Tempeh Temptations!
By Rachel Albert-Matesz
Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but that?s where the similarity stops. You might say that tempeh, ingredient-wise, is more like yogurt, since it is a cultured food, made by the fermentation of whole soybeans which have been parboiled then inoculated with a culture. Tempeh differs from tofu in that it has a firmer texture, is denser, and higher in fiber — the whole bean is used, whereas with tofu just the strained soy "milk" is used.
Though beans are getting a lot of press lately, and tofu has definitely enjoyed the limelight in recent years, tempeh has not yet made its way into as many magazines, grocery stores, or refrigerators.
Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but that's where the similarity stops. You might say that tempeh, ingredient-wise, is more like yogurt, since it is a cultured food, made by the fermentation of whole soybeans which have been parboiled then inoculated with a culture. Tempeh differs from tofu in that it has a firmer texture, is denser, and higher in fiber — the whole bean is used, whereas with tofu just the strained soy "milk" is used. Tofu lends a creamy, cheesy and dairy-like taste to dishes. On the other hand, tempeh has a wonderful nutty or meaty taste and a slightly mushroomy aroma and flavor.
Tempeh is a chameleon, picking up the flavors of whatever you season it with. It is enhanced by the addition of herbs, spices, and seasonings such as salt, tamari, shoyu, or miso. Well seasoned and chopped, grated or crumbled it can even look and taste a lot like red meat or poultry.
My husband and I have been tempeh fans for well over eight years. We've used it to make fillings for steamed buns, calzones, tamales, pot pies, squashes, collard and cabbage leaves, bell peppers, pumpkins, and savory won tons. We also use it in soups, stews, chilis, tacos, casseroles, and stir fries. We've found that it also makes exceptional dips, spreads, and pates, and with a good binder can be used to make meat-less "balls," or loaves. You can use tempeh in any recipe that calls for meat or chicken. Since tempeh is also more dense and concentrated than tofu, we find that two ounces per person is sufficient for a serving. (We use tempeh more as a condiment for our grains and vegetables than as a main dish.)
Special notes on the cooking of tempeh: Tempeh is not a thoroughly cooked product. If you plan to use it in a dish that won't be cooked or will undergo only brief cooking — such as in a spread, dip, salad, sandwich, or stir fry — it should be steamed, simmered, or pressure cooked for 25-30 minutes. We usually pre-cook it in a salt brine using tamari, shoyu, or salt, and with a piece of kelp or kombu sea vegetable, before adding it to any other dish, with herbs, spices, vegetables, grains, or other beans. We then cook it for another 10-60 minutes for the flavors to mingle. A seasoned block of tempeh (one which has not been mixed with vegetables or beans) can be used up over a week, crumbled or sliced and added judiciously to various, grain, bean, and vegetable dishes as mentioned above.
TEMPEH STUFFED PEPPERS
(Serves 4)
Whether you've got red, yellow, or green bell peppers, our tempeh stuffing will prove to be filling and satisfying for even the heartiest of appetites! We enjoy dunking chunks of freshly baked whole grain bread, steamed buns, (or steam-revived old bread) into the sauce, then scooping up colorful bites of cole slaw.
1 Tablespoon olive or toasted sesame oil
2 cups onion, minced
1-2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 small tomato, pureed to yield 1/2 cup
1/2 cup sauerkraut
4 medium- large red or green bell peppers
12 ounces soy or 3- or 5-grain tempeh, grated
2 Tablespoons dark barley or red miso, or tamari or shoyu (natural soy sauce)
1/4 cup whole grain bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, or rolled oats
1/4 cup cooked beans (black, pinto, azuki, anazazi, or kidney)
2 Tablespoons dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons dried garlic flakes or 1-2 whole cloves garlic, minced finely
1 teaspoon dried oregano or basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme or marjoram
Sauté onion briefly in oil in a large, heavy, oven-proof 4-quart pot. Add garlic if desired. Add chopped tomato and tomato puree. Add sauerkraut. Stir, cover then simmer on low heat 5-10 minutes.
Cut the cap off the bell peppers. Scoop out the insides, and discard the seeds.
In a mixing bowl, combine filling ingredients including tempeh, miso, bread crumbs, cooked beans, and seasonings. Mix with your hands briefly to distribute herbs and spices evenly. Divide filling into 4 balls, then stuff into each of the bell peppers.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bell peppers, upright, in the pot with the sauce. Cover and let simmer on top of the stove for 10 minutes.
Transfer the pot to oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 10-15 minutes.
Serve piping hot in bowls, topped with sauce. Accompany with whole grain bread or tortillas and salad.
Variation: in place of fresh tomato and tomato puree, use 2 cups finely grated carrot or minced winter squash, then add 1 cup of water or soup stock.
Total calories per serving: 352
Fat: 12 grams
TEMPEH TACO SALAD
(Serves 7-8)
This colorful salad looks like a beefier version of this popular dish but calls on tempeh for the honors. Grated and sautéed, tempeh tastes very meaty in this black bean and vegetable salad stuffed into a crispy corn tortilla shell. Top it off with a home made tofu "yogurt" sauce and round out the meal with soup and brown rice, and it's sure to be a success! Some like it spicy; some like it mild. Ours is on the mild side, so feel free to dress it up in the sautéing stage if you like. Wait to assemble the taco salads until 15 minutes before serving time so that the shells don't get soggy.
7 or 8 plain corn or wheat tortillas
1 Tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 red, yellow, or green bell pepper, seeds removed then minced
1-1/2 cups cooked black beans (canned or from 1/2 cup dry)
2 Tablespoons toasted or light sesame oil
8-ounce block of tempeh
4 to 5 cups of alfalfa or clover sprouts
7 or 8 small cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup minced olives or salt-pickled olives (from an Oriental grocery store)
6 to 8 cups red leaf or romaine lettuce, washed, dried, shredded
To make shells, make slits on four outer edges of each tortilla; place each tortilla inside a small heat-proof soup bowl, then form into a bowl shape. Bake on cookie sheets at 350 degrees until lightly crisped. Allow to cool; remove from bowls; set aside at room temperature.
Sauté onions in oil, add bell pepper. Sauté until wilted, several minutes over medium heat.
When tender toss in a bowl with cooked, drained beans.
Grate tempeh with a cheese grater and sauté until golden in 2 Tablespoons of oil. Reduce to low and simmer covered until tender and lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Toss with beans and veggies; add minced olives and toss again.
Let cool; serve at room temperature as per basic assembly procedure below.
To assemble taco salads: Place 1 bowl-shaped taco shell on each plate; fill with 1/2 cup of shredded lettuce. Top with roughly 1/2 to 3/4 cup of bean-veggie-tempeh filling.
Top each with a small handful of sprouts and/or a cherry tomato. Let guests top each taco salad with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of fresh tofu "yogurt"; serve with an ice cream scooper or two full of brown rice on the side, and additional sprouts or yogurt as desired.
Variations: For spice lovers sauté 2 cloves minced garlic and add 1/2 teaspoon powdered cumin and 1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder if you like when sautéing the onions.
Use other types of beans such as pinto, kidney, anasazi, azuki beans or a combination.
Total calories per serving (not including tofu "yogurt"): 220
Fat: 10 grams
STIR-FRIED TEMPEH & ASPARAGUS
(Serves 5 to 6)
Tempeh cutlets add flavor to tender shoots of asparagus, sweet strips of onions, and meaty-tasting mushroom slices, though almost any other vegetables will do. We especially like to serve our stir fry with a cup of seasoned soup broth and a mound of brown rice or noodles, or rolled up Asian-style in thin flour pancakes or crepes.
6 ounces Basic Seasoned Tempeh (see next recipe)
1 Tablespoon light sesame or canola oil
1-1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1-1/2 teaspoons finely grated ginger root
2 cups onion, cut in thin crescents
3 cups asparagus, cut in thin diagonals
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons tamari, shoyu, or soy sauce
1/4 cup water
Slice tempeh thinly into 1-inch long 1/2-inch wide pieces.
Add oil to a wok or cast iron skillet.
Sauté ginger and onions over medium heat, stirring constantly as they brown.
Add asparagus and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add salt, tamari, and water, then tempeh.
Cover and cook over high heat 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Transfer to a serving dish. Serve as condiment for brown rice, with soup.
Refrigerate leftovers; serve them at room temperature or briefly reheated by steaming.
Total calories per serving: 153
Fat: 7 grams
BASIC SEASONED TEMPEH
(Serves 6)
This is the way we usually pre-cook tempeh. Once cooked it is ready to use in many dishes. It will last in the refrigerator for a week, seasoned in this way, and may be sliced or diced and added to soups, stews, stir fries, salads, casseroles, or dredged in flour and herbs and pan fried. It's well seasoned here and something we consider a condiment for grains and veggies.
4-inch piece kelp or kombu sea vegetable (optional)
8-ounce block tempeh
2 to 3 Tablespoons tamari, shoyu, or soy sauce
2 cups water
Combine ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan with sea vegetable on the bottom (if used). The seaweed acts as a tenderizer.
Cover and bring to boil over medium heat. Turn to low and simmer 30 minutes. Remove lid and cook away excess liquid. Alternatively, combine ingredients in a stainless steel pressure cooker. Place a small heat-proof saucer on top of the tempeh to keep it submerged in the liquid. Bring to pressure and cook 20-30 minutes. Remove lid and simmer away excess liquid.
Remove sea vegetable, chop, and set aside (to add to soups, stews, casseroles, sautés, bean dishes, or to serve over rice). Refrigerate tempeh in a covered dish. Slice, dice, chop, or crumble and add to any dish. (We suggest slicing the block in half, to make two squares, then to use, slice each square into a thinner slab, then into 1-inch squares or triangles.)
Total calories per serving: 77
Fat: 3 grams
TEMPEH & RED BEAN CHILI
(Serves 6)
Everyone's got their own version of chili. Some like it hot enough to set fire to your tongue, while others like it mild. Though the vegetables I use in my chili-bean stews change with the seasons, and the seasonings change with my mood and the tastes of my guests, I find that with this all purpose recipe, I can always whip up a crowd pleasing chili-bean stew. Serve it with tortillas, corn bread, biscuits, or rice, with a fresh salad or slaw. You can spice it up as you like; this version is very mild. For variety you could make this same recipe every week, then make it different by simply using a different kind of bean, different veggies, herbs or spices. Try it — we think you'll love it!
2 teaspoons toasted sesame or olive oil
5 ounces soy tempeh grated (2/3 of an 8-ounce block)
3 to 4 Tablespoons dried bell pepper flakes
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 cloves minced garlic (optional)
2 cups onion, chopped
1 cup kabocha, buttercup, or butternut squash (skin left on) — or carrots,
chopped
2 to 2-1/2 cups diced fresh tomato
3 cups of cooked kidney beans, or adzuki beans (from 1 cup dry beans)
2 cups water or vegetable soup stock, or more as needed
Barley, red or brown rice miso, or tamari (1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons per cup of chili
just before serving)
Alfalfa or clover sprouts to garnish before serving
Place oil in a 3-quart pot. Add tempeh and sauté until lightly browned. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, or 2 hours on a very low heat, with a heat deflector under the pot.
Add a bit more water if needed to yield 6 cups of thick stew. Season only the portion you plan to serve immediately with miso to taste, by dissolving the miso into a bit of the stew then mixing it into the pot. Set the rest aside in a wide mouth jar and reheat the next day. (Pack in a thermos for lunch if you like!)
Serve topped with fresh sprouts, along with corn bread, tortillas, or rice, and salad.
Variations:
* Hotter chili: Try 1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or try basil, oregano, thyme and garlic.
* For red beans substitute black turtle, pinto, navy, or other beans.
* For a too-busy-to-cook day combine ingredients in a crock pot in the morning and cook on medium 8 to 10 hours or all day while you're at work or out and about then season and serve. (Note: Beans must be cooked ahead before combining with tempeh and veggies in a crock pot).
* For fresh tomatoes substitute more winter squash and/or grated carrots plus 2 to 3 Tablespoons minced sun dried tomatoes if you like or experiment with other in- season vegetables.
Total calories per serving: 231
Fat: 5 grams
TUSCAN TEMPEH CASSEROLE
(Serves 5)
This delightful dish is unlike most winter-style casseroles; it cooks fairly quickly and on top of the stove, providing a colorful and rich-tasting topping for rice or other grains. This dish goes well with polenta, millet, brown rice, or steamed buns with a side of mixed steamed leafy and colorful yellow and orange vegetables. Be sure to make a little extra so you'll have packed lunch fixings for tomorrow!
1 recipe Basic Seasoned Tempeh (from an 8-ounce block - see above)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, cut in thin crescents
1 cup button mushrooms or fresh shiitake, cut finely
4 sun dried tomato halves, minced
1 Tablespoon dried green (bell) pepper flakes
1/2 cup water or vegetable soup stock
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, minced
Special notes on the purchase and storage of tempeh: Fresh or thawed tempeh should be used within 7 to 10 days. Once cooked into a dish, we suggest using it up within 2 to 4 days. Tempeh may be stored for longer periods of time (over a year) in the freezer, without any significant loss of taste. Thaw a whole package, or cut a frozen block in half and thaw just what you need. If you can find fresh tempeh, made by someone in your area, the taste far surpasses frozen varieties.
Cut tempeh into 1/2-inch cubes, then each cube in half to make it thinner.
In a wok or saucepan sauté onions in oil 2 to 3 minutes; add mushrooms, stir, then add tempeh. Sauté several minutes. Add sun dried tomato and green pepper flakes. Continue to stir. Add water and oregano. Cover and simmer on low 30 minutes.
Remove lid and stir, simmering away excess liquid. Turn off. Add parsley just before serving and stir.
Serve with soup, grain, and a green vegetable side dish. Figure about 1/3 cup per person. Top servings at the table with a few spoonfuls of grated soy milk cheese if desired.
Refrigerate leftovers. Serve at room temperature or lightly steam in a covered bowl.
Variation: Add 2 cloves minced garlic when adding the sun dried tomatoes.
Total calories per serving: 133
Fat: 6 grams
Rachel Albert-Matesz is a freelance writer from Seattle, Washington.
