
Notes, Tipps & Tricks
Tempe is one of daily or "must have" menus & originally made in Indonesia. It is regarded as a Javanese invention.
One says tempeh is healthy nutrition with high protein. Other says, it is a cheap food, consumed by low to middle class of Indonesian society.
It depends from which prepective you see it. The fact is, tempeh & tofu are good food with high protein & reasonable price that every Indonesian can afford !
People even said, it is merely a meat subtitute for many Indonesian who're not able to buy meat which's' getting more & more expensive nowdays.
Though it looks simple, not everybody able to make tasty fried tempeh & tofu, especially for one who has no experience with asian's specialty.
Like my colleague who told me one day : Tofu is tasteless, like eating sponge!!! ha hah...
I asked her, how she made it. She said "Just boiled & eat!" OK I understand & just grin ;-)
So if you are one amongs my colleagues then you can try this recipe. You will find out, tempeh & tofu aren't just a white sponges'.
In contrary, Tempe and Tofu can be cooked in many varieties way like we Indonesian do, for example: in a sweet seasoned spices
called Tempe Bacem, seasoned
crispy-fried Kering Tempe or a light variant of a tofu and tempe in
spicy coconut milk Tahu Tempe Kuah Santan. You can have them
also as a spicy Tempe sauce called Sambal Tumpang or fried then bruised
in spicy sambal, famous as Tempe Penyet and last but not least for
spicy Sambal Tempe. Had you enough?! ;-). I hope you give the recipe a try and you'll' gain
better sight & understanding of authentic Indonesian Tempe & Tofu Recipes, not just westernised or veggie Tempe-Burger!!!
Honest to say, Tempe is one of Indonesia's best delicacies in its simple authentic way but all became wrong in those over-done bastardized printed-book recipes!!
The choice is yours and good luck ;-)

Ingredients
Ingredients for 4 persons:
- 400 gr/ 15 oz tempe
- 400 gr/15 oz tofu
- Oil to deep fry (approx. 150 ml)
Spice for the paste:
- 1 clove or 2 cloves small garlic
- 1 tsp coriander seeds or 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 100 ml cold water

Step-by-Step Instructions:
- 1
For Marinade : Grind garlic, koriander & salt in a mortar / grinding stone and grind until smooth.
- 2
Add 100 ml cold water. Stir to mix. Try the taste & add more salt if necessary. This step is necessary to get the optimum saltines.
- 3
Slice the tempe & tofu in 1cm thinly rectangular shapes or as desired. Put aside.
- 4
Soak the tempe & tofu in the mixture one by one with your hand. Make sure both side are marinated well. Put aside for 15 minutes.
- 5
Heat enough oil in a frying-pan on a medium heat.
- 6
Deep-fry the sliced tempe then tofu over medium-high heat in a hot oil.
- 7
Turn around to the other side until both sides golden brown.
- 8
Pat-dry with kitchen paper if necessary. Serve hot with Stir-Fried Water Spinach and Sambal Kecap.
- N
Notes: * A little bit salty is better than too little salt. The salt consistency will be reduced during frying process & reverse method is not applicable.