Meet Your Meat Substitutes: Tempeh Review

Carmelised Tempeh Mixed Green Salad

I first heard about tempeh from vegan soul brother number one Bryant Terry and his ground breaking book, Vegan Soul Kitchen. In the book he talks about frying it, roasting it, mixing it and stuffing it in to peppers, like he hasn't got a care in the world.  I'd never heard of it before but when I looked it up the I was a little bit put off by the notion of 'fermented soy beans' and didn't try it for more than a year. For Meet Your Meat Substitutes though, tempeh cannot be overlooked.

Review: One of the best
So far, this is one of my favourite meat substitutes. Tempeh not only has a distinctive hearty flavour,  but when you get it in brick form you can used it in cubes, strips or mince it up to make patties or 'no' meat balls.  Other descriptions of tempeh say that, like tofu, it takes on the flavour of what it's cooked in and yes that's mostly true, but what makes the difference for me is that tempeh has it's own subtle smoky basic flavour as well, making it a great addition to so many vegan and vegetarian recipes.

Tempeh Block and Slices

'Meatiness'
Tempeh is not necessarily meaty in flavour, you wouldn't really fool anyone, but in cooking it performs in some of the same ways.  Like for my Carmelised Tempeh Salad, each marinated piece crisped up and coloured like a meat product might. And it also provided an efficient and filling source of protein in my 'Chicken Style Tempeh Salad Sandwich'. And by that I mean that you could easily have a tempeh sandwich on it's own and not need much else in order to "feel full'.

Texture
With regards to texture, tempeh looks like rice crispy treats, is bouncy but firm to the touch and feels substantial to chew. I thought this added to the character of a meal in a way that many meat substitutes do not. Tofu I often find to be a bit of a non-event and even ever popular Quorn is trying it's best to imitate something else rather than making a place for itself.

Taste
Loved the taste of this. The tempeh that I tried had a lovely nutty flavour with a smokey accent. I tried it as a main event in a salad with a soy sauce and balsamic vinegar and as a mayo soaked sandwich filler and it worked well for both.

Versatility
I'm not sure if there is much that you can't do with tempeh. Tempeh.info has more than 100 different recipes including Vegan Paella, Tempeh Sloppy Joes, No Meat Tempeh Meatballs, and Tempeh Bacon. Some of the recipes have the added step of  having to boil the tempeh first. Don't worry this only takes a few miniutes and means you that the tempeh is ready to absorb whatever seasonings you give it. Works remarkably well.

Overall, tempeh is fabulous can't wait to gobble up some more. 

Tempeh Recipe: Vegetarian Chicken Salad Style Sandwich

Chicken Style Tempeh Salad Sandwich with Watercress

Tempeh is one of the first products to be reviewed in my Meet Your Meat Substitutes series and it sets the bar extremely high. This vegetarian chicken style salad is just gorgeous and keeps for a few days making it ideal for picnics and lunch box treats. the par boiling pre-treatment might seem long winded, but I've found that this is common amongst tempeh recipes. Along with making the tempeh plump and moist, it also opens it up for flavouring.

Chicken Style Tempeh Salad Sandwich

Ingredients:

8-12 oz of tempeh, cubed
2 stalk celery sliced
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 cup apricots
1/2 cup soy mayonnaise or 1/2 cup regular mayonnaise (more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard (spicy golden brown is nice too)
salt & freshly ground black pepper 

Directions:

1. Place the cubed tempeh in a saucepan of boiling, salted water.
2. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 12 minutes, drain and set aside to cool.
3. Place the cubes in the refrigerator or freezer to cool while you make the sauce.
4. In a large bowl, combine the celery, apricot and onions. Then mix in mustard, mayo and season to taste.
5. After boiling, the tempeh will have expanded, so you may need to cut the cubes down in to bite sized chunks. Next add the tempeh to the salad mixture.
6. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors combine.
7. This will keep covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.
8. This salad goes great on wheat toast, in a pita pocket, or top of a jacket potato.

   

   Par Boiled Tempeh Cubes

   

   Salad sauce mixture

   

   Add the tempeh to the mix

Build yourself a lovely tempeh sandwich

Tempeh Recipe: Carmelised Tempeh Pieces over Summer Salad

I got this tempeh recipe from the bloke at one of my favourite whole food shops, Seasons in Exeter. I told him about my plan tor try a selection of meat substitutes for Meet Your Meat Substitutes and he said that I must try this recipe for a great salad topper. The marinade - a mix of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar - might sound like an unlikely pairing but it is absolutely delicious and brings out a beautiful colour in the tempeh.

Carmelised Tempeh Pieces over Summer Salad

Ingredients
12 -15  cubes of  tempeh
2 tbsp of Balsamic Vineager
2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
Salt & Pepper
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 bowl of 'summer salad'

 Directions

1. Cut tempeh into bite sized chunks.
2. Mix balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and pepper together in a bowl.
3. Mix tempeh into sauce until evenly coated and leave to marinate while you...
4. Prepare your summer salad in a different bowl. This can be anything you want really. I mixed some leaves with tomato and avocado which is always good.
5. Heat oil in a skillet and saute the tempeh until it's gone a lovely carmelised colour with some crispy edges.
6. Remove tempeh from heat and leave to rest for a moment on the chopping board or on a towel.
7. Plate up your salad and add the tempeh to the top, drizzling any extra marinated onto the rest of the salad.

Tempeh

Tempeh Marinating

Out of the pan and resting...

Carmelised Tempeh Over Summer Salad

Introducing: Meet Your Meat Substitutes

Balsamic Carmelised Tempeh on a Mixed Leaf Salad

I've decided to put together a series of posts called 'Meet Your Meat Substitutes' because, I must confess, some meat substitutes scare me. Yes it's true. I get nervous at the fact that they are unfamiliar and made out of new materials or presented in away that is unusual, like in a can or in a glass jar full of....juice. What is that? What if it isn't nice? What do I do with it? What if it smells funny?

But then I think, what if I'm missing out on something delicious? What if that imitation mince is the secret ingredient in the best thing I've never cooked?

So, I thought, I'll get scientific, I'll confront my fears head on, documenting my findings for science and the greater vegetarian good. You know for community and that.

Chinese Five Spice Quorn & Celery Stir Fry

The meat substitutes I'll be trying will come in two main categories. There are things that try to replicate the look and/or taste of meat like Cauldron Sausages, Quorn Mince or Tofurkey. Then there are the products that try to serve the same nutritional purpose of meat by providing a filling and potent source of protein in a meal like tofu or tempeh.

A third category for meat substitutes might also include things like peanuts, cashews, avocados and legumes act as regular sources for protein for every vegetarian.

While these are all great, I'm not going to be looking at these as part of MYMS. No. MYMS is examining the pre-packaged stuff that sells itself as a straight meat swap appealing mostly to the transitioning and/or lazy (don't be offended, everybody's lazy sometimes) vegetarians. Each will be examined for texture, taste, 'meatiness' and versatility and will be tested in at least two recipes. And I will personally try them all.

Wish me luck.