How do you cook tempeh?

[JustMe]

I have never been a tempeh fan, but will eat it. I have never cooked it myself. We are vegetarians and do eat tofu. My dr advised me to switch from tofu to tempeh. Any suggestions on how to cook it? Thanks!

[lizzywednesday]

Lots of ways!

You can pan-fry it, bake it, grill it, stew it, etc.

It's about as versatile as tofu, IME, but sometimes it's not as readily available.

If you've never eaten it, I suggest you try it. It's got a different texture from tofu, more like meatloaf but not exactly. It's hard to describe as it's been years since I've had any - my DH is a meat-and-potatoes person while I'd go vegetarian in a heartbeat if I could do it in such a way as not to have to make 2 meals.

[JustMe]

Thanks so much for the reply!

I have had tempeh, but have only purchased it in restaurants, etc, not made it myself.

A lot of the on-line instructions talk about making a marinade. However, they don't give any details about what kind. Any ideas.

With tofu, I do just pan fry or coat in corn starch and pan fry.

If anyone else has any other ideas, let me know!

[lizzywednesday]

I'd start with Asian-inspired marinades - ginger, soy sauce, etc. - and work from there.

My mom found a "better than bacon" recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz that I enjoyed - I think it might have had a neat coating of maple syrup & brown sugar, but I don't remember. (DH is not a veggie-anything guy. I got him to eat asparagus & broccoli, but that's pretty much the extent of his veggie consumption beyond green beans. I'm not a fan of green beans.)

The best place to find it would be in this cookbook:

http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Brunch-Homestyle-For-From-Asparagus/dp/0738212725/ref=cm_lmf_tit_3

Angelica Kitchen, one of my favorite NYC restaurants, is also big on using tempeh. They have at least one recipe in their cookbook, which appears to be out of print:

http://www.amazon.com/Angelica-Home-Kitchen-Rousings-Restaurant/dp/1580085032/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366304753&sr=1-1&keywords=angelica+kitchen+cookbook (I have a copy at home; if you like, I can find the tempeh recipe(s) in there & send them your way. Message me.)

I also found this site with suggestions on how to cook it:
http://www.thekitchn.com/five-tips-for-preparing-tempeh-63906

Good luck! It's a tricky ingredient, but well worth adding to your repertoire!

[almostmom]

DH is great at cooking tempeh, and he regularly makes what we call "tempeh snacks." He cuts them into strips (about 2 inches long, 1/2 inch thick) and pan fries them in a combo peanut, sesame and hot chile oil. If I'm doing it, I use less oil, and it's still fine, but he uses a good few tablespoons to get them cripsy. Then at the end, he splashes in some soy sauce. We then dip them in a hot/sweet chili sauce. Yum! We often combine this with roasted roots on the side, and it's a great dinner. Yum!

[rin]

I have never been a tempeh fan, but will eat it. I have never cooked it myself. We are vegetarians and do eat tofu. My dr advised me to switch from tofu to tempeh. Any suggestions on how to cook it? Thanks!

If you don't mind my asking, why did your doctor advise you to switch? We are not vegetarian, but we do eat a fair amount of tofu (and limited tempeh).

Two of our favorite ways to eat it is to put it in sandwiches (either marinated or not, if not marinated then I usually add some extra mustard or garlic powder) or to do tempeh nuggets, so rolled in flour, egg wash, then breadcrumbs and fried.

[JustMe]

Thanks so much everyone! I'm looking at these responses in between 2 meetings, so will go back and look a them some more. Just so happens, I have an old Angelica's Kitchen cookbook, so will see if its in there (it was my fave. restaurant when I lived in NYC too).




If you don't mind my asking, why did your doctor advise you to switch? We are not vegetarian, but we do eat a fair amount of tofu (and limited tempeh).
.

Ummn, well, to get a little personal it is either because I am perimenopausal or because I'm estrogen dominant. The dr said fermented soy such as tempeh and miso are good sources of soy for me but tofu and soymilk (pretty much the ones I currently eat) are not.

[rin]

Thanks so much everyone! I'm looking at these responses in between 2 meetings, so will go back and look a them some more. Just so happens, I have an old Angelica's Kitchen cookbook, so will see if its in there (it was my fave. restaurant when I lived in NYC too).





Ummn, well, to get a little personal it is either because I am perimenopausal or because I'm estrogen dominant. The dr said fermented soy such as tempeh and miso are good sources of soy for me but tofu and soymilk (pretty much the ones I currently eat) are not.

Ah, ok. Thanks! Sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I was just wondering if your doctor had concerns about tofu consumption in general (since our family does eat a fair amount of tofu, I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-4 lbs a week for the three of us).

[JustMe]

A, I was just wondering if your doctor had concerns about tofu consumption in general (since our family does eat a fair amount of tofu, I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-4 lbs a week for the three of us).

I don't know. I don't see the dr often, but this came up. I think I have heard that fermented soy such as tempeh and miso are better than other kinds.