Move over tofu; tempeh’s the whole soy food

I was skeptical, too. That’s why I did a little bit of research before writing this week’s A la Carte story on tempeh.

I knew it was a soy food. I knew that it underwent some sort of fermentation process. But the idea that I should eat tempeh instead of tofu never occurred to me.

I don’t love tofu, but I do find it palatable after crisping in a bit of oil. I eat bean curd probably about once a week in a stir-fry, Asian noodle dish or soup. But I had to laugh when Lorie Fleischman, aka Comet, who is teaching Tuesday’s class on tempeh said that people often don’t like tofu because it’s “spongy and weird.” Seeing as she mentioned it, it is spongy and weird.

Then I started talking to Mary Shaw, culinary educator at Ashland Food Co-op. As soon as I heard the words “whole food,” I began warming up to tempeh. I’ve been trying to eat a basically whole-foods diet for the past decade or so, and tempeh leaves all the soybean’s edible parts intact, boosting fiber, protein and other nutrients.

Then I tasted the tempeh Mary had prepared for our photo shoot by braising in tamari sauce and sherry vinegar. I’d had lunch, so I couldn’t have been that hungry, but I couldn’t stop eating it. It was salty, savory, nutty and toothsome all at once. My next trip to the grocery store included a purchase of this Indonesian staple.

I tried tempeh last night in a stir-fry, basically browning it in my wok and then braising with a mixture of ponzu and Chinese black vinegar. To the stir-fry, I added Japanese eggplants and garden green beans. The tempeh wasn’t quite as good as Mary’s. I think I still need to work out my flavor combinations, but I was encouraged.

If you’re keen to try tempeh, it’s pretty much available at any grocery store. And then get some ideas for cooking it at this Tuesday’s Co-op class.