Fried Tempeh and Tofu

Name: Fried Tempeh & Tofu
Ingredients: 400 g tempeh; 400 g tofu; oil to deep fry (approx. 150 ml); 1 gloves garlic; 1 tsp coriander seeds (or 1/2 tsp coriander powder); 1 tsp salt or to taste; 100 ml cold water

Origin: Java Island

Ingredients

400 g tempeh
400 g tofu
oil to deep fry (approx. 150 ml)

Spice for the paste

1 gloves garlic
1 tsp coriander seeds or 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
100 ml cold water

Fried Tempeh & Tofu

Tempeh is one of daily or "must have" menus & originally made in Indonesia. It is regarded as an Indonesian invention. One say tempeh is healthy nutrition with high protein. Other say, it is a cheap food, consumed by low to middle class of Indonesian society. It depends from which prepective you see it. The fact is, tempeh and tofu are good food with high protein & a reasonable price that every Indonesian can afford! People even said, it is merely a meat subtitute for many Indonesian who're not able to buy meat which's' getting more & more expensive nowdays.

Though it looks simple, not everybody is able to make tasty fried tempeh & tofu, especially those who have no experience with asian's specialty. Like my colleague, who told me one day: Tofu is tasteless, like eating sponge!!! ha hah… I asked her, how she made it. She said "Just boiled & eat!" OK I understood & just grined 😉

So if you are one amongs my colleagues then you can try this recipe. You will find out, tempeh & tofu aren't just a white sponges'. In contrary, tempe and tofu can be cooked in many varieties way like we Indonesian do, for example: in a sweet seasoned spices called "Tempeh Bacem", seasoned crispy-fried "Kering Tempe" or a light variant of a tofu and tempe in spicy coconut milk "Tahu Tempe Kuah Santan". You can have them also as a spicy Tempe sauce called "Sambal Tumpang" or fried then bruised in spicy sambal, famous as "Tempe Penyet" or as a stir fried dish called "Tumis Buncis Tempe" and last but not least for spicy "Sambal Tempe". Had you enough?! 😉 I hope you give this recipe a try and you'll gain better sight & understanding of authentic Indonesian tempeh and tofu recipes, not just westernised or veggie Tempeh-Burger!!!

Honest to say, Tempeh is one of Indonesia's best delicacies in its simple authentic way but all became wrong in those over-done bastardized printed-book recipes!! The choice is yours and good luck 😉

Instructions

For Marinade: Grind garlic, koriander & salt in a mortar / grinding stone and grind until smooth.
Add 100 ml cold water. Stir to mix. Try the taste & add more salt if necessary. This step is necessary to get the optimum saltines.
Slice the tempeh & tofu in 1cm thinly rectangular shapes or as desired. Put aside.
Soak the tempeh & tofu in the mixture one by one with your hand. Make sure both side are marinated well. Put aside for 15 minutes.
Heat enough oil in a frying-pan on a medium heat.
Deep-fry the sliced tempe then tofu over medium-high heat in a hot oil.
Turn around to the other side until both sides golden brown.
Pat-dry with kitchen paper if necessary. Serve Tempeh and Tofu hot with "Stir-Fried Water Spinach" and "Sambal Kecap".
Tips: * A little bit salty is better than too little salt. The salt consistency will be reduced during frying process & reverse method is not applicable.