Name: Tamarind-Glazed Baked Tempeh (Tempe Orek Kering)
Yield: Makes 2 servings as part of a multicourse meal
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons shaved palm sugar or brown sugar; ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt; ¼ cup (60 ml) Air Asam or ½ cup (120 ml) store-bought tamarind concentrate; 1 tablespoon water, plus more as needed; 2 teaspoons sambal oelek, or to taste; 2 makrut lime leaves, crushed; 2 cloves garlic, sliced; 1 stalk lemongrass, trimmed and bruised; 3 (½-inch/12-mm) slices galangal; 2 small Asian shallots or 1 large European shallot, sliced; 1 package (½ lb/225 g) tempeh, cut into small rectangles or matchsticks; 5 tablespoons (75 ml) vegetable oil, divided

Preparation info

Makes
2
servings as part of a multicourse meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Mortar and Pestle

By Patricia Tanumihardja

Published 2024

About

This dish of crispy tempeh bits doused in a sweet and sour tamarind sauce disguises the true funky taste of tempeh. It’s a great introductory dish for anyone new to tempeh. Julia deep-fries her tempeh, but I prefer to bake it in the oven until crisp. If you can’t find all the herbs, just gather as many as you can. The dish will still be tasty. The recipe is easily scaled up to feed more people.