‘The problem with being an adult most of your life, is not having been a child long enough.’
This is a dish I made for my finals at culinary school. The idea was to be given a restricted list of ingredients and a limited amount of time and to come up with an entrée that has a protein, grain, sauce and green vegetable on the side.
To walk into what we call an Improv like this, you have to be willing to fail. Just cook and be happy with the end result. When you take that risk, you’ll be surprised what you can accomplish. It is normally better than if you had made a plan, because you have to adapt as you go, which is a great stimulation and liberation to the imagination.
For this dish I made a quinoa as the base grain, tempeh as the protein and topped it with the orange-miso BBQ sauce. These alone supplied 2 full protein sources and over 50g of protein. I served it with a side of sesame spinach (Gomae) and pickled radish.
For those of you less familiar with Tempeh, here are some highlights.
Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food most often made from Soybeans (it can be made with chickpeas, beans, grains). Unlike Tofu it is a whole food, as it uses the whole soybean. 10oz supplies around 50g protein. It is also high in vitamins and minerals, a good source of iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium and calcium. It is a good source of prebiotics (good food for your gut) and due to its fermentation also a probiotic. It can be eaten without any preparation or cooked.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, Tempeh is seen to be satiating, nutriative and grounding. Made up of the Earth element, it is good for Pitta and Vata therefore but can aggravate Kapha in excess.
Orange-Miso BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
- ¼ cup Tomato Paste
- 1 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tbsp. White Miso
- 1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
- Juice of 1 Orange
- 1 Tbsp. Kudzu or Arrowroot Starch
- ½ Tsp. Salt
Method
- In a small pot combine the maple syrup, tomato paste, mustard, miso, vinegar and juice. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the kudzu or starch in a small amount of water, once dissolved add another ½ cup water. This is your ‘slurry’.
- Add the slurry to the saucepan and whisk continuously to prevent lumping. Add the salt.
- Let mixture reduce to a thicker consistency. Adjust for salt and add a few chili flakes if desired.
This sauce is adapted from an Institute of Culinary Education, Health Supportive Degree recipe.
Tempeh
- 8oz Tempeh, crumbled
- 2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
Method
- In a frying pan, warm the oil and stir until starting to brown, c. 5-7 minutes.
- Take the tempeh off the heat and add the Miso-BBQ sauce. Mix until all the tempeh is well covered. Sprinkle with scallions and sesame seeds to garnish.
