Friday 16 November 2012

Spinach Sambal Tempeh


From Simon Bryant’s Vegies, Lantern, 2012.

This was the first time that I had used Simon Bryant’s book so I made sure that I followed carefully and measured everything out.

Firstly I made a burnt chilli sambal which was quite fun to make and also gave more than was necessary so I have some on hand for the future.


Before getting into the main part of the dish the tempeh had to be broken up and deep fried until golden and crispy.

The main dish then began with slicing half an onion (I was making sufficient for two) and frying it in the wok until it had softened. Two chopped tomatoes were then added and cooked until they had broken down somewhat. I then added the chopped stems of half a bunch of English spinach.  They went in the wok with a tablespoon and a half of the sambal. A minute or two later the spinach leaves were added and stirred around until they wilted. Now the remainder of the sauce ingredients (vegetarian oyster sauce and light soya sauce) were added with a little water. Once it had thickened a little the tempeh was added. When it was warmed through the dish was ready to be served with rice.


I did enjoy this meal though I generally don’t find that tempeh is my most favoured ingredient. Frying it first had altered its nature somewhat so it was quite acceptable. The flavours were subtle but I think I would have added more of the sambal. It was quite hot so I had been cautious with it but next time I’ll increase the quantity.

This is a book worth investigating further. Bryant has been strongly influenced by Asian cuisine that comes through strongly in all of his recipes. The rich flavours enhance vegetarian cooking so I look forward to trying out more and also using some of the rarer ingredients I have noticed when browsing through the pages of the book.


Taste: ✔✔✔✔
Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔ Once the sambal is made the dish is a breeze to make.

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