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  • Felix Widmer
    Felix Widmer    Premium Member   Group moderator
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    Food Talk: Spiced Tempeh Cooked in Yogurt
    Tempeh tikka masala offers a new take on an Indonesian staple.

    Soya beans are used to create many dishes in Asian cooking, including tofu (fermented soya bean curd), soy oil, milk, flour, yogurt, black bean sauce (tauco) and, of course, soy sauce.

    One soy product unique to Indonesia is tempeh, also known as soya cake. It is a traditional product of Java, and is made similar to cheese. A natural culturing and controlled fermentation process binds the soya beans into a block, or cake. The raw product is then deep or shallow fried, sometimes prepared in a marinade or batter.

    Because it is cheap to produce, tempeh is perceived as a poor man’s dish in Indonesia, though it is in fact high in nutritional value, containing protein, dietary fiber and vitamins. The most commonly found tempeh dishes include tempeh bacem, or tempeh simmered in sweet soya sauce with spices, garlic and shallots.

    For this week’s recipe I have experimented with another way of preparing tempeh, by marinating it in yogurt and cooking it with many different spices. I have called it tempeh tikka masala. Enjoy.

    Tempeh Tikka Masala

    Tikka masala, usually prepared with chicken, is one of the best-known Indian curries. The sauce is also great with fish, prawns, tenderloin pork and, in my opinion, tempeh. You could even add tofu to this dish. Serve with basmati rice, or any steamed rice, and some green vegetables. Serves 8.

    Ingredients:

    700 grams tempeh (1 medium soya cake is normally 350 grams, cut into 4-by-4-centimeter blocks). For the marinade: 4 tablespoons or one cup of natural yogurt; 1 tablespoons grated ginger; 2 tablespoons lime juice; 2 teaspoons each of ground cumin and ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 1 teaspoon salt.

    For garam masala: Half a teaspoon each of coriander seeds, black peppercorns, cloves and cumin seeds; 2 green cardamon pods; 1 mace or half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg; half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder.

    And for the sauce: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped; 3 red bird’s eye chillies (optional), finely chopped; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon paprika powder; 4 fresh tomatoes, chopped roughly and put in the blender to make tomato juice; 1 teaspoon palm sugar or brown sugar; 100ml cream; 1 tablespoon coriander leaves.

    Directions:

    1. Grind all the ingredients for garam masala. Add the cinnamon powder, mix well and set aside.

    2. Mix all the marinade ingredients, add the tempeh blocks and marinate for 2 hours. Remove the tempeh from the marinade.

    3. To make the sauce, heat a frying pan, add the oil and add chopped onion, chilies and garlic. Cook until soft and golden, or for about 3-4 minutes.

    4. Then add the garam masala, ground black pepper, paprika powder, coriander leaves and salt. Stir for 1 minute, then add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 15 minutes.

    5. In the meantime, preheat oven to 200 degrees. Smear a roasting tray with oil and place tempeh blocks evenly on tray. Bake for 20 minutes.

    6. Back to the sauce, add cream and simmer to thicken for about 5 minutes. Taste.

    7. Transfer the tempeh into the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes and serve immediately with steamed or basmati rice with some blanched young French beans.

    Petty Elliott has been writing about food and giving cooking demonstrations for more than five years. Her book on Indonesian cuisine, “Papaya Flower,” was published in 2009.

    Source: Jakarta Globe. http://bit.ly/y6UA8e
    • 17 Jan 2012, 10:01 am