Tempeh. A fermented soybean cake. How anyone figured out that this would be delicious, I may never know. Thankfully someone did, though. I really like tempeh. I find it super easy to prepare since it just comes in a block that you don’t have to drain or press or anything. Some recipes do require boiling it first, but that takes just a few minutes. Draining tofu can take way too long, especially if you are hungry right at that moment. I tend to do that way too often. I’ll wait until the very last minute to cook, and by that time I’m ravenous.
Lately on the ppk we have been trying to make use of our cookbooks. This week’s book is Veganomicon. I’ve made a good amount of recipes since I was a tester (my name is in the back! I’m so special!). I’ve made the smoky grilled tempeh a million times, but for some reason I never tried the hot sauce glazed tempeh. I decided it was time to buckle down and just do it. I had tempeh in my fridge that expired a few months ago. But really, how can tempeh expire if it’s already basically just moldy soybeans? Since tempeh comes very well packaged, sitting between 2 or 3 layers of tight plastic, there wasn’t any problem with it when I opened it. I also finally had a use for some wine that I had taken from my brothers apartment when he moved. I didn’t want to drink it, but I wanted to use it for some kind of recipe. This one uses a half cup, though I did add extra just so it would cover all of it. The tempeh I’ve been using lately is the Soy Boy brand. It’s usually the cheapest one at Whole Foods so I always grab a few. For some reason, this brand is super thick. I find that the outside and the edges marinate pretty well, but the middle never does. I think from now on if I keep using this brand that I will cut it into smaller pieces so everything can marinate well.
Hot Sauce Glazed Tempeh
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Ingredients
8 ounce package of tempeh
1/2 cup wine (whatever kind you've got on hand, just nothing sweet, or use vegetable broth and a touch of wine vinegar)
1/4 cup hot sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
Bring a pot of water to boil.
Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl large enough to fit the tempeh slices.
Cut the tempeh in half widthwise then cut each of those squares diagonally to form 4 large triangles. When the water is boiling, add the tempeh, lower the heat and steam for 10 minutes.
Use tongs to remove the tempeh and then immediately place them in the marinade bowl for 1 hour, flipping them every now again to cover with the marinade.
Preheat a greased grill pan over medium high heat. To grease it, brush lightly with olive oil or if you have a spray bottle of olive oil, that works, too. (Get a spray bottle of olive oil already!)
Grill each side for 5 minutes. When the second side is almost done, spoon some of the marinade over the tempeh and let cook for 30 more seconds.
Alternative broiling instructions:
Preheat the oven broiler. Place tempeh in a rimmed pan (I like to use my cast iron pan for such purposes). Spoon some of the marinade over it and broil for 5 minutes. Flip it and spoon some more marinade over it and cook for another 5 minutes. When the second side is almost done, spoon some of the marinade over the tempeh and let cook for 30 more seconds.
