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Oseng tempe
Stir-fried tempeh with chilli
Oseng tempe (oseng-oseng tempe): Javanese stir-fried tempeh strips with chilli, galangal and sweet soy
Oseng tempe is the quick fix of Javanese home cooking, made in Semarang, Surabaya and every student boarding house in between for weekday lunch or dinner with plain rice. Thin matchsticks of tempeh are fried until crisp-edged, then tossed with shallot, garlic, sliced chilli, galangal and bay leaf in sweet soy sauce until sticky, sweet, salty and hot. A portion with about 125 g of tempeh gives roughly 24 g of protein, almost all from the tempeh. The common mistake is adding the sweet soy too early, before the tempeh has browned: it soaks in, burns and turns the strips soft. Chef's tip: fry the tempeh separately first, then build the sauce and return it at the end, so every strip stays a little crunchy.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb tempehcut into thin matchsticks
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 shallotsthinly sliced
- 3 garlic clovesthinly sliced
- 3 red chilliessliced on the diagonal
- 3 bird's eye chillies (optional)sliced
- 1 ⅛ in galangalsliced and bruised
- 2 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam)or 1 ordinary bay leaf
- 1 tsp palm sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp water
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 2 ¾ tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. Fry 1 ⅛ lb tempeh in two batches, stirring, until golden and crisp at the edges. Lift onto kitchen paper.
8 minStep 2: Pour away all but 1 tablespoon of oil, add the rest of 1 ¼ tbsp vegetable oil and fry 5 shallots and 3 garlic cloves over a medium heat until soft and just golden.
2 minStep 3: Add 3 red chillies, 3 bird's eye chillies, 1 ⅛ in galangal and 2 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam) and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the chilli smells sharp.
1 minStep 4: Stir in 3 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), 1 tsp palm sugar, ½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp water and let it bubble for 30 seconds into a glossy sauce.
Step 5: Tip the tempeh back in and toss over the heat for 1–2 minutes, until every strip is coated and the sauce has thickened and clings. Taste and add salt if needed.
2 minStep 6: Serve hot with rice. Leftovers are good cold the next day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does oseng tempe take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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