Sweet and Sour Sticky Tempeh
Tempeh wasn’t always my favorite protein as its quite an acquired taste but just like tofu, when it is cooked correctly it can be really good. Tempeh is an Indonesian ingredient of fermented soy beans and in many Indonesian dishes the way of preparing it is deep fry until crispy.
If you’re not too keen on tempeh you should try this method as this is my favorite way to prepare it so far. Just break the tempeh into really small pieces and fry in oil until crispy.
This dish is served with a Chinese takeout style sweet and sour sauce. This sauce is the perfect sticky sweet pairing for this fusion dish.
So next time you fancy trying something other than tofu make this recipe for the ultimate Friday night take out at home that is healthier than eating out and will change you into a tempeh lover!
Best way to cook tempeh
I love this method of crumbling up tempeh and frying it. It gets a crispy, golden outside and soft inside- perfect for cooking in a sticky East-Asian style sauce.
Fried tempeh ingredients and substitutes-
- Tempeh- Tempeh is made of soy beans. Its available in most supermarkets but it’s a bonus if you can find small batch tempeh in local health food stores or markets as this will taste better. When tempeh is broken up into small pieces and fried in oil it becomes crispy and the flavor changes. You can also use tofu in this way or shop bought meat replacements.
- Red bell pepper- Sweet and sour from takeaways typically have peppers in but you can add any vegetables you like.
- Ketchup- The base of sweet and sour sauce is ketchup. You can also use two tablespoons of tomato puree mixed with two tablespoons of water.
- Sugar- Sugar brings the sweet element to the sauce. You can also use a syrup in place of sugar.
- Rice wine vinegar- This brings the sour element to the dish can be bought in most big supermarkets, online or Asian supermarkets. You can substitute this with white vinegar if you need to.
- Corn starch- Corn starch makes the sauce thicken. Don’t skip this as the sauce will be very runny without it.
Takeaway style sweet and sour tempeh
Ingredients
- 200 g Tempeh
- 1 Red bell pepper
- 1 Onion
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Cornflour mix with 5 tbsp water
Instructions
- Chop up the red pepper and onion into bitesize chunks.
- Break the tempeh into small pieces by hand.
- Cover the bottom of the frying pan in oil and heat up making sure the oil is hot.
- Pop the tempeh pieces into the hot oil and leave to brown on the bottom. Stir and cook until the pieces are crispy and golden all over.
- Add the chopped pepper and onion and fry until soft.
- To make the sauce mix the water with the cornflour to make a cornflour slurry then add into a jug with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Mix well to combine.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the sauce in. Cook on low until sauce thickens.
- Serve up with rice and your favourite stir fried vegetables.
Notes
More recipes with tempeh
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