Tempeh Slaw Salad with Peanut Dressing
So many people have heard about tempeh and are keen to try it, but have no idea where to start – I know because I used to be one of them. This salad was my gateway to tempeh! It is a great gentle introduction, using a punchy dressing and lots of contrasting texture in the salad to balance out tempeh’s flavour and texture.
Let’s start with a quick Tempeh 101 – you may have heard about it before but many people still aren’t clear on what it is, how to cook it or why you should be eating it! Tempeh is originally from Indonesia and is made from fermented soybeans. It is high in protein and a great plant-based alternative to meat and chicken. You can buy it fresh in most supermarkets or frozen, defrost it fully before cooking. As well as being high in fibre, tempeh provides fibre, iron, calcium and antioxidants. If you are a vegan or vegetarian tempeh is a great source of iron, protein and calcium which can be a bit trickier to get in. For those who eat meat regularly, tempeh is a great alternative due to its texture and ability to soak up flavours and it is also much lower in saturated fats than red meat. High intake of saturated fats is linked to heart disease and insulin resistance. Reducing the intake of fatty meats and replacing them with a high-fibre soy-based alternative will support heart health and blood sugar control.
This came about from a recent picnic dinner – we had summer rolls with peanut dipping sauce and a salad made up of everything left lurking in the back of the fridge. Rather than bring a second dressing I just used some of the dipping sauce to dress the salad and it worked so well together that it deserved a dedicated recipe! These bags of pre-made slaw mix are so handy, they do all the hard work of shredding cabbage thinly enough so that it’s enjoyable raw! And you aren’t left with half a head of cabbage looking at you for two weeks before you guilty chuck it out.
I have to give full credit to Mr Full Life Dietitian for the tempeh cooking method - he does all the tempeh cooking in our house, he has such a knack for it!
Crunchy, peanutty, sweet, salty and umami-ey salad with tempeh, edamame beans and lots of coriander. You could swap the tempeh for form tofu or leftover cooked chicken.
To make this a complete meal you can add some roasted sweet potatoes - either cubed and mixed into the salad or wedges on the side.
Ingredients
Dressing:
Ginger about 1-inch piece, peeled
Garlic 1 large clove
Peanut butter 1/3 cup or 80 g
Soy sauce 1.5 Tbs
Rice wine vinegar 2 Tbs
Sesame oil 1 Tbs
Brown sugar 1 tsp
Water 1/3 cup or 85 ml
50g frozen edamame (Optional, you could sub with frozen peas)
200g Slaw mix – this is a bag of shredded carrot and cabbage, without any dressing. Sometimes they have beetroot or herbs as well. You’ll find them with bagged salad. Alternatively, grate two carrots and finely shred 1/4 of a cabbage.
A few spoons of kimchi/sauerkraut - optional but very tasty
1 small bag of mixed salad leaves.
1 block of tempeh or firm tofu or leftover cooked chicken
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
2 big handfuls of fresh coriander leaves – try to avoid buying the little 30g bags of you can – 30g is just so little herb for so much plastic! Some smaller shops sleep big bunches that are great value or else the potted plants give much more bang for your buck.
To bulk it up you could add roasted sweet potatoes - chop two sweet potatoes into one inch cubes, drizzle with oil and roast for 40 minutes.
Method
Make the dressing – this can be done in a food processor or just whisked by hand in a bowl.
Food processor method: chop the garlic and ginger into chunks and blitz until smooth. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and rice vinegar. Blitz again. Add the water and give a final blitz to combine.
Whisk and bowl: finely chop and mince the garlic and ginger as best you can with a sharp knife and add to a large bowl with the peanut butter. Whisk to combine. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and rice vinegar and whisk well to combine. For this method, I suggest using warm water as it mixes better. Slowly add the warm water in thirds – whisking well between each addition. It may look a bit odd or curdled but keep whisking and it will come together!
2. Cooked the edamame/peas in a pan of boiled water for 5 minutes, drain set aside.
3. In a large bowl mix the slaw mix, salad leaves, kimchi/sauerkraut, most of the coriander leaves and dressing.
4. Chop the tempeh into 1-inch cubes. Put a large heavy-based or nonstick frying pan over a medium heat and add the sesame oil. Once hot add the tempeh and cook one side for about 3 minutes. Flip and drizzle over the soy sauce. Now add 2 tablespoons of cold water and quickly pop a lid on top – the aim is to steam the tempeh. Steam for about 4 minutes, then take the lid off and take off the heat.
If you are using tofu, use a similar method but rather than adding water and steaming, just keep frying until cooked through and all sides and browned.
5. Plate up – start with the salad mix then top with the edamame and tempeh. Sprinkle over any leftover coriander leaves and serve!
