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Oniony Tempeh

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Submitted by justcallmejean

Indonesian-style crispy fried tempeh tossed with caramelized onions, garlic, chili pepper, sweet soy sauce, and brown sugar. Crunchy, sweet, spicy, and ready in 25 minutes.

YIELD

6 servings

PREP

10 min

COOK

15 min

READY

25 min

Deep-fried tempeh cubes tossed in a sticky glaze of sweet soy sauce, brown sugar, caramelized onions, garlic, and chili pepper. This is an Indonesian-inspired approach that transforms plain tempeh into something crunchy, sweet, and addictive.

The tempeh gets diced and deep-fried first until golden and crunchy all the way through. Frying changes everything about tempeh’s texture, turning the dense, chewy block into crisp little nuggets that soak up flavor. Meanwhile, sliced onions soften in butter until limp, then garlic and a whole chili pepper saute in briefly.

The fried tempeh goes back into the pan with the onion mixture, and the soy sauce and brown sugar coat everything in a sticky, caramelized glaze. Keep stirring so every cube gets covered.

Kitchen Tips

  • Fry the tempeh in small batches so the oil stays hot. Crowding drops the temperature and gives you soggy tempeh instead of crunchy.
  • Dice the tempeh into small, even cubes for consistent frying. Larger pieces take longer and may stay soft in the center.
  • Use sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) if available. It’s thicker and sweeter than regular soy sauce and gives a more authentic Indonesian flavor.
  • Add the fried tempeh to the onion mixture right before adding the sauce. Too much time in the pan softens the crunchy coating.

Variations

  • Sambal version: Replace the chili pepper with a tablespoon of sambal oelek for a more intensely spicy, garlicky glaze.
  • Peanut crunch: Toss in 2 tablespoons of crushed roasted peanuts at the end for extra texture.
  • Air fryer method: Air fry the tempeh cubes at 400°F (200°C) for 12 minutes instead of deep frying for a lighter version.

Ingredients

1 1
PACKAGE PACKAGE TEMPEH *
½ 0.5
EACH ONIONS
thinly sliced
1 5
TEASPOON ML BUTTER
1 1
CLOVES EACH GARLIC
crushed
1 1
EACH EACH CHILE PEPPER *
1 5
TEASPOON ML BROWN SUGAR

Directions

Dice tempeh and deep fry until crunchy.

Fry onion in butter until limp; add garlic and chili pepper and sauté briefly.

Add fried tempeh and stir around.

Add sweet soy sauce and brown sugar.

Keep stirring the mixture.

The idea is to coat the tempeh with the sugary, spicy, oniony, flavor. so you won’t taste the tempeh.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 13g (0.5 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 67 49% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 2mg 1%
Sodium 33mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 2g 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Sugars g
Protein 11g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 4% Iron 5%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Low Cholesterol, Cholesterol-Free, Trans-fat Free, Low Carb, Very low in sodium, Low Sodium
 

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