TEMPEH OREK with pandan coconut rice
YOU WON’T LOSE YOUR TEMPEH, BUT YOU’LL LOSE YOUR DAMN MIND OVER THIS DISH.
INDONESIA’S FLAVOR GAME IS ON ANOTHER LEVEL, AND THIS TEMPEH OREK IS HERE TO PROVE IT. TEMPEH, IF YOU HAVEN’T MET IT YET, IS FERMENTED SOYA BEANS THAT HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A DENSE, NUTTY BLOCK OF PURE DELICIOUSNESS. AND THIS IS TEMPEH OREK LIKE YOU’VE NEVER HAD BEFORE—CRISPY, SWEET, AND JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF HEAT. EVERY BITE DELIVERS A WAVE OF INDONESIAN FLAVOR THAT’LL HAVE YOU QUESTIONING WHY YOU EVER WAITED TO TRY TEMPEH. PAIR IT WITH A COLD DRINK, A CHILL VIBE, AND GET READY TO BECOME OBSESSED.
FEEDS 4 II TIME: 25 MINS II DIFFICULTY: TEMPEH-TATIONLY EASY
INGREDIENTS
For the rice:
2 cups of rice
300ml coconut milk
1 stick of lemongrass
2-3 lime leaves
1 pandan leaf
15-20g ginger
15-20g galangal
2 tsp salt
For the tempeh:
1 block of tempeh
3-4 cloves of garlic
10g of galangal
1 green chilli
1 red chilli
2 lime leaves
20-30g palm sugar
2 tbls soy sauce
2 tbls kecap manis
1 tbls tamarind paste
Quick tip: you can steam the tempeh block for 20 minutes to remove some if its bitterness.
GET COOKING
Coconut Rice
Wash the rice thoroughly and add it to a saucepan along with the coconut milk, lemongrass, lime leaves, pandan leaf, ginger, galangal, and salt. Add enough water so the liquid reaches the first knuckle on your index finger above the rice. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and let it simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed. Once the liquid is gone, cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let it sit for 15 minutes to steam to fluffy perfection.
Tempeh Orek
Slice the tempeh into short matchsticks and fry them at 180°C (360°F) until golden and crispy. Mince the garlic and slice the chillies, while keeping the lime leaves whole and cutting a thick slice of galangal. Lightly crush the galangal to release its aroma, and chop or crush the coconut palm sugar into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and galangal for about 20 seconds until fragrant. Add the chillies, lime leaves, soy sauce, kecap manis, tamarind paste, and crushed palm sugar. Stir well and let the sauce simmer until it becomes sticky and caramelized. Toss in the fried tempeh, stirring to coat it in the sauce. Let everything cook together for another minute until the tempeh soaks up all that sweet and spicy goodness.
Serve your sticky, aromatic tempeh alongside the fragrant coconut rice for a meal that’s an explosion of Indonesian flavors.
Fuck yeah! Enjoy!
