Orange Glazed Tempeh

Several years ago, I took a day trip down to Cincinatti with my parents for a food adventure. We lived in Dayton at the time, and my mom had read about a few restaurants she wanted to try (I get my love of good edibles from her), so we decided to head down around suppertime and hit them all. I don’t actually remember the other two of the restaurants very well, but the first stop was unforgettable. It was a restaurant called The Melt, which I’ve heard has since closed (insert frowny face). They specialized in vegetarian and vegan food and it was here that I got my first-ever taste of tempeh. If I recall correctly, it was marinated and sandwiched between some super yummy slices of bread and with various roasted vegetables. I had never heard of this weird soy product. But I was hooked.

Nowadays, you can find tempeh in pretty much any health food store (or any decent grocery store period in California…. Sniff…I miss that). If you haven’t ever tried it, you must remedy the situation! But I suppose I should try to sell you on it instead of just ordering you around. While tempeh is made from soybeans, just like tofu, it is drastically different in both taste and texture. Both of these qualities will vary nominally from one brand to another, but basically, tempeh is WAY meatier than tofu. At risk of making you not want to try it, I’ll explain why. Tempeh is actually made from whole soybeans that have been fermented. This sounds gross and even unhealthy, but the process actually gives the finished product a meaty texture, an earthy (but mild) flavor and even allows it to retain more of the soy bean’s protein and dietary fiber (14 and 6 grams respectively). And when prepared well, it is so satisfying.

Which brings me to this recipe. I adapted it from one of my favorite food bloggers, Heidi Swanson of 101 Cookbooks, who adapted it from the book Coming Home to Eat: Whole Food for the Family. Believe it or not, even though I’ve loved tempeh all these years, this was my first time preparing it and I’m happy to report that it was easy-peasy, not to mention a hit. My dad loved this stuff and I think yours will too.

Orange Glazed Tempeh

Serves 4

2 c orange juice (use 3-4 large juicy oranges for fresh squeezed)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 ½ Tbls tamari (or soy sauce)
3 Tbls mirin (Japanese condiment, find it in any grocery store’s Asian food section)
1 Tbls maple syrup
2 tsp ground coriander
2-3 large garlic cloves, crushed
roughly 16 oz of tempeh (probably 2 packages)

3-4 Tbls sesame oil (olive is fine too)

1 Tbls sesame seeds

1/2 lime

Combine the orange juice, ginger, tamari, mirin, maple syrup, ground coriander, and garlic in a small

bowl. Mix together and set aside.

Cut the tempeh into thin-ish, bite-sized pieces.

Put the 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 thick glaze.

Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with a generous squeeze of lime.

Tips: This recipe works really well with tofu also. I actually bought some pre-fried tofu triangles at our local Asian foods store before I found a store that sold the tempeh, and while I’m not certain about how healthy they were, they tasted great with the sauce. Also, when I make this again, I might actually double the sauce. It’s so yummy, but once it cooks down, there isn’t any left to drizzle over your rice… which is desirable.