Sambal Goreng Tempeh

Making Sambal Goreng Tempeh Ahead

Airtight at room temperature for 5 days — it stays crisp. Do not refrigerate.

Sambal Goreng Tempeh: The Method

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1. Cut the tempeh into matchsticks no thicker than 5 mm — thicker pieces will not crisp all the way through.

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2. Heat the oil to 170°C / 340°F and fry the tempeh in three batches for 4 to 5 minutes each, until deep golden and hard.

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3. Drain on a rack and let them cool completely. Do not stack them.

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4. Blend the soaked chillies, shallots and garlic to a coarse paste.

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5. Heat 3 tablespoons of the frying oil in a wok and fry the paste for 8 minutes over medium heat until it darkens and the oil separates.

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6. Add the lemongrass, lime leaves, tamarind, palm sugar and salt.

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7. Cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until the sugar has melted and the sambal is thick, glossy and sticky rather than runny.

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8. Turn the heat to high, add the cooled tempeh and the peanuts, and toss for 60 seconds only, until every piece is coated.

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9. Tip onto a tray in a single layer to cool slightly, which keeps it crisp.

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10. Serve at room temperature with rice, scattered with fried shallots.

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Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Choosing rice.

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Worth Knowing

• Thin matchsticks and a proper fry. Soft tempeh will not survive the sambal.
• Cool the tempeh before it meets the sauce.
• Sticky sambal, not saucy. Sixty seconds of tossing, then out of the pan.

Why the Method Is What It Is

The tempeh has to be fried until genuinely crisp and then cooled before it meets the sauce, or it absorbs moisture and goes soft within minutes. Cooking the palm sugar sambal until it is thick and sticky rather than saucy means it coats the tempeh in a lacquer that keeps the crunch.

What to Put Next to It

Steamed rice · Gado gado · Iced tea

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the red chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Sambal Goreng Tempeh FAQ

Sambal Goreng Tempeh Nutrition

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (how much frying oil the food takes up cannot be known from the recipe). Why some recipes have none.

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