Tempeh for beginners

[Rosehip]

I tasted tempeh @ a friend's house and was intrigued. We are omnivores (hope it's ok to post here!), but I am trying to expand my veggie meal repertoire. Tempeh seemed like it might be something that my family would like, if I could make a tasty seasoning.

I don't cook much Asian, so don't have the more exotic of those ingredients. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[katroshka]

Tempeh is one of my favorites, it's really versatile, has lots of protein, is apparently easier to digest than other soy products due to the culturing (if that's a problem for anyone in your family), and now Trader Joes carries a really great one that is cheap.

You can pretty much use it anywhere you would use chicken, I would guess (not having ever cooked with chicken, you may not want to take my word for it). Probably the easiest way I make it is to cut it up, marinate it in Bragg's or soy sauce with Spike Seasoning (or whatever mix of herbs/ spices you want) for just a few minutes, then bake or grill it.

You can also make a good "chicken salad" kind of thing, with mayo or vegenaise, a little mustard, dill, celery, whatever else you would put in your favorite chicken salad. You could crumble it or throw it in the cuisinart for this.

It's good sliced thinly with broccoli and "cheese" sauce over rice or noodles (or real cheese, if you prefer).

I have crumbled it and put it in chili, that's pretty tasty.

I also cut it into cubes, toss with herbs, olive oil, Bragg's, and nutritional yeast, then bake it at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

[eepster]

A really simple thing to do with tempeh is to slice it into thin strips and fry it. Then serve it on a sandwich.

The one big issue I always have with tempeh is that it is hard to tell fresh/good tempeh from old tempeh that went bad.

[Whispering Souls]

I adore this recipe http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=13885.0 It's simply and very yummy

[maciascl]

Originally Posted by eepster

The one big issue I always have with tempeh is that it is hard to tell fresh/good tempeh from old tempeh that went bad.

Me too!

Does anyone else boil/steam it before cooking it? We didn't like it much the first couple time I made it but then someone suggested the boil/steaming it first.

[Rosehip]

Originally Posted by eepster

The one big issue I always have with tempeh is that it is hard to tell fresh/good tempeh from old tempeh that went bad.

I'm confused...if it looks, smells & tastes ok - wouldn't it be ok?

[mumkimum]

My 3 fave easy tempeh dishes:

As a side (like for breakfast) I'll cut into sticks, dip in soy sauce, and simply fry (think of it as being like breakfast sausage).

You can cut it in (to make 2 short rectangles) and then in half again (so you're getting a thin slice instead of thick slice - not sure the best way to describe it) to make it easy to do up as a sandwich. It's easy to do with something like peppers & onions, or sauerkraut (I love tempeh reubens). Again, make sure you use at least a dash of soy sauce along with your other seasonings.

Goes in really easily with curries or coconut milk sauces, I cook it lightly at least with the onions & veggies before adding the rest of the sauce ingredients so that it gets browned somewhat. It tastes excellent with peanut-based sauces.

[katroshka]

maciascl- tempeh should always be steamed before preparing, although some brands are already fully cooked, so you can skip it. Trader Joe's tempeh is pre-cooked, if it's frozen when you buy it, it's probably not.

[eepster]

Originally Posted by Rosehip

I'm confused...if it looks, smells & tastes ok - wouldn't it be ok?

The problem is that the taste goes odd long before there are any visible signs of going bad. Since it is packaged tightly, you can't actually smell it till you open it at home. The smell isn't that noticeable anyway. So, it is easy to buy bad tempeh, put it into a recipe and not discover that there is something wrong till you've sat down to eat. At that point, anything that you cooked with it is ruined and you've wasted lots of time and money.

[wholewheatchick]

Originally Posted by maciascl

Me too!

Does anyone else boil/steam it before cooking it? We didn't like it much the first couple time I made it but then someone suggested the boil/steaming it first.

I usually cut it into strips, steam it for 15 minutes, and then proceed with the recipe. I find tempeh to have a really strong taste, which I like, but I don't want it to be overpowering.

For reubens, I steam it, then marinate it in apple cider vinegar and caraway seeds, then fry it in a little bit of olive oil.

[Malva]

This tempeh sandwich is soooo good!

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives...ch-recipe.html

[catnip]

Sweet Curry Glazed Tempeh

1 8oz package tempeh
3 tbs prepared mustard (I used half yellow and half spicy brown)
1 clove garlic crushed (ok, I used 3, but they were tiny and I garlic)
1/4 tsp minced ginger (omit this if you want, I have prepared ginger in the fridge)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup apricot jam

Preheat oven to 350
Slice the tempeh in half across the length, and then split it so it is thinner. I then cut mine into triangles, but I'm weird. Mix together all of the other ingredients, and dip the tempeh into the sauce, coating it on all sides. Lay the tempeh into a parchment lined pan (you don't want to have to try to clean this glaze off your pan. Trust me) and bake for 25 minutes total, flipping it twice, and adding part of the rest of the sauce each time you flip it.