Have problems digesting soy? Tempeh may be a great alternative for you. Try my simple, but delicious hoisin chickpea tempeh. It pairs well with rice or noodles and side of veggies for extra nutrients!
Edamame, tofu and miso always take centre stage whenever people talk about soybean products. Tempeh is either an after thought or completely forgotten. That is such a shame because tempeh is easily more nutritious and far easier to digest than edamame and tofu. If tempeh is made from soybeans just like tofu, why is it more nutritious? It is simply because tempeh is fermented.
Apart from making soy easier to digest, the fermentation process makes the minerals present far more bioavailable (easier to absorb). The amount of soluble iron, for instance, increases from 24.9% in unfermented soybeans to 40.52% in tempeh and during fermentation increases further to 66.51% (Astuti M, 1994).
Phytic acid is notorious for binding to valuable minerals in plant foods and making them inaccesible during digestion. Rhizopus oligosporus, the bacteria commonly used in the fermentation process contains phytase enzyme that breaks down up to a third of the phytic acid in tempeh. This decrease in phytic acid content boosts mineral bioavailability for us.
The levels of indigestible carbohydrates, especially raffinose (the prime culprit of flatulence and bloating) also decreases signifcantly during tempeh processing. This is the reason why many people find tempeh much easier to eat than tofu and edamame.
Soy beans are not the only type of legume that tempeh can be made from. Tempeh can be made from any type of legume including sword beans, velvet beans, pigeon peas and chickpeas.
Plant Power foods has recently launched a range of Tempeh in the UK, made from both chickpeas and soy beans. They kindly gifted me a few of their products, including the chickpea tempeh, soybean tempeh and a ready-to-eat tempeh in curry sauce. The range is available to buy exclusively at Sainsbury’s.
I was very excited (albeit apprehenisve) to try the chickpea tempeh as I’ve only ever eaten soybean tempeh. Due to my current digestive issues, I only had a small taste of the hoisin chickpea tempeh recipe I created. It was very delicious, and I’m so happy to share the recipe with you.
Hoisin Chickpea Tempeh with Stir Fried Veggies
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 1-2 1x
- Category: Lunch/Dinner
- Cuisine: Chinese-inspired
Description
Hoisin Chickpea Tempeh with Stir-fried Veggies and Rice
Ingredients
- 198g chickpea tempeh, cut into medium cubes
- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teapsoons sesame oil
- 200g stir-fry mixed veggies
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon minced ginger
- Steamed basmati rice, to serve
Instructions
- Combine hoisin sauce with dark soy, and sesame oil in a medium bowl then split the sauce in half and set one half aside.
- Thoroughly coat the chopped tempeh in one half of the sauce. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours or {overnight if preparing in advance}.
- In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200ºC.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper then carefully arrange the tempeh on the tray and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, turning over half-way through cooking.
- While the tempeh is cooking, heat a medium frying pan or wok with one teaspoon of sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger and mixed veggies and cook for 4-5 minutes frequently stirring until the vegetables are just tender. Season with a pinch of salt or soy sauce then set aside.
- To the same frying pan, add the remaining hoisin sauce mix with two tablespoons of water. Stir well, and cook on a simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the sauce gets thick and hot.
- Serve the tempeh over white rice with the stir fry. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if you desire.
Notes
You can use tofu, chicken or fish in place of tempeh. For variety, use rice noodles, wholewheat or egg noodles in place of rice.
