I used to see tempeh in every health food store but would shy away from it since I had no idea what it was, how it tasted and how to prepare it. Until one night I finally decided to give it a try at a vegan restaurant … and the result was that not only I, but also my husband liked it a lot! And so I started to regularly buy and prepare it at home! These days, I don’t eat or drink any other soy products but I still crave and eat some tempeh from time to time! The following recipe is one of my husband’s favourites. It’s super easy and fast to prepare and very flavourful from all the different spices and the tamarind paste.

Ingredients:

• 1 Package (250-300 gr.) of Tempeh
• 1 Large Carrot
• Approx. 2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

         Sauce

• 1 Tsp. Grated Fresh Ginger
• 1 Tsp. Grated Fresh Tumeric
• 1 Clove Garlic (crushed)
• 1/2 Tsp. Ground Cumin
• 1/4 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 Tsp. Ground Coriander Seed
• 1/2 Tsp. Fine Himalayan Salt
• 1 Tsp. Tamarind Paste
• 1,1/2 Tsp. Palm Sugar (or more if you like it on the sweeter side!)
• 3/4 Cup Filtered Water
• Freshly Ground Pepper
• Few Drop Hot Sauce (optional)

Method

1. Cut the tempeh into bite size cubes and thinly slice the carrot.

2. Add all the sauce ingredients into a bowl and whisk until well combined. Taste a bit of the sauce and add a bit more palm sugar if desired.

3. Add the coconut oil to a skillet and brown the tempeh cubes over medium heat. Once browned on all sides, set the tempeh aside.

4. Add the carrot to the same skillet and lightly saute (1-2 mins.). Add the sauce to the carrots and gentley simmer for a couple of minutes until the carrot is cooked and sauce thickens.

5. Add the tempeh to the sauce and stir to cover the cubes with sauce. Cook for another few minutes over low heat. Serve with rice and sautéed greens or other side dishes. Enjoy!

Serves 2-3.