepared in advance in the weekly batch cooking, although there are also very good quality packaged ones.

Ingredients with amounts to taste:

Preparation:

Arrange the roasted vegetables on one of the slices. Put the tempeh on top. Cover the tempeh with the yogurt sauce and close the sandwich.

Fresh Yogurt Dip is very quick and easy to make. You can also take advantage of the typical calçots sauce or put romesco sauce. Another very good option is to use an olive pâté.

3. Buddha bowl with marinated tempeh

To eat tempeh in a simple way, it is best to grill it and place it in a buddha bowl. To the strong flavor of the previous marinade the neutral flavor of steamed rice and the freshness of grated turnip and carrot go very well. You can also spiralize or cut these two vegetables with a mandolin.

Ingredients for a generous dish:

1 handful of stemmed spinach leaves 200g steamed brown rice 100g grilled marinated tempeh 1 tablespoon hummus 1 grated carrot 1 grated turnip 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed 2 tablespoons Asian-style vinaigrette with olive oil sesame or olive, rice vinegar a little miso and soy sauce.

Preparation:

For this dish we need to have the preparations made, such as marinated tempeh, or clean and cut vegetables. In the buddha bowl, the ingredients are usually placed separately, so that it looks good, but my advice is to place the rice below, then the grated vegetables and hummus, tempeh and leaves. Finally, we pour the vinaigrette before serving.

4. Tempeh and pea stew

Another option to consume tempeh is adapt more traditional recipes, such as stews, and replace meat with tempeh. In the season of fresh peas and broad beans, we can make a delicious stew with tempeh, with the advantage that these fresh ingredients need very little cooking.

Ingredients for 2 people:

250 g tempeh 200 g peas, fresh or thawed 100 g leeks 200 g potatoes 2 tablespoons double concentrated tomato 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika 1 cup vegetable broth 2 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper 1 tablespoon water oatmeal tureen to thicken, or much less kuzu (optional)

Preparation:

Cut the tempeh into medium cubes, not very large. In a hot frying pan, with the olive oil, brown them and reserve. Wash the leek well and chop it small. In a pot, we poach it with a little olive oil. At this time add the oat flour and stir. After a few minutes we add the concentrated tomato with the paprika and the tempeh, stir, and add the potato, the broth and the water, until it covers. Let it cook for about 15 minutes. Add the fresh peas and let everything finish cooking over low heat for 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest before serving.