Tempeh in Spicy Coconut Sauce

Name: Tempeh in Spicy Coconut Sauce
Ingredients: 250 g 2-3 days old tempeh / tempeh semangit; 2 pc salam leaves or bay leaves; 2 cm galangale, bruised; 500 ml thick coconut milk; 1 l cold water; 1 tsp sugar / palm sugar; 1 tsp salt or to taste; 5 pc large red chillies; 5 pc small red chillies / bird chillies; 3 cm kencur (lesser Galangale), peeled (or 1½ tsp kencur powder/dried kencu); 5 pc shallots, peeled; 2 gloves garlic, peeled; 2 pc kaffir lime leaves

Origin: Kediri – East Java
Source: My mother

Ingredients

250 g 2-3 days old tempeh / tempeh semangit
2 pc salam leaves or bay leaves
2 cm galangale, bruised
500 ml thick coconut milk
1 l cold water
1 tsp sugar / palm sugar
1 tsp salt or to taste

Spice for the paste

5 pc large red chillies
5 pc small red chillies / bird chillies
3 cm kencur (lesser Galangale), peeled or 1½ tsp kencur powder/dried kencu
5 pc shallots, peeled
2 gloves garlic, peeled
2 pc kaffir lime leaves

Tempeh in Spicy Coconut Sauce

This is a famous traditional dish from my hometown Kediri, a town lies in the near of Mount Kelud, East Java Province. This dish called: Sambal Tumpang. It is a actually a kind of sauce which made from old tempe, means tempe which let uncooked in room temperature for 2-3 days. By keeping in room temperature, the fermentation process of tempe continues, giving a distinctive sourness taste & browny color that makes it different from the fresh tempe. And what about the taste?? Well all I can say is you never know until you've tried 😉

Notes: It is impossible to get old tempe in western countries otherwise the shop will be closed by the authority by selling so called "Rotten Tempe" 😉 Therefore you can buy fresh tempe & let it in room temperature for 2 days or if you feel insecure, just take the fresh tempe & cook right away. I assure you, the taste maybe a little bit different but it still taste good 😉

Instructions

Put these following ingredients in a large/deep saucepan: Tempe, shallots, garlic, chillies, kaffir-lime leaves, salam leaves, galangale & lesser galangale. Add-on 1 liter cold water.
Bring to boil & cook until all the above ingredients becomes soften. Remove from heat.
Take out all ingredients except galangale & salam leaves. Keep the stock.
Put all the other ingredients for the paste in a mortar/blender and grind/blend until smooth. (If necessery add a little water from the stock to help the blending process). Add the paste into the pan.
Put tempeh in a mortar & bruise/crash lighltly with the pestle until tempe is torn apart ( see pic).
Add the paste and pounded tempeh into the saucepan. Bring all these over high heat to boil.
Adjust the stove into medium heat, add the coconut milk & bring to boil. Stir occasionally.
Adjust the sesoning, add salt & sugar to taste.
Continue to simmer until the sauce becomes thicker. Stir frequently.
Serve hot with rice & blanched vegetables.