Marinated Tempeh Stir-fry with Broccoli & Red Bell Pepper

This recipe is a great standby for when we have vegetarian friends over for dinner or we're just not feeling like eating meat, and it's suitable for vegans too. Tempeh is an ingredient some of you may not be familiar with, however, don't let that put you off as it should be quite easy to source in any good health food shop. It's has a nice chewy texture and is particularly tasty when marinaded. It is sold in jars or vacuum packs so it is something that can be safely kept for a while and I find it quite useful as a store cupboard ingredient. For those of you who have never tried it, here's some information I found on Wikipedia -

Tempeh is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybean particles into a cake form. It originated in Indonesia, where it is most popular, although it is common in other parts of Southeast Asia as well. It is especially popular on the island of Java, where it is a staple source of protein. Like tofu, tempeh is made from soybeans, but tempeh is a whole soybean product with different nutritional characteristics and textural qualities. Tempeh's fermentation process and its retention of the whole bean give it a higher content of protein, dietary fibre and vitamins compared to tofu, as well as firmer texture and stronger flavor. Because of its nutritional value, tempeh is used worldwide in vegetarian cuisine; some consider it to be a meat analogue.

As with any stir-fry, having everything prepared before you start cooking is essential. With that done the actual stir-frying only takes minutes. Like most dishes with an Asian take, we serve this with rice. Ho hum, it seems like we are having a lot of rice this week and I've got rice planned for tomorrow too. Must make next week a rice-free week!

Although the marinade is very simple, the resulting dish has a very deep taste thanks to the soy sauce. Also the tempeh lends a nice textural contrast to the vegetables, which with their bright colours makes for a stunning meal on the plate. Light and healthy, and easy to make too. If you've never used tempeh making this recipe would be a good way to familiarise yourself with it.

Marinated Tempeh Stir-fry with Broccoli & Red Bell Pepper
Serves 2

• 110g soy tempeh or 3-grain tempeh, cut into small cubes
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
• 1/8 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 350g broccoli, stems peeled and cut into small cubes, florets divided into pieces
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• small red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tbsp spring onion, thinly sliced

Stir together the tempeh, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and chilli flakes in a medium bowl to blend. Let marinate an hour or so at room temperature. Steam the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Strain the marinade from the tempeh into a small bowl; set tempeh aside. Now whisk the water, honey and cornstarch into the marinade.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add the marinated tempeh and diced bell pepper, and sauté 4 minutes. Add the broccoli and marinade mixture, and sauté until broccoli is heated through and sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with the spring onion and serve.

Cook's note: The very first time I made this I used Japanese Tamari instead of light soy sauce, a big mistake as it was very over-powering. Now I use Japanese soy sauce which I prefer to the supermarket stuff. As it plays a prominent role in this dish, make sure you use one of a good quality.