Tempeh Recipes - Cooking Light

Healthy Tempeh Recipes

Tempeh (pronounced TEHM-pay) is made by a simple process—hull soybeans, crack and boil them, and then introduce a starter bacteria that ferments the soybean mixture. The result is a pebbled, buff-colored soybean cake. That minimal processing helps tempeh retain many of the nutritional properties related to soybeans, such as high quality protein, fiber, and calcium, and it can also provide significant amounts of iron.

Tempeh has an assertive flavor. It obtains much of its nutty, subtle, tangy flavor from the fermentation process. When the temperature changes, the bacteria present in tempeh may cause small patches of gray or black spores to bloom on the surface of the cake. These spores are harmless and only add to tempeh’s unique yeasty flavor. You can store opened tempeh, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to five days.

View Recipe: Tempeh Rendang

Tempeh Coconut Curry

Basmati rice—an aromatic, long-grain variety—is dry and fluffy when cooked, which makes it a nice accompaniment to this fragrant curry.

View Recipe: Tempeh Coconut Curry

Tempeh with Curried Cashew Sauce

The papery brown skin and gnarled root of fresh ginger can be puzzling to deal with if you are unfamiliar with it. Its powerful scent and peppery flavor smooth out during cooking and add a liveliness to dishes.

View Recipe: Tempeh with Curried Cashew Sauce

Vegetable Tagine with Baked Tempeh

To peel the tomato this recipe calls for with ease, use a sharp knife to cut a shallow “X” in the bottom of each tomato. Drop the tomatoes into boiling water for 15 to 20 seconds, then remove them with a slotted spoon or tongs. Plunge the tomatoes into ice water and the skins will come off with no trouble.

View Recipe: Vegetable Tagine with Baked Tempeh

Photo: Randy Mayor

Tempeh Ratatouille

Without the vegetable broth this would be a collection of sautéed veggies, but the broth unifies the flavors into a coherent dish. Ratatouille is normally vegetarian anyway, but we've subbed tempeh for the usual eggplant to give it a meatier texture.

View Recipe: Tempeh Ratatouille

Photo: Randy Mayor

Tempeh and Wild Mushroom Fricassee

This woodsy dish should be rustic but, don’t let the leeks this recipe calls for bring too much earthiness. Notorious for hiding dirt within their concentric layers, leeks require thorough washing.

View Recipe: Tempeh and Wild Mushroom Fricassee