I recently found out that one of my local grocery stores sold a large variety of tempeh blocks along with the typical tofu blocks which got me really excited. As much as I love tofu, the texture of tempeh is just a lot more appealing to me and it tastes really great. Although some people complain the tempeh is just a little too bitter for them, I still really enjoy it.
So today, I want to share with you how to prepare tempeh to make it less bitter and also share with you a marinate I have found that actually works really well with the slight bitter taste of tempeh. This is one of my favorite marinates. It’s super easy and it tastes great over rice or on a salad! Heat up a little of the marinate and you get a great salad dressing as well!
To make better tasting tempeh
Ingredients
- 1 block of tempeh
- 2 cups water
- Place block of tempeh into a small sauce pan with 2 cups of water, or enough to cover the block
- Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool in water completely.
- Dry off and cook as desired
The boiling of the tempeh helps to pull out that bitter flavor. It doesn’t make it completely go away (after all, it is fermented soy, so it will taste slightly fermented) but it will make it more tolerable just on its own.
You can eat the tempeh just after doing this, but I suggest a marinade and baking it as well!
Marinate
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic
- Mix together all ingredients in a sealable bag.
- Cut tempeh into strips and marinate in bag for 1 hour or up to 24 hours. The longer it soaks, the more flavor will be absorbed.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Place marinated tempeh on a baking sheet lined with foil
- Bake for 10 minutes. Bake for 10-15 minutes longer until edges are crisp.
Like I said earlier, this is a really simple marinate, but it works in many different ways. You can serve it as a salad, over rice, or just by itself. There are lots of things you can do with this marinate!
What’s your favorite marinate? Let me know in the comments below.
Until next time,
Kat
Kat Classics 