Spicy Tempeh Crumble Bowl
At present’s recipe is a riff one in every of my favorites from Andrea Nguyen’s most up-to-date e book, Vietnamese Meals Any Day. It is a caramelized tempeh crumble, the type of factor that instantly turns into the perfect element in your rice bowl. In the event you’re on the fence about tempeh, that is the place to start out.
What’s Tempeh?
Tempeh is a fermented complete meals, soy-based, and far liked in conventional Indonesian tradition. To make tempeh, soybeans are soaked, partially cooked, mixed with a starter, after which unfold right into a layer to permit fermentation to happen. Loads goes on at this stage, and you’ll learn a extra detailed play-by-play about tempeh manufacturing right here. Soybean tempeh is most typical, however different variations are additionally obtainable. You additionally would possibly see tempeh mixed with different energy components like flax, or different grains.
Andrea acknowledges that tempeh is not a conventional Viet ingredient, however she makes use of it in banh mi, pho, and crumbles like this one to imitate meat, “when crumbled into small items…tempeh absorbs the seasonings effectively and fries up properly.”
Why Tempeh is such a Energy Meals
Tempeh is extensively thought of a powerhouse ingredient as a result of it’s wealthy in a great vary of vitamins. It additionally weighs in properly on fiber, antioxidant, and protein fronts. Add to that the fermentation issue (mainly, the fermentation helps with nutrient absorption, and digestibility) and you’ve got a meals that’s working for you, not in opposition to. Lots of people prefer to substitute tempeh rather than one thing meaty. For instance, this tempeh crumble would possibly take the place of a pork crumble. Here is the place you’ll find extra tempeh recipes, and I additionally like this listing of tempeh advantages on McKel’s Vitamin Stripped Website. Extra tempeh in 2020!
The Tempeh Crumble recipe
In Andrea’s model she makes use of half cup of chopped lemongrass. The lemongrass provides superbly aromatic citrus notes, and is one in every of my favourite flavors. That stated, the occasions I used to be in a rush to make dinner, I discovered myself skipping out on the half cup of chopped lemongrass (the lemongrass in my yard is loopy powerful) and repeatedly making this shortcut model. It makes use of serrano chiles and additional inexperienced onions – nonetheless actually tasty, simply faster to throw collectively.
Methods to Use the Tempeh Crumble
Right here (above) you see the tempeh crumble as a element in a rice bowl. The essential parts are rice and the tempeh crumble plus what ever is on simple and readily available within the fridge or pantry. I grabbed peanuts, some backyard lettuces, cucumber, pickled carrots, and avocado. They’d even be nice on these Vegan Nachos, in these Garlic Lime Lettuce Wraps, or rather than the tempeh on this Taco Salad.