Tempeh

Steffanie723

Hey guys! Do you have any simple tempeh recipes for me? I don't cook often so I'm not sure what to make and I've only ever made tempeh once. I put it on veggie tacos and it was alright but it mainly just had like a peanut texture? Any advice would be great! Thank you!

stmariepearl

It's good crumbled up in chili

sistrsprkl

diced, sauteed and topped with bbq sauce.

TYLHF3

I know some people don't love tempeh but I like it more and more these days. I think the trick is just to see what it can do form and texturewise while also, obviously, infusing it with lots of flavor.

I tend to use it and season it in recipes in which a meat-eater might tend to use cow or lamb or pig.

Broiled:
I thin-slice the tempeh then broil the pieces slightly overlapping in the toaster oven until just slightly crisped on the edges. I like this texture a little better than sautéd for most things; also, it's dead easy. Another advantage over pan-frying is you can just leave out the added oil it would take to cook it.

After it's sliced, I often sprinkle a little tamari on it to get a little salt into the tempeh. Next, I season with anything, really.

So, for open faced-veggie rueben's, I sprinkle on smoked paprika. For burritos, I put some combo of cumin, chili and garlic powder. I might baste or brush on BBQ sauce for a main with vegetables; or use nutmeg or thyme or sage on it, if the tempeh will be used as a layer in a veggie shepherd-style pie or lasagna or sweet potato and greens casserole. And so on.

Simmered:
I agree with the other poster, it is wonderful in chili--especially if you use a brothy style recipe. I usually cut it in square chunks and let it cook for a couple hours in a beer, chile, garlic, onion broth base. It gives it time to fully absorb everything. It'd work in other bold stews too, I imagine, like in a tagine.

Grated ("ground"):
You can also grate it before cooking to use as one would a ground protein. After you grate the tempeh you can mold or stuff it in things. Then, just roast, bake or pan cook as the recipe calls for. You can shape it into little balls or patties with panko crumbs, lentils, grains, carrots or mushrooms. Stuff it in peppers. I like to mix it with minced cooked cabbage and carrot and then use as a dumpling filling. My main recommendation is to aggressively season with this method. Be generous with the garlic/chili marinade or soak in the mushroom juices, etc.

Hope this helps!