In this blog post, I’m sharing with you my super easy, delicious, peanut sauce tempeh recipe!
First, have you tried tempeh before?
Tempeh is a fermented soybean that’s originally from Indonesia. It’s dry, dense and hard (a big difference to it’s much popular softer soy bro, tofu) and has a nutty and chewy texture.
I first tried tempeh at a Vancouver vegetarian Vietnamese restaurant a few years ago and thought it was amazing. I’ve been searching local stores to buy tempeh since. I also had tempeh in my gado gado (Indo salad with cooked veggies, tempeh, and hard boiled eggs and peanut sauce ?) when I went to Bali last year and I loved it. I recently saw that Superstore carries tempeh (fridge in the organic aisle) and definitely had to pick one up!
Reasons to eat tempeh:
- Plant-based protein that is rich in protein!
- High in fiber (coming from soybean!)
- Helps reduce cholesterol- like all soy products
- Keeps your gut healthy- it has probiotics since it is fermented!
- It’s better for the environment and more sustainable compared to animal protein
Tempeh easily picks up flavors, like tofu. You can marinate it and then bake, grill, sautee, or steam it.
I cut up tempeh into small pieces and marinated it in a simple peanut sauce. The sauce uses mirin, which is a sweet Japanese rice wine. It can be used in dressings, as well as marinades. You can find it at most Asian grocers.
My peanut sauce marinade coated the tempeh pieces well and it tasted like the tempeh has a “battered” coating. It was crispy and flavourful and goes well on a salad or buddha bowl.
Give it a try and tell me what you think!
Crispy, Baked Peanut Sauce Tempeh
Ingredients:
1 x 227g package of Tempeh
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
Siracha sauce, to taste (I added 2 tsp)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Mix all ingredients together, except tempeh.
3. Slice tempeh into small pieces and add to marinade, to coat.
4. Marinate for at least a few hours (I marinated mine for 24 hours) and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy!
