Stir-Fried Tempeh with Kecap Manis (Oseng-Oseng Tempe)

This stir-fried tempe or tempeh is cooked down with homemade kecap manis or sweet soy sauce. It’s a simple yet tasty and protein-packed dish that you can easily prepare and enjoy with rice. This Oseng-Oseng Tempe, literally meaning stir-fried tempeh, is vegan and ready in 30 minutes or less!

THE INSPIRATION

Indonesian flavours and my love for kecap manis brought this dish together. I love to make my own homemade sweet soy sauce or kecap manis and just store it until ready to use. It adds this complex flavour to any dish and is perfect for stir-fries, noodles, dipping sauces, and so much more.

As for tempe or tempeh, I was never really a big fan of tempe and really preferred tofu over tempe any day but I’m glad I gave it another chance. I’ve been speaking to Imman of @tempe_dude, an Indonesian based in Manila, who makes his own tempe at home about good ways to cook tempe and he said it’s to deep fry them—and I totally agree.

Imman also sent me some of hims homemade tempe to try and they’re amazing! No after-tastes whatsoever that put me off before since the tempe I had access to were probably not of good quality. Good quality tempe usually smells fresh and has no weird/off-putting smell and has a somewhat nutty bite and taste to it—but very neutral tasting, which makes it good to season with different sauces.

THE TEMPE OR TEMPEH

I actually have here 2 different blocks of tempeh.

• Above: soy tempe (the traditional and most common one!)
• Below: red kidney bean tempe

Imman put together some great tempe FAQs in this Instagram page here

• If using frozen tempe, make sure it’s thawed at room temperature.
• Slice the tempe into 1” (2.5 cm) cubes or other shape of choice.

OTHER INGREDIENTS

• 3 shallots thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 green chiles sliced
• 1 small bell pepper thinly sliced

KECAP MANIS

You can purchase kecap manis or opt to make your own! I love to make my own and just store it until ready to use.

You can find my homemade kecap manis recipe here.

COOKING THE TEMPE OR TEMPEH TIL CRISP

• Deep-frying: Heat a large frying pan or wok over medium heat. Add enough oil to completely submerge the tempe. Leave the oil to heat up. If there are small bubbles, you can test out the heat by placing a piece. The tempe should immediately sizzle.
• Fry the tempe for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oil and set aside.
• Pan-frying option: you can opt to pan/fry the tempeh in a non stick pan with less oil. Just make sure to pan fry these until crisp on all sides.

STIR-FRYING THE TEMPE

You can use the same pan or wok and heat 1-2 tbsp oil.

Sauté the shallots, chiles, bell pepper, and garlic over medium high heat. Once aromatic, around 2 minutes, add back in the fried or pan/fried tempe.

• Season with kecap manis and mix well. Allow to cook and simmer in the sauce for 2-3 minutes. Taste the tempe and feel free to season with more to taste, if needed.
• Serve your stir fried tempeh or oseng-oseng tempe with rice. Enjoy!

ENJOY YOUR STIR-FRIED TEMPEH

OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

• Chinese Sweet and Sour "Pork"
• Crispy Wontons
• Kung Pao Tofu
• Pineapple Cashew Tofu Stir-Fry
• Crispy Salt and Pepper Tofu
• Black Pepper Tofu Steaks
• Tofu "Chicken" Teriyaki
• Korean Spicy Braised Tofu
• Fried 'Chicken' and Gravy

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