Falling for tempeh

The first time I cooked tempeh, it was a waste of time and effort.  Most of it found its way into the trash.  For those who have never tried it, tempeh is made from cooked and fermented soybeans and can be found with the tofu and other refrigerated vegetarian products in most grocery stores.  I have to say that it really is not all that visually appealing.  It's molded into a thin rectangular block and is wrinkled and bumpy from the soybeans.  I remember wrinkling my nose more than a little when I first opened a package of it.  It looked strange, felt strange, and I had a difficult time imagining how it was going to act as a tasty meat substitute.    And I really wasn't too sure how to prepare it.  I had read that it's often good marinated and sauteed in soy sauce and garlic, so I attempted to do just that.  I cut the block in half, made a soy marinade, let it sit for a while, and sauteed it.  The end result was less than pleasing.  The taste was overpowering, a strange combination of salty soy sauce and bitter soybeans.  Nothing desirable.  I was really disappointed, because tempeh is one of those vegetarian and vegan staples.  It's high in protein, filling, and found in many recipes, particularly those that are acting as meat substitutes.  I was bummed to think that it might be lost to me forever. 

Thankfully, I recently found the recipe that made me a tempeh convert.  Anyone who ventures into veganism and decides to learn how to cook vegan food has likely heard of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and her website and blog Post Punk Kitchen.  She is the co-author of the renowned vegan cookbook Veganomicon, which is a must have for vegans, in my opinion, and will be on my must buy list as soon as my current copy goes back to the library.  Moskowitz has also written a number of other popular cookbooks that I have yet to try, including Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (which I also borrowed from the library and can't wait to try).  Her latest adventure in vegan cuisine is Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes.  This book is absolutely largely responsible for the recent accumulation of hours spent in my kitchen.  Her recipes are diverse and interesting without being too complicated.  The bonus is that they're healthy and tasty, with lots of flavor from spices and sauces, which I love.   

Here's the recipe that showed me the tempeh love: Tamarind BBQ Tempeh and Sweet Potatoes.  It will definitely end up in our regular dinner rotation.  Instead of becoming overcome with bitterness and saltiness, I really loved the taste of tempeh in this recipe.  It was nutty and hearty and really absorbed the fantastic BBQ sauce marinade.  The sauce is the star here, I would say; it's sweet and spicy and becomes caramelized, really coating the tempeh and sweet potatoes.  While I don't want to detract anyone who may want to try this for an amazing plant-based dinner, a few of the ingredients were admittedly difficult to track down.  I had a hard time finding tamarind concentrate in the mainstream and even natural grocery stores, but I did find it at a small local Asian grocery shop.  I found liquid smoke at a local natural foods store (great in other bbq-themed dishes, too).  Arrowroot powder, which acts as a thickener for the sauce, similar to corn starch, can be found in the baking sections of grocery stores or in natural foods stores.  Putting in the extra time and effort to find these less common ingredients is worth it, trust me.   

KEY HINT:  Before doing anything with the tempeh, Moskowitz suggests steaming it for 10 minutes in order to help eliminate the bitter taste that is not very appealing for some people (including me).  She states it also helps the tempeh to really soak up the marinade.  I've done this trick the two times I've cooked tempeh since my initial failure and have had successes both times, so I definitely recommend it.   

Per Moskowitz's suggestion, I also made her Polenta Stuffing, and it was a delicious accompaniment.  I had never had polenta but really enjoyed the gritty corn meal taste and texture with the BBQ sauce.  I found it in the natural foods section of our local mainstream grocery store.  It was packaged in a plastic tube, precooked, so all I had to do was dice and saute.

Enjoy!       


Tamarind BBQ Tempeh & Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4

Sauce:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 teaspoons arrowroot dissolved in 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
3 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Everything else:
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced in 3/4 inch chunks
12 ounces tempeh, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

Spray a 9x13 casserole pan with nonstick cooking spray.  If using glass, then line the bottom with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients.  Make sure to get the tamarind dissolved.

Place the sweet potatoes and tempeh in the prepared pan.  Pour the sauce over them and use your hands to coat well.  You can bake immediately or let marinate for at least an hour to get more flavor into the tempeh.  *I definitely suggest allowing it to marinade.  Let it really soak in the flavors of the BBQ sauce. 

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cover the pan with tinfoil and bake for about 25 minutes.  Remove from the oven and toss out the tinfoil.  Flip the tempeh and sweet potatoes, making sure to scrape the bottom with a spatula in case anything is sticking.  Bake for another half hour, flipping everything once.  The sweet potatoes should be tender but not mushy, and the sauce should be thickened and coating everything.  Serve!

Polenta Stuffing
Serves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil
18 ounces prepared polenta, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 cup thin sliced celery
1 small onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat a large pan, cast iron if possible, over medium-high heat.  Pour in 1 teaspoon of the oil and coat the bottom of the pan.  Saute the polenta for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping often, until the outsides are lightly browned.  Use some nonstick cooking spray to help you out a bit.

Mix in the celery, onion, garlic, sage, thyme, and pepper, drizzle with the remaining oil, and sprinkle with salt.  Saute for another 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are browned.