Tempeh Bites with Curried Peanut Sauce
Tempeh, with its intense, dense texture is best in small bites. In this recipe, the tempeh is braised in sweet, spicy soy flavors for intensely flavored nibbles that are perfect with an Indonesian inspired nut sauce. Any variety of tempeh can be used in this recipe. If you’re pressed for time, you can skip the sauce.
Tempeh:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pound tempeh, cut into 30 cubes
Sauce:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cup water
1/4 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions:
1. To prepare tempeh, combine first 6 ingredients in a large nonstick skillet; add tempeh, tossing lightly to coat. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover mixture and increase heat to medium-high. Cook 4 minutes or until golden brown, turning frequently. Cool.
2. To prepare sauce, heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, 2 teaspoons ginger, salt, and 2 garlic cloves; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in curry powder and turmeric; sauté 1 minute. Add water. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Cool 5 minutes.
3. Pour onion mixture into a blender and add peanuts and lemon juice; process until smooth. Place a toothpick in each tempeh cube. Serve with peanut sauce.
Yield: 15 servings
TIP: Tempeh is best if an acid (tomato juice, vinegar etc.) is used to marinate/cook.
