7 Tempeh Recipes To Add

Plant-Based Protein

To Meals On Busy Weekdays

What is Tempeh and How to Prepare It?

Tempeh is a whole-soybean product, which is what sets it apart from tofu at every stage. To make it, soybeans are first soaked for around 10 hours to soften, then cooked or steamed, drained, and cooled before being mixed with a starter culture. This fungal culture causes the beans to form a cohesive unit by breaking them down during fermentation, which is what gives tempeh its dense, firm block, a process often compared to how blue cheese is made. The fermentation typically needs 24 to 48 hours, using a mould from the Rhizopus family, before it is ready to cook with. 

Straight out of the packet, tempeh can taste faintly bitter, so most recipes call for a quick steam or boil first; this also helps the stiff tempeh soften. Once that's done, the block can be sliced, cubed, or crumbled and added to dishes, in different stages of preparation, depending on the dish, then marinated to take on whatever flavour profile you're building. This is one advantage tempeh has over paneer or tofu, since its porous surface absorbs marinades more readily than either. 

1. Stir-Fried Tempeh

Pick your favourite stir-fried recipe featuring a protein, be it paneer, chicken, or soya, and replace it with tempeh. Crumble or cube the block, toss it into the wok once the onions, garlic, and peppers have softened, and let it pick up the same soy sauce, chilli, and vinegar notes any Indo-Chinese stir-fry is built on. Because tempeh already has a certain chewiness, you can use it for high-heat wok-tossing meals, whether crumbled and added to fried rice or noodles, or simply added in cubes to a simple stir-fry with vegetables.

2. Tandoori Tempeh

Using the typical tandoori marinade, made with yoghurt and an assortment of spices, salt, some ginger-garlic and lemon juice, and finished off with kasuri methi and some oil, it replaces the chicken or paneer with tempeh. This is one of the longest tempeh recipes on this list, as the marination adds time. So make sure you factor that in before trying this one (a quick prep before office is a good idea). The tempeh should be steamed first to remove its bitterness and soften it, and then coated in the marinade. Use slices or cubes. Bake or grill the tandoori tempeh and enjoy it as an appetiser with more sides.

3. Tempeh Bhurji

Anda bhurji and paneer bhurji can wait, and some Indian tempeh brands sell the plant-based protein in chunks that are easy to crumble. Use your fingers, or bring out the masher, to crumble room-temperature tempeh. You can skip the extra boil or steaming step here as the granular form makes it more palatable and the masala will do its magic. Pick the same onion-tomato masala, and you get a more flavourful and often healthier base for bhurji. Just when your bhurji is just about done, sprinkle some coriander leaves or garam masala, and serve with toast or roti, or turn it into a whole-wheat roll made with a nutrient-dense flour like khapli atta.

4. Tempeh Nuggets

Instead of steaming this plant-based protein separately, the tempeh cubes are simmered for about 10 minutes in a well-seasoned broth of vegetable stock, tamari, paprika, mustard, and onion and garlic powder to reduce bitterness, and also season the tempeh. Then the flavoured cubes are drained of the liquid and coated in oil, then popped in an air fryer for around 10 more minutes at 200°C. It can also be baked on a lined sheet for 15-20 minutes at the same temperature. Make sure to turn the nuggets midway for either preparation. Enjoy their crispiness in bowls, tacos, noodles, or as a protein-rich crouton.

5. BBQ Tempeh

The tempeh is first sliced crosswise, as for thin fries, and the strips are pan-fried in a hot, oiled nonstick pan for a couple of minutes on both sides, until golden brown. You can use the bottled BBQ sauce you might have stashed in the fridge or make your own with ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (optional). The sauce is added to the hot pan for a few minutes to thicken to a glaze-like consistency, then the pan-fried tempeh is added back in and coated in it. Enjoy with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes or in a sandwich.

6. Tempeh Bacon

The plant-based protein, whether tempeh or tofu, needs to be sliced as thin as possible to mimic bacon, as this is what gives it its crispy finish. Then coat the slices in a marinade of olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), maple syrup, sesame oil, smoked paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Like the tandoori version, this too needs at least 1 hour of marination. Pan-fry the strips in batches, as you would bacon, and serve as part of the English breakfast platter, added to sandwiches, burgers, salads, or rolls.

7. Tempeh Frankie

The Frankie itself is a Mumbai street food staple before tempeh ever enters the picture. It was created in 1967 by Amarjit Singh Tibb of Tibbs Frankies, who developed an Indian version of the Lebanese pita roll after a trip to Beirut inspired him. The tempeh version follows the same logic, just with a plant-based filling in place of the usual keema, paneer, or chicken. Use crumbled tempeh pan-fried with frankie masala (or a taco-style seasoning), and add it to a freshly made roti, chapati, or paratha, layered with a thin layer of mayonnaise or chutney, then the filling. Bulk it up with onions, vegetables, sweet corn, and lime juice, then roll it up tightly for an on-the-go meal.

How These Seven Tempeh Preparations Compare

Plant-Based Protein Never Tasted So Good

Tempeh can be a little funky initially, and the texture might weird you out, but it is one of the most versatile plant-based protein sources out there and quite easy to turn into a variety of dishes. Try the tempeh recipes above, then expand into more time-consuming ones, trying kebabs, tikkas, biryanis, and more with these high-protein plant-based delights.