Pan-glazed tempeh

Orange Pan-glazed Tempeh from Jude Blereau via 101 Cookbooks

This something I've been wanting to try for a while. If you've never heard of tempeh, it's similar and dissimilar to tofu. They're both made from soy beans, but tempeh has a very different texture, among other things.


My veggie sister bought a pack of tempeh the other day and I decided to go ahead and try it for lunch. I didn't have all the ingredients for this recipe, so I just used what I had. I ended up using V8 Mango-Peach juice instead of orange juice, and I left out the mirin because...quite frankly I don't know what that is. ;)

Ok, ok, I looked it up...mirin is a Japanese sweet cooking wine.

So the verdict is: tempeh is....interesting. I'm glad I tried it, but...I'm not entirely sold. From what I've heard, it's one of those take-it-or-leave-it kind of foods. There were some bites that were very nutty and crunchy, and I liked that part about it. So maybe I didn't crisp them up enough. Or maybe I'll just use tofu next time.

As a side note, my older sister claims this tempeh recipe tastes exactly like brisket. So if you're a vegetarian craving barbecue, this is the recipe for you. :)