My Favorite Tempeh Dish Right Now
Plus: Quick Radish Pickles
It’s been a while since we’ve had a tempeh recipe. Last year, you may remember, I talked a big tempeh game, and even made it from scratch! Yet even with those best intentions, it faded from prime placement in my fridge as the year wore on. So here I am, reminding myself to work it back into the rotation.
Maybe it’s something about spring, and tempeh’s affinity (at least to me) for counterbalancing bright, poppy, spring vegetables, that makes me excited to eat it again. For example, last spring, tempeh whisperer
invited me to share this one, which is still a favorite:
Today’s recipe is similar, using snap peas (though asparagus would work great, too). But instead of a lightly sweet and rich honey-butter glaze, this has an intense, sticky one that’s more aligned with Javanese tempeh treatments.
And taking a nod from Ali’s recipe in the New York Times {gift link}, the tempeh is crumbled up, which is meant to create craggy fray. But to be honest I think small cubes would achieve the same result, since while tempeh does brown beautifully, it doesn’t quite get crispy; it’s up to you.
This recipe is a great component to a bowl, with cooked grains, bright pickles, and whatever fresh produce is beckoning — I’m currently loving the last of the season’s oranges, which lend sweet, juicy contrast — but it’s also simple enough that rice alone will satisfy. The pickled radishes reiterate the springiness happening in the bowl, and as a bonus recipe you can find a super simple recipe all the way at the end.
Springy Glazed Tempeh with Snap Peas
When tempeh is fresh, it really isn’t necessary to steam or soak it first. But I’ve come around to believing that the shrink-wrapped grocery store stuff benefits from this extra step, because it softens the divisively bitter flavor. Simmering in salted water (what we’re doing here) is one way, and steaming it in a steamer basket is another. But if you have more time, you can also simply soak it for an hour or a few in cool water on the countertop or in the fridge, then give it a rinse before moving on with the recipe.
I used dark soy sauce (this one), which is fuller in flavor and a little less salty, and I love it. The recipe will certainly work with tamari or any other soy sauce you have, so this isn’t to say you should go out and buy it, but if you have it on hand or are curious to pick some up and experiment, this is a fun opportunity.
Any springy, quick-cooking, green vegetable with a little pop will work: asparagus segments, green beans, snow peas, even frozen peas.
Yield 3 or 4 servings | Prep time 10 minutes | Cook time 20 minutes
1 (8-ounce) block tempeh
Fine salt
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 to 3 teaspoons chili crisp, chili paste, or anther spicy condiment, to taste
Avocado or olive oil
1 large shallot or ½ medium red onion, diced
2 or 3 garlic cloves, sliced into thin slabs
2 cups snap peas, snow peas, or asparagus segments, cut into halves or thirds
To serve
Cooked rice, quinoa, or another grain
Pickled radishes (see below) or onions
Tender salad greens or wilted greens
Citrus segments or another fruit, such as pineapple or mango chunks
1. Put the tempeh into a saucepan, cutting it in half if necessary to fit, and cover with water and add a teaspoon of salt. Set over medium heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and once it’s cool enough to handle, crumble or dice it into small pieces.
2. In a small bowl or measuring glass, whisk together the soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, and chili crisp.
3. Set a medium skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add enough oil to cover the base with a thin film. Add the shallot and garlic and cook just until they’re fragrant, a minute or two, then the crumbled tempeh. Sauté, stirring just once or twice, until the tempeh becomes lightly golden-brown, 6 to 8 minutes. If the pan seems dry (the tempeh is quite absorbent) add another splash of oil.
4. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the pan and stir to coat. Add the snap peas. Cook until the glaze bubbles and thickens and the peas are just tender, another 2 or 3 minutes.
5. Serve over rice or as part of a bowl, with whatever toppings you like.
Note: I realize the downloadable PDF feature is occasionally not working. I have raised this issue repeatedly with Substack, and been told that it is unlikely to get fixed anytime soon… I’m sorry about this. I continue adding the PDFs with my fingers crossed. You can always send me an email and I can provide the PDF another way.
Quick Pickled Radishes
These are so easy and good. You can use the exact same brine and method for celery, too, sliced into thick pieces on the bias.
Yield About a pint
1 bunch radishes
½ cup white vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Clean the radishes well, then cut them into quarters, eighths, or halves so that they’re all roughly the same size. Put them in a pint jar.
In a tall measuring glass, whisk together the vinegar, honey, and salt until the salt dissolves. Pour over the radishes, and add a little more vinegar if needed to submerge them.
Seal the jar, give it a shake, and keep in the fridge for… a few weeks, or as long as they might last! They’re best after they’ve had a least a day to pickle.
The tempeh dish looks so nice and meaty, and I know without tasting it that we will love the sauce. Sprouting broccoli is in season here, so that will be our veg in that recipe. Will also try your radish recipe. I've started to see pickled radish in Korean dishes. Have you tried experimenting with any Korean dishes of any sort, say, with gochujang sauce for example, that you'd like to share? We have Korean-ish meals at least once a week at our house now.