Today’s recipe is a simple lemongrass tempeh dish that makes perfect use of late summer tomatoes if you happen to have an abundance of them at your disposal. This take on a Vietnamese classic of flavouring tomato sauce with citrusy lemongrass is easy and delicious and makes for a welcome change from Italian inspired tomato sauce dishes that many of us resort to at this time of the year.
This dish could be made either with tofu or tempeh. I picked tempeh as I am on a bit of a tempeh kick lately in a bid to increase the amount of plant protein I consume to build muscle. If using tempeh, season it with a bit of soy sauce while the lemongrass sauce is bubbling away and then fry in a little oil until golden. If using tofu, you may want to marinate it for a bit longer as it’s more absorbent than tempeh due to its spongey texture. Serve it with the sauce over some plain rice and garnish with herbs for a satiating yet still light and summery dish. Enjoy!
MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
TEMPEH: Tempeh is an excellent, natural plant based protein that works wonderfully in this dish. As opposed to tofu, it does not need any pressing or freezing and defrosting. I used to steam by tempeh before using but have stopped doing that and I am liking its flavour all the same. All you need to do it to prep it is to season it with a bit of soy sauce (or tamari if you are making this dish soy-free) and fry until golden.
LEMONGRASS: As this dish is called lemongrass tempeh, lemongrass is an essential ingredient here, but the good news is that all the big supermarkets sell it these days. I used 6 stalks as I wanted a punchy flavour but you can use fewer especially if you live somewhere where lemongrass is grown and therefore more aromatic.
SHALLOTS: Shallots, which are milder than onions, make for a great base for this simple Vietnamese-inspired sauce. Onion works well enough too so don’t let the lack of shallots put you off making this lemongrass tempeh.
GARLIC & GINGER: Garlic and ginger are two other aromatics that form the backbone of so many South East Asian dishes and this one is no exception. Dice them both finely and pan-fry slowly to get the maximum amount of flavour out.
CHILLI: If you enjoy a bit of a kick, use a couple of Thai chillies here alongside ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Take the seeds out for less heat or keep them in if you are brave.
SOY SAUCE: I use a bit of soy sauce to season my tempeh briefly before frying and a little bit more to add certain je ne sais quoi to my lemongrass tempeh sauce. In traditional Vietnamese recipes, fish sauce is added for extra depth of flavour so if you have a good vegan fish sauce add a splash of it in the sauce instead.
SPICES: I used a teaspoon of ground cumin and coriander and a bit of white pepper to give the sauce a bit more complexity.
LIME: A good squeeze of lime adds brightness to the sauce and works well with tomatoes’ natural sweetness that I like to enhance with a touch of sugar.
TOMATOES: I used good quality canned tomatoes to make this sauce as I live in the UK, which is not exactly known for good tomatoes (although with the heatwaves we have been having lately we may have a bumper crop of them this summer). If you live somewhere where
good tomatoes abound, use fresh tomatoes instead. Six medium ones is roughly equivalent to two cans.
- 400 g / 14 g tempeh
- approx. 2 tbsp / 30 ml soy sauce (or tamari if GF), divided
- approx. 60 ml / 4 tbsp grapeseed oil, or similar, for frying
- 2 medium banana shallots, finely diced
- 30 g / 1 oz, finely grated ginger
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely diced
- 2 Thai chilies, finely diced
- 6 lemongrass stalks, inner part chopped finely
- 2 x 400 g / 14 oz cans of tinned tomatoes or fresh*
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 juicy lime
- 1-2 tsp sugar
- a handful of coriander and mint, to serve
- cooked rice
- Cut tempeh into 1 cm / 0.4 inch slices and coat on both sides in approx. 4 tsp (20 ml) of soy sauce. Set aside to season while you make the sauce.
- Pre-heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large frying pan. Add finely diced shallots and fry gently, on low heat, until almost translucent.
- Next, add in grated ginger finely diced garlic, chillies, lemongrass and a pinch of salt. Carry on trying on very low heat until fragrant and until the garlic is no longer translucent.
- Stir cumin, coriander and white pepper into the aromatics. After 60 seconds, add both cans of tomatoes, a can worth of water and a good pinch of salt.
- Increase the heat a little and allow the sauce to bubble and thicken, stirring every now and then.
- In a separate pan, pan-fry seasoned tempeh in batches, until golden on both sides. Cut into small, bite-size pieces for serving.
- Once the sauce has thickened (about 60 minutes on low-medium heat), season it with soy sauce to taste (or vegan fish sauce if you have it), sugar and a good squeeze of lime.
- Serve the sauce and tempeh over cooked rice, garnished with fresh herbs.