Chickpea tempeh, probiotic and rich in protein

Chickpea tempeh is beginning to make a place for itself in European kitchens. This vegetable meat from Indonesiawhere it is one of the culinary stars, it is perhaps less well known than tofu, but the fact that we have tempeh made from other legumes, in this case chickpeas, is very good news, since it is a type of ingredient that has very good nutritional properties.

Chickpea tempeh is also a excellent way to introduce more legumes into your weekly menu. In this way you can eat chickpeas in a different way and add soy in tofu format in another meal, for example, so that your source of vegetable protein is not always the same throughout the week.

What is chickpea tempeh

Tempeh is a fermented food rich in vegetable proteins which is usually made with soybeans, fermenting the beans, but in reality can be made with any legume and a starterthe mushroom Rhizopus oligosporus.

It is a good option for those who want avoid or reduce soy consumptionand for those who simply want to add more variety to their diet and recipes.

On the other hand, unlike seitan, tempeh is a food that is produced without the need to use gluten-containing ingredients, as in the case of tofu. For this reason, it is ideal for people with celiac disease, although in their case the packaging must be checked and that it specifies that it is gluten-free, since there may be cross contamination. Many brands that sell it macerated use tamari, a type of gluten-free soy sauce, to make it suitable.

What does it taste like?

The flavor of the different varieties of tempeh is very different depending on the legume and it can also be varied if other ingredients are added in the production process to give it other nuances, although it is usual to find tempeh naturally or marinated later.

As with soy tempeh, chickpea tempeh has a peculiar flavor, but rather milder. So, if you don’t like the typical soy option, give the chickpea tempeh a try.

About the texture, In the case of tempeh, it changes a lot depending on the brand, not only because some are handmade and preserve the live cultures, but also because the texture depends a lot on how it has been pressed and processed the tempeh. Therefore, we will find some tempeh that will be firmer and more compact and in others we will be able to distinguish the chickpeas and even see that they tend to fall apart.

how to cook

The most common is to make chickpea tempeh in the same way that soy tempeh is cooked:

It is usually marinated in tamari or soy sauce or in other marinades, either Asian-style or, for example, barbecue-style.After goes through the ironusually in thin slices if we want a crunchy result. it can be fried or made in the oven or in the air fryer.

3 recipes with chickpea tempeh

Here are three healthy and nutritious chickpea tempeh recipes that I encourage you to try:

1. Stewed chickpea tempeh with spinach

Chickpeas with spinach are a classic of Spanish gastronomy and a dish delicious and very easy to make. Here I have given it a twist so that you can do it with chickpea tempeh, making it even more nutritious.

You can add potatoes or whole grains already cooked in the last minutes of cooking if you need extra energy.

Ingredients for 3 or 4 servings:

250 g chickpea tempeh 250 g fresh spinach 1 medium leek 1 medium white onion 80 ml olive oil 2 tablespoons tomato concentrate 50 ml water or vegetable broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon smoked paprika pepper and salt to taste, optionally 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, chickpea flour or kuzu to thicken. You can also use a small cooked potato mashed with water and part of the spinach.

Preparation:

Wash the spinach well and cut crosswise, into strips. Clean the leek and chop it finely. We do the same with the onion. We cut the tempeh in small cubes and brown it in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. We booked.In the same frying pan Sauté the onion with the olive oil and add the leek. We redo well.Mix the concentrated tomato, spices and water or vegetable broth. If you are going to thicken, you can add the thickener at this time. Add the mixture to the vegetables. Stir well and add the spinach and tempeh. If you are going to add cereal or already cooked potato, this would be the moment.We cook on low heat until all the ingredients are well integrated. you can leave rest for a few minutes with the lid on put on before serving.

2. Potato dumplings stuffed with chickpea tempeh

The potato cakes are one of my favorite recipes. You can fill them with many things, such as mushrooms or textured soy bolognese. The tempeh, with its characteristic flavor will give it a different touch. Remember that you can marinate it or change the spices What do I tell you to make the recipe more yours?

Ingredients for about 4 cupcakes:

For the mass:

150 g of cooked potato 100 g of whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons of water or vegetable broth 1/2 teaspoon of chemical yeast 1 pinch of salt olive oil for cooking

For the filling:

125 g tempeh 1/2 red onion, chopped 2 tablespoons of homemade tomato sauce 1 level teaspoon of garlic powder 1 level teaspoon of pepper 1 pinch of salt 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil

Preparation:

We start with the dough of the cupcakes Mash the potato with the broth and olive oil. Place it in a bowl. Add the sifted flour and yeast together with a pinch of salt, and knead with your hands trying to get a more bread-like texture. If the flour does not integrate, add a little more water, in very small amounts. we left rest the dough in the fridge while we prepare the filling.Brown the chopped onion and tempeh cut into very small cubes separately. We mix them in the pan with the rest of the ingredients over very low heat and, when done, we stop cooling.Take the dough out of the fridge and cut into four parts. We split each ball in turn into two parts, one a little smaller.we make ball with each part of the couple and flatten them. We place part of the filling in the largest part and cover it with its partner. We close by shaping the cupcakes. We can grill on medium heat in a frying pan (they must be well cooked) or bake at 180 ºC until golden brown, on both sides.

3. Curry with chickpea tempeh

As a fan of curries, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to recommend chickpea tempeh for this type of recipe, especially Thai curries. They are flavors and textures that combine perfectly.

The base to make the curry can be found in this selection of curry recipes. The ingredients you need are:

4 shallots or two small white onions 2 cloves of garlic 2 tablespoons of curry powder the juice of a lime or half a lemon or half an orange 1 level teaspoon of turmeric 200 ml of coconut milk with its cream 4 tablespoons of sesame oil or olive oil mild1 teaspoon ground chili (optional)1 tablespoon lemongrass or lemongrass (optional)

Prepare it in advance and use it in your curry with chickpea tempeh following this recipe:

Ingredients for 4 servings:

150g chickpea tempeh200g pak choy1 medium red onion¼ bunch coriander root (or to taste)250ml mild broth40g vegetable margarinebrown rice or noodles as a side dishour curry base

Preparation:

We wash the pak choy well and cut it, reserving the stalks apart from the leaves. Chop the peeled and cleaned onion very finely and sauté it with the margarine in a pot. Add the thickly cut pak choy stalks.Cut the tempeh into medium dice and brown it with the onion.Add the vegetable broth together with the curry base and let it cook over low heat with a lid.Add the coriander chopped and the pak choy leaves cut very thin.After about 5 minutes turn off and let it rest.

It’s delicious yes served with steamed brown rice or noodles (which are made separately and are served still hot).