RecipesBook

Lara Lee's Tempeh Manis (Sweet Soy Tempeh)

★★★★★

by：Food52

PREP TIME 5 minutes

COOK TIME 15 minutes

SERVES 4

Ingredients

400 grams tempeh, cut into 1x3-cm chunks

3 mall banana shallots or 6 Thai shallots, peeled and thinly sliced  

4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

4 long red chillies, thinly sliced (deseeded if you prefer less heat)

1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and tied in a knot

6 thin slices of ginger or galangal, skin on

200 grams mangetout, trimmed

3 tablespoons storebought or homemade kecap manis (recipe below), plus extra for grilling

2 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons water)

60 milliliters light soy sauce or gluten-free tamari

90 grams palm sugar or brown sugar

Instructions

If roasting your own peanuts, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6/400°F, scatter the peanuts over a baking tray and bake for 5–10 minutes or until golden, shaking the tray during cooking so they roast evenly. Set aside. If using shop-bought roasted peanuts you can skip this step.
Heat 4 tablespoons of oil with a large pinch of salt in a frying pan over a high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add half the tempeh and fry until golden, about 3–4 minutes, then drain on a tray lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining tempeh, adding a little more oil if necessary. Alternatively, if you prefer to grill your tempeh, brush it with a mixture of 1 tablespoon each of oil and kecap manis and place it under the grill on a high heat for 3–4 minutes each side.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the shallots, garlic and chillies with the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and ginger or galangal until fragrant and softened. Increase the heat to high, add another 1 tablespoon of oil and cook the mangetout for 1 minute. Add the fried tempeh and roasted peanuts, stirring them continuously. Finally, add the kecap manis and sugar and water mix to the pan, stirring until it is caramelised and clinging to the ingredients. Season with salt. Remove the lemongrass stalk and slices of ginger or galangal, then serve immediately.

Homemade kecap manis

Combine the soy sauce and sugar in a small saucepan, place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and thicken to the consistency of maple syrup. This should take no longer than 5 minutes. Leave to cool.