A bright and caramelized Indonesian classic: fried tempeh becomes crispy and is coated in a red, spicy, sweet and savory, and slightly tart sambal. Serve with hot jasmine rice for a simple, fragrant meal.
Ingredients
- 400 g plain tempeh
- 300 g jasmine rice
- 250 ml sunflower oil
- 3 pieces shallot
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 tbsp sambal oelek
- 1 piece ripe tomato
- 2 tbsp kecap manis
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 20 g palm sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 leaves makrut lime leaf
- 1 piece lime
- 2 pinches fine salt
- 30 g unsalted roasted peanuts
Method
- Rinse the jasmine rice until the water runs clear, then cook covered until tender and fragrant; keep warm off the heat.
- Cut the tempeh into sticks or even small rectangles, then pat dry so they fry rather than boil in the oil.
- Heat the oil in a deep skillet; fry the tempeh in small batches until golden, firm to the touch, and slightly crispy, then drain on paper towels.
- Finely slice the shallots and garlic, then crush the tomato so it melts quickly into the sauce.
- Remove the excess oil from the skillet, leaving just a glossy coating, then sauté the shallots, garlic, and makrut lime leaves until sweet and highly aromatic.
- Add the sambal oelek and tomato; cook, stirring, until the paste deepens in color, thickens, and the oil begins to separate around the edges.
- Stir in the kecap manis, tamarind paste, palm sugar, soy sauce, and salt; simmer gently until the sauce is glossy, sticky, and balanced between spicy, sweet, and tart.
- Return the fried tempeh to the skillet and toss gently until every piece is nicely glazed without losing its crunch.
- Serve immediately with hot rice, a squeeze of lime, and crushed roasted peanuts for crunch.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 714.5 kcal
- Protein
- 24.51 g
- Carbohydrate
- 83.26 g
- Fat
- 29.17 g
- Fibre
- 9.34 g
- Calcium
- 106.57 mg
- Iron
- 1.96 mg
- Magnesium
- 81.06 mg
