Cook and Scale
Indonesian Sweet Fried Tempeh (Tempeh Manis)
4 servings · 35 min total
Crisp-fried tempeh sticks glazed in a sticky-sweet soy and tamarind sauce with garlic, shallot and chilli — a classic Indonesian side or light main ready in under 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 300 g tempeh, cut into bite-size sticks
- 3 tbsp molasses
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 garlic, minced
- 2 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 fresh chilli, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1¼ dl water
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- salt to taste
Contains: Soy
Allergen info is best-effort — please verify yourself.
Method
- 1.
Fry the tempeh sticks — Pat the tempeh sticks dry. Heat the vegetable oil in a wide pan or wok over medium-high heat and fry the tempeh in batches until golden and lightly crisp on all sides.
- 2.
Sauté the aromatics — Remove the tempeh and set aside on paper towels. In the same pan, lower the heat and sauté the garlic, shallot and chilli until fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes.
- 3.
Simmer the sticky sauce — Stir in the sweet soy sauce, tamarind paste, brown sugar and water. Simmer until it reduces to a glossy, sticky sauce, about 3 minutes.
- 4.
Coat the tempeh in sauce — Return the fried tempeh to the pan and toss to coat evenly in the sauce. Season with salt to taste and cook 1 more minute until the sauce clings to the tempeh.
- 5.
Finish with lime and serve — Transfer to a plate, squeeze over fresh lime juice and serve hot with lime wedges on the side.