Cantonese-Style Orange-Sauced Tempeh
This version of a favourite restaurant dish is another fine example of how well citrus marries with tempeh.
2 cups (500 mL) low-sodium vegan “chicken-style” broth (see recipe here)
2 - 8 oz (230 g) packages tempeh
3 Tbsp (45 mL) dry sherry (or nonalcoholic sweet white wine)
1 1/2 Tbsp (22 mL) low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp (30 mL) cornstarch
1 cup (250 mL) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp (30 mL) any neutral flavour cooking oil
Sauce
1 cup (250 mL) cold low-sodium vegan “chicken-style” broth (see recipe here)
1 cup (250 mL) fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp (30 mL) light granulated unbleached sugar
4 tsp (20 mL) fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
2 tsp (10 mL) dark sesame oil
Garnish
6 thin orange slices (with peel), cut in half
Bring first 2 cups (500 mL) broth to simmer in wide skillet or sauté pan. Add tempeh and simmer over medium-low heat, covered, for 10 minutes. Lift out tempeh using wide spatula and place on plate. Rinse out pan and dry. Quick-cool tempeh in freezer while you assemble remaining ingredients.
In small bowl whisk together sherry, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Cut tempeh into approximately 36 - 1 in (2.5 cm) squares. Dip each square into sherry-soy sauce mixture, then coat with flour and set on a dry baking sheet.
Heat oil in large seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add coated tempeh squares and brown on both sides. Remove to baking sheet.
Whisk together sauce ingredients, add to same pan, and stir over high heat until it begins to thicken. Add browned tempeh pieces and orange slices. When sauce is thickened to your liking, spoon each serving onto steamed brown basmati rice. Distribute orange slices and remaining sauce evenly. Serve immediately.
Serves 6.
Each serving contains: 311 calories; 17 g protein; 15 g total fat (2.5 g sat. fat, 0 trans fat); 31 g carbohydrates; 1 g fibre; 350 mg sodium
source: "Tempeh for Dinner", alive #358, August 2012
Cantonese-Style Orange-Sauced Tempeh
Directions
Bryanna Clark Grogan
Bryanna Clark Grogan is the author of World Vegan Feast (2nd ed., Vegan Heritage Press, 2014) and eight more vegan cookbooks.
READ THIS NEXT
SEE MORE »
Turkey Enchilada Stuffed Poblano Peppers
In this enchilada riff, we stuff everything into a roasted poblano pepper shell, rather than tortillas, to pack an extra veggie serving into your meal and trim the starchy calories. If you can’t find poblanos, which are mild, dark green Mexican peppers, you can substitute green bell peppers. Flour power Made from nixtamalized corn (corn soaked in limewater), masa harina flour adds a touch of corny flavour to enchilada stuffing or a pot of chili.
Crab Cap Salad
These crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms can do double duty as a fancy starter for a casual dinner party or a light main course on any given night. Meaty and umami-rich portobellos serve as a holder for a light-tasting seafood salad. Gills begone Even though the gills of mushrooms are edible, they will darken and discolour everything they touch. Besides, after you scrape out the gills, you’ll have more room for stuffing. And don’t discard the stems; they can be saved and used when making veggie stock.
Curried Lentil Stuffed Squash
Serving saucy lentils in squash halves is a sure-fire way to elevate your plant-based menu. And, yes, the whole bowl is edible, skin and all. If desired, you can add dollops of Greek yogurt or sour cream. Spice of life Garam masala, a blend of spices traditionally used in Indian cooking, usually includes cardamom, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, fennel, cumin, and coriander. It’s great on roasted meats and vegetables.
Kartoffelknödel Potato Dumplings Stuffed with Toasted Bread and Spinach
“Germans do potatoes in general very well,” says Canadian expat Chris Gilles, who now lives in Munich and has celebrated many an Oktoberfest there. “Knödel seem kind of rubbery. You don’t really think it’s potato when you first see it, but it’s tasty.” But he might be surprised to find that this alive -inspired version of Bavarian potato dumplings is made with a combination of potato and cauliflower, because as anyone who’s eaten cauliflower gnocchi knows, the low-carb vegetable is a great way to lighten up starch-heavy foods (and Biergarten menus). Happy Knödelfest! The original version of these snacks are so popular that it even gets its own food fest: Knödelfest, which happens in September in Austria, about a 1 1/2-hour drive from Munich. If alive threw a Knödelfest, these dumplings would definitely be on the menu, served simply as snacks with sliced radishes and fresh parsley or dill, or topped with butter, beer gravy, or mushroom sauce. The dumpling test You can test one dumpling by shaping it and then boiling it before shaping the rest. If the water is lower than a boil and it still falls apart, add more starch to the batter before shaping another ball and testing again.