Tempeh Recipe: Balinese Pan Fried Tempeh With Spicy Sauce

Balinese Pan Fried Tempeh With A Spicy Tempeh Sauce.

A Vegan, High Protein Tempeh Recipe I Learnt On A Bali Retreat.

Quick, Low Cost, And Great With A Stir Fry.

 

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Introduction to this tempeh recipe

This tempeh recipe is thin slices of tempeh, lightly pan fried until light brown, then topped with a Balinese style sauce of garlic, capsicum or chilli, celery leaves, cayenne, tomato paste, soy sauce and spring onion. It’s vegan, and it’s a quick, low cost way to add plant protein to a stir fry, a lunch or a burger.

I learnt it in the free cooking class at a Flametree Bali yoga retreat, and I ate it several times there, as part of the three meals a day. Along with the black rice pudding I often had for breakfast, it had me well on the way to my protein for the day. Even better, it was all cooked for me!

At home, I keep an eye on getting enough protein each day. Tempeh, tofu, pulses and nuts like almonds are my main sources. Otherwise, I know I’ll be looking in the fridge for snacks I’d rather not have! I’m fussy, though. It has to be delicious, and this one never lets me down.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact us. Or chat with me at a Flametree yoga or meditation class via these timetables.

Pan fried tempeh with sauce, ready to eat

Ingredients for this tempeh recipe

Here are the ingredients for this Flametree Yoga Studio dish.

The tempeh

• 1 block of uncooked tempeh, plain or with some seasoning built in
• Olive oil or coconut oil, for light pan frying

The tempeh sauce

• 2 garlic cloves
• Fresh red capsicum or red chilli, chopped
• A handful of celery leaves
• Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• A teaspoon of tomato paste
• A teaspoon of soy sauce
• Salt, to taste
• A quarter of a cup of water
• 2 spring onions

The Primasoy brand of tempeh is organic, and you’ll find it in many health food stores. The Nature’s Kitchen brand is sold in supermarkets like Coles, and Woolworths has Macro brand tempeh. In Darwin, you can also buy a home made version from a vendor in the hallway at the Rapid Creek markets.

Blocks of fresh tempeh

The tempeh sauce

How to make this tempeh recipe

Use these steps to make this Balinese pan fried tempeh and sauce.

Step 1: Pan fry the tempeh

• Cut the tempeh into fine slices, no thicker than you see in the pictures.
• Pan fry them lightly in olive oil or coconut oil, until they’re light brown.

Step 2: Make the sauce

• Crush the 2 garlic cloves, and finely chop the capsicum or chilli.
• Fry them in a little oil.
• Add a quarter of a cup of water.
• Add the celery leaves, salt, cayenne pepper, tomato paste and soy sauce.
• Stir and cook.
• Add the spring onions.

Step 3: Serve

• Spoon the sauce over the tempeh, as in the pictures.
• Serve it with a stir fry, or use it in burgers and lunches.

Tempeh with sauce, stir fry and quinoa noodles

Tempeh at the Flametree Bali retreat

Is this tempeh recipe vegan and gluten free?

It’s vegan. Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans, and the sauce is vegetables, spices, tomato paste and soy sauce. It isn’t gluten free as written, because regular soy sauce contains wheat. If you need it gluten free, use a tamari labelled gluten free, and check the label on your tempeh too.

What is tempeh?

Tempeh is a firm cake made from fermented soybeans. It comes from Indonesia, and it has a nutty flavour and a chewy texture that holds up well to pan frying.

Tempeh is one of the highest protein plant foods I know, and the fresh blocks are a low cost way to get a good part of your protein.

What’s the difference between tempeh and tofu?

Both are made from soybeans. Tofu is made from soy milk pressed into blocks, so it’s smooth and soft. Tempeh is made from whole soybeans fermented into a firm cake, so it’s chewier and nuttier.

I use both for plant protein. If you like tofu too, try my easy tofu vegetable stir fry.

Where I learnt this tempeh recipe

Tempeh recipe: quick questions answered

How do you cook tempeh for this recipe?

Cut it into fine slices and pan fry them lightly in olive oil or coconut oil, until they’re light brown.

What do you serve with this tempeh?

I serve it with a stir fry, often with quinoa noodles. It’s also good in burgers and lunches.

Can I add mushrooms?

Yes. Add large mushrooms if you’d like a chewier texture and even more flavour.

Where can I buy tempeh in Darwin?

Coles has the Nature’s Kitchen brand, Woolworths has Macro tempeh, and many health food stores carry organic Primasoy. There’s also a home made version from a vendor at the Rapid Creek markets.

Where did this Balinese tempeh recipe come from?

I learnt it in the free cooking class on a Flametree Bali yoga retreat, and ate it several times while I was there.

More Flametree high protein vegan recipes

For more plant protein, try my quinoa and stir fried vegetables with black beans, my red lentil and tomato soup, or my black rice noodles stir fry with tofu.

Do you have a vegan recipe or dish you’d like to share?

Please contact me with any dishes you’d like to share with me.

Obviously, I’m especially interested in any dish that is already a great Darwin vegan option.

Alternatively, it may be a potential vegan Darwin recipe that I could adapt, or be inspired by, as I did here.

Experience eating alternatives at a Flametree Yoga Retreat

By the way, there are several upcoming Flametree yoga retreats in Bali in 2027.

Contact us for details of our Darwin yoga retreat packages, or our yoga class packages in the orange lines below.

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Learning to eat mindfully, as a result of yoga and pranayama meditation, is a great way to start more of a vegetarian or vegan journey, or simply mindfully eat whatever you choose.

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Recipe by Chris Lalor, Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin NT. General information only.