Mushroom and Tempeh with Rice

Tempeh or Tempe is produced from the natural culturing and fermentation process binding soya beans into a form of cake. It is a unique food among original soy foods because it did not originate from China or Japan but from Indonesia. It is particularly popular in Java because it is a main source of protein. Similar to tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans but it is a whole soybean product with different characteristics and qualities. The fermentation process involved and the retention of the whole bean provide it higher content of protein, vitamins and fiber compared to tofu. It has a firmer texture and stronger flavor. While some consider it as a meat analogue, tempeh is used all over the world in vegetarian cooking.

Some popular cookbooks provide creative ways of cooking tempeh, as a substitution for breakfast meats, such as sausage and bacon. It freezes well, and is available in many western supermarkets as well as in ethnic markets and health food stores. Tempeh can be grated well in a grater and used in the place of ground beef. If sliced thin and deep fried in oil, tempeh gets a crispy golden crust though maintaining a soft interior. It is like a sponge and its consistency makes it suitable for marinades. Dried tempeh is an excellent stew base for backpackers.

Mushroom Pineapple Fried Brown Rice with Tempeh

Serves – Four to six

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup mushroom chopped
• 1 cup red bell pepper chopped
• 4 scallions sliced (some of the greens reserved for topping)
• 1 cup pineapple chopped
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 8 ounce package tempeh
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Water
• White pepper to taste

Block of tempeh is cut into 1/2 ” cubes. Add soy sauce, tempeh cubes and enough water or broth to cover the cubes in a small pan and cook over low heat for around 10 minutes. The canola oil is heated over medium heat and mushrooms, red pepper, and white parts of scallion are added and sautéed until mushrooms shrink a bit. The pineapple and simmered tempeh cubes are tossed in. The cooked rice, sesame oil (to taste) is added with either a dash of tamari, or the extra broth from the simmered tempeh. The seasoning is checked and white pepper added if desired. Garnish with green parts of scallion and serve.

Tempeh, Pepper and Mushroom Stroganoff with Rice

Serves Five

• 2 1/2 x 200g blocks of tempeh, drained
• 1/4 bottle of red wine (175ml)
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• about 4 tbsp vegetable oil for shallow frying
• 2 red peppers, seeded and sliced
• 2 yellow peppers, seeded and sliced
• 2 green peppers, seeded and sliced
• 3 purple onions, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 225g button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 1/2 -2 celery sticks, chopped
• 225g soured cream
• 1 tbsp paprika
• Freshly ground pepper
• 450g rice, to serve
• chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Tempeh is sliced into large chunks, placed in a shallow dish and wine and soy sauce is poured over, before leaving the tempeh in the fridge for minimum 2 hours. The chunks are turned in the liquid from time to time to absorb the flavors. The rice is cooked as per the instructions on the packet. The marinade is drained and reserved. The drained tempeh is fried lightly in some of the oil over medium-low heat until it turns golden and drained on absorbent paper and reserved. The onions, garlic, peppers and mushrooms are cooked in the remaining oil until they become soft. The paprika and the reserved marinade is added and cooked for about 10 minutes. More red wine is added if needed to increase sauce. The soured cream is added and seasoned with black pepper. The tempeh stroganoff is placed on a mound of rice and garnish with chopped parsley and served.

- Ramyajit Gupta

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