The first time Gav and I made tempeh he took one bite and “ew, no.” He didn’t like the taste, the texture or the smell. I’m laughing right this because I remember the moment so clear that it took us months to buy tempeh again. As it turns out, we had tried a very – how do I say – “natural” chickpea tempeh. Spoiler alert: don’t buy chickpea tempeh if it’s your first time trying tempeh. After buying regular tempeh and giving it a good marinade, he was 100% in. And tempeh was officially welcome in our household.
What is tempeh?
Tempeh is often misunderstood. Think of tempeh as tofu’s fermented cousin. Both made from soybeans, tempeh is made through a process fermentation process of soaking the soybeans. It means it’s less processed and has a lot of nutrients. It’s also pretty high in fibre. I go into full detail here but long story short: I love tempeh as a vegan protein option. You just have to know how to use it.
Because of the texture of tempeh, it really soaks up flavour and gets beautifully crisp on the outside while staying soft on the inside. I was really feeling for some tempeh so I asked Gav to pick up some at the supermarket. While I was originally going to just make a tempeh version of my Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry in Sweet Ginger Sauce, an idea popped into my head – why not in peanut ginger sauce? I love a great thai peanut sauce. I’ve used it with Fresh Spring Rolls, an Asian Noodle Salad and even with a Cashew Thai Quinoa Salad. It’s creamy, umami packed, salty and high in protein and fat. Hello flavour town. Toss crispy tempeh that immediately soaks up this flavour into that sauce and some broccoli and carrot and you have a divine 35 minute stir fry. The peanut ginger sauce gets nice and thick and really coats the tempeh too, creating a rich flavour all around. Trust me, you’re going to want to give this one a try soon.
What to serve with stir fry
I served this tempeh stir fry up with some seasoned cauliflower rice, and man, I forgot how much I love cauliflower rice! I’m not a big fan of rice (unless we are talking about sushi and fried rice), so even when Gav and I were dating, I would always get noodles with my lunch from our favourite Asian restaurant. After a few years I felt myself not wanting noodles as much, so I would gravitate to rice. Except I had to really soak them in sauce to give them some flavour. I love that with cauliflower rice I can really season it up and that it’s made so quickly! Plus, it’s also low carb and lots of nutrients. You can check out my cauliflower rice recipe here.
Tips for making this Tempeh Stir Fry with Peanut Ginger Sauce
Is this Tempeh Stir Fry Low Carb?
Since you know I’m having fun experimenting with lower carb meals, this dish comes in at 8.6 net carbs which is so crazy to me. Add some cauliflower rice on the side and you have a perfect filling meal. I thought maybe this serving five would be too small a portion at first, but thanks to the peanut and the protein in the tempeh, I was so full after my meal. Of course, if you need more – just have more! I hope you enjoy this dish friends! Eat up!
