Orange Pan-glazed Tempeh
The best tempeh recipe I've highlighted to date - it features a simple ginger and garlic-spiked orange glaze that plays of the nutty earthiness of the pan-fried tempeh beautifully.
This might be the best tempeh recipe I've highlighted to date. It features a simple ginger and garlic-spiked orange glaze that plays off the nutty, earthiness of pan-fried tempeh beautifully. Unlike many other tempeh recipes, there is no need for a long marinade time with this one, making it great for a last-minute weeknight meal.
The recipe comes with a bit of a story, originates in a book I suspect many of you haven't seen yet, and started with an email I received one morning last September from Australian cookbook author (and natural foods enthusiast) Jude Blereau. It read,
Dear Heidi, My name is Jude Blereau and I'm a Natural Foods Chef and author from Western Australia. I'm currently in San Francisco, having a fabulous time(...) I'd love the opportunity to have a chat with you and meet you. We do similar work I think, though with our own different slant. Hoping we can meet...
The name sounded quite familiar to me, I did a quick scan of my cookbooks, and spotted her book immediately. It was a thoughtfully composed volume of natural food recipes that I had tucked into my suitcase on my journey back from New Zealand a couple years ago. The minute I discovered Wholefood in a bookstore in Wellington, I knew I was reading along with a cook I had much in common with. Flash forward a couple years (and emails) later and we are chatting over coffee and croissants at Tartine Bakery here in San Francisco.
We talked about all sorts of things, and I asked Jude if she'd let me highlight one of her recipes here on the site. She told me she had a new book just published in Australia, and that she'd send the new one to me upon her return. Today's tempeh recipe is from Jude's new book - Coming Home to Eat: Wholefood for the Family published by Murdoch Books. It is beautifully written, delicately designed, brimming with great recipes, and punctuated by a handful of photographs (by Geoff Fisher and Michelle Aboud) that help set the aesthetic tone of the book perfectly.
My hope is that Coming Home to Eat will get U.S. distribution sometime in the near future, but as far as I know, that could take some time. Meanwhile, you can follow Jude through her site or her blog. And if you find yourself in Perth looking for a cooking class experience or natural chef training program - Jude's the one to track down.
And thank you for reaching out Jude, I look forward to visiting you in Perth someday. You books an inspiring, and your enthusiasm infectious. I hope our paths cross again soon. -h
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Orange Pan-glazed Tempeh Recipe
HS note: This recipe is equally good made with tofu. I made a couple minor tweaks to the recipe based on American ingredients/measurements. You can make a meal out of this by pairing it with some lightly sauteed seasonal vegetables, or in this case I simple served if over some left-over cooked wheat berries that I heated with a bit of chopped kale.
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3-4 large juicy oranges)
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons mirin
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 small garlic cloves, crushed
- roughly 10 ounces of tempeh (or extra-firm tofu)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, ghee, or olive oil
- 1/2 lime
- a handful of cilantro (coriander) leaves
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Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Squeeze the grated ginger over the bowl to extract the juices, then discard the pulp. Add the tamari, mirin, and maple syrup, ground coriander, and garlic. Mix together and set aside.
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Cut the tempeh (or tofu) into thin-ish, bite-sized pieces, and if working with tofu, pat dry with a paper towel.
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Put the coconut oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the tempeh and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden underneath. Turn and cook the other side for another 5 minutes, or until golden. Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a lovely thick glaze. Turn the tempeh once more during this time and spoon the sauce over the tofu from time to time.
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Serve the tempeh drizzled with any remaining sauce and a squeeze of lime, with the coriander scattered on top. Heidi note: As I mention in the head notes, I served this over some leftover wheat berries heated with a few handfuls of chopped kale.
Serves 4. (or two if you love it as much as we did -h)
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Comments
For Michelle: yes, tempeh is the less processed choice when it comes to soyfoods-- much better for you than fake chicken and sausage made from soy, and many people say healthier than tofu as well. Beth
I love tempeh. I have been tempted to try to culture it at home, but I suspect I would have a mess. I am definitely going to try this out.
That looks really tasty. I've only made tempeh a few times and didn't like it very much, but I'm definitely going to try this with tofu.
Heidi, I'm de-lurking to share with you that I love your recipes, your blog and your book. Jude Blereau's book Wholefoods can be had on amazon dot com for as little as 99 cents, her new book can be ordered from amazon.ca. I've found that australian books in english are also easily ordered through either amazon dot co dot uk, or if you are adventurous with language through amazon dot de. you can also just enter an isbn number into g o o g l e and sellers of the book pop up... I've got my wholefoods copy on the way now... thanks for the tip.
Mirin, maple and tamari are an awesome combo. They really add oomph to a sauce/marinade. This sounds really, really good!
That looks utterly delicious!
I made this for dinner tonight- delicious! And I finally found a use for that tempeh in the freezer!
perfect! i have a huge bag of greens bestowed fm mom. they are the ones that dimsum shops blanch and serve with oyster sauce but they are baby thin from her garden. we been eating these things for 3 days straight and sweet tempeh sounds like a good match! i'm still trying to tone down from the holidays...
My tempeh trials are hit-or-miss. Usually miss. But I love the idea of tempeh and can't wait to try this! BTW, in terms of processed vs. unprocessed foods, I'm guessing that tempeh is less than tofu or seitan. Is that right, does anyone know how they make tempeh?
Just tried this recipe for dinner tonight and it's killer! I paired it with just some brown rice and spinach and nearly ate it all by myself. If you're a fan of spicy, I'd suggest a sprinkle of red chile flakes...spicy and sweet is just up my alley and this recipe is great.
Interesting to see this because I just posted a recipe for Tempeh and I had never cooked with it before. My dish does require that the tempeh marinate for several hours at least? So I will try yours right now. I have plenty of tempeh left in the frig. Thanks and really love your blog. You are bringing us the freshest culinary style for the 21st century! best, s
Yay! I love my wholefoods cookbook, and look forward to looking into her more resent publications. I have a back stock of tofu in the fridge so I plan to try this recipe out with that tonite! Thanks!
I have never known anyone who's actually tried making something with tempeh before. Thanks for boldly going there. Also, I have been enjoying your inclusion of whole grains.
Heidi, Thanks for turning us on to yet another fabulous cook/chef/author and blog. I learn so much from your recipes and those that you link to. Best, Erica
I will make this soon, especially now that oranges are so inexpensive where I live. Question: do you steam your tempeh before you fry it? I always steam it as I heard that it will help with digestion.
i found these substitutes for MIRIN: 1 tablespoon dry sherry + ½ teaspoon sugar OR sherry OR heat two parts sake and one part sugar OR white wine + sugar to taste OR white wine
Oh wow that looks great! I actually went to school in Perth and thought it was such a lovely little city!! I have many friends there and plan to travel back one day. I will definitely look her up for a cooking class!!!
Heidi - Thank you for introducing us to Jude and to tempeh (I've never cooked with it either). This looks really delicious and crispy...one of my favorite textures. I'm also quite jealous that you enjoyed her company over coffee and croissants from Tartine (I'm an SF native, transplanted to London for the moment)!
Wow, this looks delicious. I haven't had tempeh in while this is a great excuse to make something with it! I've always wanted to make a good sweet citrus sauce, I bet this would taste great with lemon juice too. Thanks Heidi.
I have cooked with tempeh, and find I quite enjoy it. We also have a predilection for citrus around here, so I can't wait to give this recipe a try.