Recipe: Tantalizing Tempeh

"Inhabitants of underdeveloped nations and victims of natural disasters are the only people who have ever been happy to see soybeans." -Fran Lebowitz

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When I started preparing my meal for tonight I was really quite thrilled to see the cubes of tempeh that I had started marinating 24-hours prior. Thus I have concluded that Fran Lebowitz is completely full of shit.

To be fair, I must admit that I wasn't always this excited to add tempeh to my meals. When I used to put very little to no thought into preparing my tempeh, it usually ended up tasting like soft nutty cardboard chunks. Okay, that may be a little harsh, it wasn't that bad...but it wasn't anything to blog home about either. Quite simply, finding the key to preparing really good tempeh took a little bit of research and a lot of trial-and-error in the kitchen.

After experimenting with a few different types of marinades, I think I finally discovered one that I am confident in recommending to others. I catered this particular marinade to accompany my South America-style dishes, although I am sure it can be tweaked to accommodate your own palette and preferences.

But before I unveil this tempeh marinade recipe, I think it is pertinent to discuss the question: "Why tempeh?"

Some may be surpized to discover that the origins of tempeh are actually quite ancient, first appearing in Japan sometime during the 16th Century. Like my best friend quinoa, tempeh is a complete protein...meaning that it is a great option for all-varieties of herbivore. Tempeh is high in fiber, low in sodium, and since it's fermented it's easy to digest as well. Tempeh may not be as sexy or garner as much attention as it's silky fair-colored cousin tofu, but as far as nutritional values go it's numero uno. If you are interested in learning more about tempeh, or even how to make your own tempeh, I would highly recommend these articles (article one, article two) by Barbara Minton.

Okay, I've tortured you long enough...my South American tempeh marinade:

Ingredients
organic tempeh (a 4" by 6" sheet will work great)
1 cup filtered water
4 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime juice), preferably organic and fresh squeezed
2 tablespoons organic nama shoyu
1-2 teaspoons organic cilantro, chopped or minced
0.5 teaspoon organic paprika
0.5 teaspoon organic ground cumin
0.5 teaspoon chili flakes
0.25 teaspoon organic oregano

Equipment
1 large bowl
1 refrigerator

Steps:
1. Add one cup of filtered water to a large bowl.

2. Add all ingredients to the bowl of water, stir or whisky gently for several seconds or until all ingredients have equally dispersed.

3. Slice up your organic tempeh into 0.5" by 0.5" cubes (or larger if you prefer).

4. Place your cubes in the marinade so that all but the very tops of the tempeh cubes are covered.

5. Place in your refrigerator and leave it there overnight. ( I usually flip all of the tempeh cubes over in the morning as so both sides get the flavor goodness.)

6. To cook, simply heat some organic safflower or organic grapeseed oil in a pan. Add the tempeh cubes to the pan, and slowly turn and baste each cube every few minutes while cooking.

7. Once your tempeh turns a beautiful golden brown (or rugged dark brown for those of you who like it crispy), add it to your burrito, salad, quinoa bowl, or on top of whatever bizarre concoction you came up with in an attempt to use up all those refugee items that were on the verge of spoiling in your pantry.

End notes: Although it requires a little bit of preparation and planning ahead, properly marinated tempeh can be a completely rewarding addition to a variety of dishes. When you factor in it's high-quality nutritional value, there is no real good reason to continue avoiding it. Unless, of course, you're allergic to soybeans or something like that...which would really suck.