Tempe Penyet (Smashed Tempeh With Sambal)
Updated July 21, 2021
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE TEMPEH
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
16 ounces/455 grams tempeh, cut into ¼-inch-by-2½-inch slices
¼ cup canola oil, plus more as needed
FOR THE SAMBAL
¼ cup canola oil
4 medium tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced
7 medium shallots, peeled and sliced
10 long, red, medium-spicy chiles (such as serrano, red finger or cayenne), deseeded and sliced
7 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
FOR SERVING
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (preferably from makrut lime, calamansi or Key lime), plus lime wedges for serving
1 to 2 tablespoons kecap manis (see Tip)
Steamed jasmine rice
½ medium English cucumber, thinly sliced
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
48 grams carbs; 627 calories; 21 grams monosaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 41 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 1238 milligrams sodium; 28 grams protein; 18 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Marinate the tempeh: In a large bowl or resealable freezer bag, combine the garlic, coriander and 1 teaspoon salt with ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons water. Add the tempeh and massage the marinade into all the pieces. Set aside while you make the sambal.
- Step 2
Prepare the sambal: Heat ¼ cup oil in a large skillet over high. Once the oil is shimmering, add the tomatoes, shallots, chiles and garlic. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring the ingredients every so often. When the shallots begin to brown slightly after 10 to 15 minutes, reduce the heat to medium as the sambal continues to caramelize. Cook the sambal, stirring often, until it has caramelized and reduced and the tomatoes have softened, with a few crispy, browned bits, around 5 minutes. The sambal should not be burned, however, so regulate the heat as needed. Remove from the heat and season with ¼ teaspoon salt. (This makes about 1 ½ cups, and will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.)
- Step 3
While the sambal cooks, pan-fry the tempeh: Carefully remove the tempeh from the marinade and set it in a colander to drain excess liquid. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large nonstick skillet over high. When the oil is shimmering, but not smoking, add the tempeh to the pan in a single layer using tongs. Be careful, as the oil will spit because of the water in the marinade. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy all over. You may need to fry in batches, adding extra oil as needed. Transfer the tempeh to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain; season with ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Step 4
To serve, transfer the sambal to serving plates. Lay the tempeh on top of the sambal. Using a pestle, rolling pin or wooden spoon, gently flatten each piece of tempeh, massaging it into the sambal. The idea is to gently create small cracks and crevices where the tempeh meets the sambal so they can combine, rather than completely destroying the tempeh. Squeeze lime juice over the tempeh pieces, then drizzle kecap manis on top. Serve with steamed white rice, slices of cucumber and extra wedges of lime.
If you can’t find kecap manis, you can make a substitute by mixing equal parts dark soy sauce with palm sugar (or brown sugar). Gently warm on a low heat to dissolve the sugar, about 1 minute, then transfer to a jar or bowl. It will last in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Private Notes
Comments
Every tempeh dish is better if you start with great tempeh! Commercially produced American tempeh is usually much denser and more bitter than Indonesian tempeh. Either simmering American tempeh in boiling water for 10 min or brining it in very salty water for the same amount of time helps the tempeh fluff up and reduces the bitterness. There are small batch tempeh like Barry’s (in NYC) that better match the Indonesian stuff.
I've found that steaming the tempeh slices prior to marinating them helps the marinade to absorb better.
Seriously? “3/4 cup plus two tablespoons of water”? Next time try “about a cup of water” and save some ink.
Really easy and delicious. I made some subs based on what I had on hand (can of diced tomatoes, jalapeno instead of serrano, soy and brown sugar instead of kecap manis) but results were tasty. I prefer crispy tempeh so this was perfect!
no way a 30 minute recipe.
Made exactly as directed, except my serranos were green. Try flat Pyrex dish next time to marinate tempeh, rather than a bowl, so the marinade covers tempeh better. Almost burnt my sambal; beware! I did burn my fingertips (hot peppers + hot steam= OUCH!), but it was worth it. Served just as suggested (homemade kecap manis), alongside Thai Iced Tea (also from NYT). Heaven.