Saturday, March 6, 2010

Sweet Tempeh

I've got a few new tenants in my house!  I don't know how many as they are currently living outside my flat, beside my air conditioner compressor.  The birds built a nest and I heard some chirping from the nestlings a couple of days ago.  The chirping sound gets louder each day, implying the nestlings are growing bigger and stronger.  But I have a little problem as we've just ordered a new air conditioner unit and the installation team will be here next week with the installation.  I do hope these young birds will be ready to fly by then, else I really do not know what to do with them.  Keeping them in the house till they are independant is beyond the question as I've got a  hunting dog who may just gobble them down in seconds.  Fingers crossed.

I love tempeh!  When I was young, my mom used to fry it coated with curry powder and flour mixture, yummy!  I don't mind eating them plain too :P  Tempeh stir-fry with french beans is a must have whenever I eat out at a malay stall :)

Saw Ju's tempeh here and decided to give it a try but I've reduced sugar and water accordingly for I prefer something less sticky and sweet especially when I'm serving young children.  Also, as I've ran out of shallots, I just made do with some ginger oil.  I didn't bother with the kicap manis but replaced it with dark soy sauce since it's just needed for the colour only.

My girls ate a few pieces but my son refused a second bite.  This is a girls' dish in my family *eyes rolling*

Sweet Tempeh
(serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients
2 packets tempeh (ie 4 pieces in total), sliced cross-wise, about 1cm thick
1 tbsp ginger oil
1 clove garlic
3/4 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup water
1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

Method
  1. Fry tempeh slices in oil till crispy (I cook them in my microwave instead of frying). Set aside.
  2. In a skillet, over a small flame, fry garlic in ginger oil.  Add water, sugar and salt, continue frying till you get a caramelised syrup.
  3. Throw in fried tempeh pieces into the skillet and toss to coat them evenly. Add black soy sauce and continue tossing. Once all the tempeh have been coated in the sauce, dish up and serve.

8 comments:

Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover said...

I love tempeh too but not for my kids..

WendyinKK said...

Ur girls eat tempeh??? Good.

WendyinKK said...

I've got an award for u on my blog :)
Pls come to collect it.

thecoffeesnob said...

Hi Blessed Homemaker. As a kid, we used to visit Bali a lot where tempeh's a staple and I hated it. But I can't get enough of it now, especially fried with tofu and sambal.

By the way, the little chicks sound adorable! I do hope they'll be ready to fly before your new air conditioning unit comes in. Any chance of a photo of them?

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

I have never cooked tempeh but enjoyed it while eating out- I will try making it!

A Full-Timed Housefly said...

I love tempeh and so are my kids.... deep fried tempehs are perfect for a great beer session

Blessed Homemaker said...

Sonia, can try to introduce to them again next time when they are older. I didn't like tempeh when I first tried but later fell in love with it.

Wendy, this is the first time I cooked tempeh at home and I'm glad they girls enjoyed eating.

And thanks for the award, will pick it up soon :)

Coffeesnob, I was like you, hated it when I was a child but my mom introduced it again and I fell in love in it.

No pics of the little birds as they are hiding outside. 4 more days to go before the installation team comes.

Lady Ren, I have the luxury to buy store bought here so I just tend to take things for granted :P Looking forward to your homemade tempeh :)

Pearlyn, I realised you have quite a few beer sessions ;-)

thickbie said...

tempeh is a must have in our meals since we're indonesians :) you can try slicing it thinly and fry it until it is crispy but flavor it with a bit of salt... another fave of mine is a dish called tempe bacem, we cook it in water + salt + sugar + coconut water (optional) + bay leave + galangal for a while and then fry it lightly...

my son whose a picky eater loves tempe in both versions :)

-tute