Do you tempeh here?
I have a block of this stuff at home and was wondering what other people do to make it, well, tasty. I've tried stir-frying and using in sandwiches, but nothing's really helping to make it stand out, flavor-wise. What can i do?
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17 Comments:
Recipezaar.com has a whole bunch of recipes
NanaJoie at 4:12PM on 04/07/08
You're basically taking a block of moldy, fermented soybeans and trying to make it "tasty"? Good luck with that! Aside from strapping a Hershey bar to it then battering & deep frying it...it is what it is -- a supporting ingredient, never the star.
One eats tempeh for the nutritional benefits, not because it can pretend to be what it's not (like tofu). Unless, of course, moldy, fermented soybean "flavor" is your thing...
sheldel at 4:39PM on 04/07/08
Actually I use it to make quite tasty meals, but if this is the first time you are cooking, go for something basic like a burger. When I started using tempeh I bought the preflavored types to ease into the transition, but beware those can be a bit oversalted.
souldawg at 6:00PM on 04/07/08
I love tempeh baked in this marinade: http://eatair.blogspot.com/2006/09/barbecued-tempeh.html
hrobb at 8:17PM on 04/07/08
Even though I don't really care for tempeh, I found myself really irritated by one of the earlier comments. I don't know why people feel the need to be nasty towards vegetarians, in this instance, by disparaging soy products that vegetarians and vegans may choose to consume. Seriously, what's the point?
If you don't like tempeh (or tofu or whatever it is that a person is asking help for), then just shut up and don't comment on a post in which someone is asking for help in cooking this food item. If someone on here asks for help cooking a certain meat product, I (a lifelong vegetarian) don't comment and say that meat is cruel and that it's disgusting to eat smoked pig parts and that geese are tortured for foie gras and that it's horrible to eat any of the above things. I stay out of it because someone is asking for help in cooking said item, NOT for my opinion on what they are cooking.
I think we all learned in 1st grade that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything nice at all. Apparently some people were absent that day.
charm city cupcake at 8:38PM on 04/07/08
Having had a minor tempeh disaster today I'd love some new ideas on how to work with it, too. I've made a couple attempts to cook it, but so far nothing very good; it dries out too easily and is so strongly flavored that it probably takes more than a few meals to acquire a taste for it. I'd try it crumbled and fried, then added to a curry, though. Today I made Bittman's recipe for crumbled tempeh, spinach & rice and it was pretty awful (not much seasoning in his recipe--what made me think this would taste good?) but the crumbled, fried tempeh on its own wasn't bad--much better than baked tempeh, which is what I tried last time. Maybe you can try adding it to a spicy curry as a beef replacement--the flavor of tempeh is so complex and deep that I think it would work well for this.
hamngatan at 8:50PM on 04/07/08
I agree that it isn't my favorite, but it can be good for a little variety. With tempeh, it is all about marinating. I like it marinated in a tamari/mirin/sesame oil mixture. You can pan-fry it with some garlic and onion powder in that mixture. I've made it this way and finished it roasting in the oven with some also-seasoned sweet potatoes. That was very yummy!
Littlebluesiren at 8:57PM on 04/07/08
ive never actually cooked tempeh myself, i bought some once and forgot about it. but i do love these smoked tempeh & roasted veggie sandwiches from the candle cafe in nyc - they have a cookbook but im sure you could find a similar recipe online.
seitan is also really good! and im not even a vegetarian!
sustarz at 12:29AM on 04/08/08
Years ago in downtown Manhattan, there used to be a health food restaurant called Scallions. That was the one and only place I have ever enjoyed tempeh. If you paid me, I couldn't remember how it was served.
Scallions also made the best broccoli pesto I have ever had and I would love to know how that was made. You could see garlic trails behind you after you ate it. Good stuff.
chiff0nade at 8:05AM on 04/08/08
I personally like tempeh, and I'm not even a vegetarian. If you cut it in bite-size chunks and marinade it in some homemade barbecue sauce overnight, it makes a great sandwich on a whole wheat bun with some alfalfa sprouts on top. :)
mrsbao at 8:18AM on 04/08/08
I love tempeh, and my best advice for people who have had mixed experiences with it is this: go to the best Indonesian restaurant in your area and try it there, and you will be converted. You will also have an idea of what to aim for when you make it at home. To that end, I usually make a marinade with kecap manis, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, etc. I marinate it for quite a while and then either fry it or bake it in the oven. I once cut it into very thin strips, marinated it and deep fried it until it was crispy. It was fantastic.
Probably my favourite way to eat tempeh is in a broodje tempeh, a tempeh sandwich that you can get in any Surinamese cafe in the Netherlands. It features a french roll layered with tempeh marinated in sambal with spicy pickle. One is never enough.
If the Indonesian/Surinamese angle doesn't work for you, there are a lot of creative tempeh recipes on the post punk kitchen: http://www.theppk.com/
But whatever you do, don't reject tempeh out of hand - it is great!
caley at 9:18AM on 04/08/08
OK, because general consensus is that BBQ is the way to go, that's what I did. Kind of.
I cut up a large onion into large pieces and carmelized them in a small pot, then set about half aside.
Then I cut the tempeh into rather small pieces and put it in the pot with the carmelized onion, some diced red pepper, a dash of soy sauce, and a little "no-chicken broth." As that cooked, the tempeh sort of disintegrated on me, but that worked out alright in the end.
At the same time I sauteed the rest of the red pepper and a couple of diced zucchini.
I took a whole wheat wrap, sliced on some organic tomato olive cheese, and heated that in another large skillet.
When the cheese was getting gooey, I took it out of the pan, topped it with fresh baby spinach, the set-aside onions, and then spooned over a layer of zucchini and a layer of tempeh, finishing it off with a few small drops of asian bbq sauce.
Tastiness accomplished! Thanks, everyone.
Stufsocker at 11:42AM on 04/08/08
Sarcasm never translates well across the boards... I was in no way berating vegetarians or their fare in any way, and I apologise if it came across that way. Lighten up! Tempeh IS moldy fermented soybeans, where's the harm in pointing that out?! I never bashed a vegetarian in the process, just poked fun at a harmless yet challenging chunk of moldy fermented soybeans.
My main point (badly presented AND taken) was that it's difficult for tempeh to be a main attraction ingredient. You're never going to bite off a chunk of tempeh and be bowled over by it's sublime deliciousness without some serious culinary intervention (believe me I have tried!). There's a reason every tempeh recipe is either marinated or flavored or "enhanced" -- because it's kinda scary on it's own. Answering the initial query, it's not meant to stand out. Most people don't LIKE it to stand out. If one is creative enough, you can transform it into something lovely...but don't expect it to be "tasty" right off the bat.
Better? Kiss and make up?
sheldel at 12:00PM on 04/08/08
@c.c.c. -- bravo!!! i've never been able to understand the anti-vegetarian/vegan anger but it is something that i have definitely encountered more than the fabled "militant vegan" reaction.
as far as tempeh is concerned, i'm no help. i got food poisoning a while ago and even though i have no way of knowing whether the tempeh i ate was responsible, i've been off the stuff ever since.
sloppy at 12:09PM on 04/08/08
charm city cupcake-you go girl (guy)! To answer the question, I find that if you slice the cakes in half horizontally, they fry up better & take any marinade or sauce easier. Try the mixed grain ones, as well. they're pretty good. I like mine in a "club sandwich" , fried 1st, like bacon & use all the fixings as in a blt.
passy at 1:07PM on 04/08/08
@ charm city cupcake: I agree with every word you wrote. When I lived with meat eaters in college, the only time I complained was when one of them used my pan and didn't wash it properly, and my next grilled cheese sandwich tasted strongly of salmon (blech!). They, however, would make faces and rude comments whenever I was preparing tofu--"How can you touch that?? Eww!"
You're never going to bite off a chunk of tempeh and be bowled over by it's sublime deliciousness without some serious culinary intervention (believe me I have tried!). There's a reason every tempeh recipe is either marinated or flavored or "enhanced" -- because it's kinda scary on it's own.
Funny, because I would say exactly the same thing about meat!
Vegetarianka at 2:10PM on 04/08/08
I've had a block of tempeh sitting in my fridge for a while, not knowing quite what to do with it. I think I'll try the bbq sauce marinade. I also wanted to try to replicate a sandwich I had--it was tempeh marinaded in jerk sauce. It was spicy and AWESOME. Anyone have a great jerk sauce recipe?
PestoGal at 2:45PM on 04/08/08