Tempeh Sambal

I love tempeh! A fermented soy product traditional in Indonesian cuisine, similar to tofu, except on steroids. It's easier to digest, higher in fiber and basically so good for you it's ridiculous. I has a meaty texture and when it's good it tastes great.

 

Unfortunately, despite our proximity to Indonesia, good fresh tempeh is hard to find; leading many people think they don't like it.

Imagine my excitement on moving to the Sunshine Coast to find a locally produced fresh tempeh by -the mighty bean- that would rival any Indonesian Warung.

Due to it's high nutrition content, tempeh is often served in small amounts as a  sambal/condiment with vegetables, curry and rice. This recipe is for a spicy fried sambal and given this was my first attempt I was really happy with the result.

 

Before I dive into the recipe, I have a couple of notes on some of the less common ingredients.

 

*Ketchup Manis - is a syrupy, sweet Indonesian soy sauce. I grew up with a bottle of Conimex brand ketcup manis in the fridge and loved it, it's dutch, which makes sense considering the historical links between Indonesia and the Netherlands. I've tried ABC brand, which is more readily available, however I think it tastes awful!

 

*Tamarind Paste - is a sour fruit commonly used in many Southeast Asian dishes. It is available as a ready made paste in a jar or as a solid block of concentrate. The jar version can be good, but you need to find the right brand because sometimes they contain added sugar and/or salt (even when it isn't listed on the jar) and vary considerably in taste. It should be very sour and a little sweet.

Alternatively you can buy a block of concentrate, which you need to soften up with some hot water then strain it to remove seeds. The block form is far more pure and true to the taste of the fruit. It does however take more of an effort. Many claim to be seedless, but they never are 100% seed free so you always need to soften and strain them.

For this recipe cut about a 2.5cm square block off and chop it up a little and then cover with 1/4 cup of boiling water and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then using a metal spoon press it through a sieve and scrape the under side of the sieve to grab the paste.

How sour it is can vary heaps, so I'm hesitant to suggest any absolute quantities.

 

After a quick look on the web, I found the majority of recipes for Sambal Tempeh were almost identical. I used this one with minimal modification.

 

Tempeh Sambal

 

400 gm fresh tempeh

 

aromatics

5 cm piece galangal
5 cm piece ginger
3-6 cloves garlic 

1 red onion (or 2-4 shallots)

 

2 tsp shrimp paste/belacan/trasi

fresh curry leaves

2 fresh chillis

 

liquids

1 tbl/50gm tamarind concentrate or 2-3 tbl liquid from a jar

3 tbl hot water

3 tbl ketcup manis

2-3 tbl palm sugar

Mix up the liquids and taste it.

It should be strong, and balanced for salty, sour and sweet.

Adjust to your taste.

Pound the galangal, ginger and garlic in a mortar and pestle or blitz in a food processor.

 

Make it as fine as possible

 

 

Slice the tempeh into thin slices and pan fry in batches until golden brown

Traditionally it is deep fried, but I did it the slower, slightly lower fat option.

Slice it up, the finer the better (I was a little lazy with my slicing here)

Fry diced onion for 2-3 minutes

  

 

Add the galangal, garlic ginger paste with a handful of curry leaves, fry for about 3 minutes.

 

Add shrimp paste and diced chilli fry another 1-2 minute until fragrant
 

 

Make sure the shrimp paste has broken up and has been heated through

 

Add the liquid mixture of tamarind, ketchup manis and palm sugar

 

Simmer for 2-4 minutes

Add the tempeh, warm through and you're done!

This is really strong in flavour and best eaten as a side/garnish. I had some with some sautéed  spinach, mushrooms, brown rice and some chickpeas.

 

It was awesome!