Marinated Tempeh

Jodie came home the other day with a packet of Tempeh, I hadn't a clue what it was but Darren was here, he said he has had it before and it was disgusting!, great start eh!. Not wanting to waste it, I looked up what to do with it.

Tempeh is a traditional Javanese food made from fermented soy beans. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds the soy beans into a cake form. I have to admit, it doesn't look to appetising!.

Apparently it is quite bitter tasting so if you don't like the bitter taste it is best to steam it for 10-12 minutes, so I put it in my steamer in the hope that it would taste less bitter.

I also decided to marinate it as I have done this previously with tofu as I find it very bland.

I was pleasantly surprised by the flavour, I quite enjoyed it, nothing like what I was expecting, I found it more flavourful than tofu, maybe because of the strong flavour of the marinade, although, I couldn't eat a lot of if as it got quite sickly.

Ingredients

1 packet tempeh

 For the marinade 

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsbp lemon juice

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

Method

1.  Remove tempeh from packaging, place into a steamer and steam for 10-12 minutes, turning once half way through. Allow to cool, then cut into slices or cubes.

2.  Combine all marinade ingredients in a jug and whisk until combined.

3.  Put prepared tempeh into a shallow dish, cover with marinade. Make sure the tempeh is evenly covered in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or preferably over night.

4.  Once marinating time is complete, cook tempeh along with the marinade in a frying pan over a medium heat. Let the sauce reduce and the tempeh to caramelize for 5-8 minutes on each side. Add additional stock or soy sauce if it begins to stick to the pan.

5.  Serve on a bed of cooked couscous, quinoa, rice or noodles with a variety of vegetables, salad or use as a meat free alternative in stir fry.

I ate it with some raw vegetables and chickpeas.