Spicy Indonesian Tempeh

Do you know why tempeh is warm to the touch? That's because it is alive. I mean the fungus that ferments tempeh is alive and it produces heat during fermentation. This occurred to me when I took two pieces of tempeh out from the fridge for them to come to room temperature. A little more than an hour later, they felt quite warm.

This recipe comes from the Periplus Mini Cookbook series called Asian Vegetarian Recipes. There was a time when I wanted to become a vegetarian. I even bought Vegetarian for Dummies and a few vegetarian cookbooks. It didn't work out for me because I kept feeling hungry shortly after every meal. Besides, most of the dishes involve deep frying and some were not convenient for me to prepare.

Anyway, I will tell you that I love vegetarian food. My favorite vegetarian restaurant has to be Lohas. There is a branch at Damansara Uptown, a few doors away from Hong Leong Bank. I was very impressed when I tasted their vegetarian Nasi Lemak. There is also an outlet at 1-Utama. If you want delicious organic vegetarian food, try Lohas.

This is the second time I am cooking this Spicy Indonesian Tempeh. The first time was a few years ago when I was home alone in exile during Chinese New Year. Yes, my self imposed exile was to de-stress from work and I did not want to be the cranky auntie who drove everyone nuts during the festive period. As you know, family gatherings can be quite stressful sometimes.

This tempeh dish is very aromatic as it has lemongrass and kafir lime leaves. I omitted the galangal as I did not have any on hand. The sweet taste and stickiness comes from caramelization of palm sugar (gula Melaka). I added more kafir lime leaves as I love the fresh aroma. I also noted that the leaves became almost crispy during the frying process. When I ate the tempeh, I ate the kafir lime leaves too. It was a bit chewy but released such a nice aroma that I wanted more! Next time, I will fry them until crispy for the fantastic aroma and added crunch.

Spicy Indonesian Tempeh

Recipe source : Asian Vegetarian Recipes (page 54)

(My notes and adaptations in red)

Ingredients :

- oil for shallow frying
- 250g tempeh, sliced
- 4 red Asian shallots, finely sliced
- 2-3 birds-eye chillies, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced (I used 4 cloves)
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh galangal (I omitted)
- 1 stem lemongrass, white part only, sliced
- 2 fresh kaffir lime leaves (I used 4 leaves)
- 2 tablespoons shaved palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon kicap manis (sweet soya sauce)
- 1 tablespoon light soya sauce or to taste

Method :
1. Heat 1.5cm oil in a large fying pan over high heat. Cook the tempeh in batches for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned. Drain.
2. Heat the extra oil in a wok, add the shallots, chilli and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and 1/3 cup (80ml) water and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat, add the tempeh and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through. Add a little water, if necessary, to prevent any sticking.

Note : For the last step, after simmering, I increased the heat and kept stirring until the liquids became thick and sticky.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Mich of Piece of Cake.

This post is also linked to Cook-Your-Books #5 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.