Sticky, Spicy Tempeh

Crispy tempeh glazed in a spicy-and-sweet soy sauce can anchor many a dinner, whether served over rice and vegetables, rice noodles, lettuce wraps or soup. Tempeh is a fermented vegan protein with a nutty flavor and firm texture that can stand up to assertive seasonings. That could be the fresh sambal in tempe penyet, a famous street food in Indonesia, where tempeh was first made — or this easily memorizable ratio of two parts soy sauce to one part each rice vinegar, brown sugar and chile sauce. Crumbling the tempeh into small, irregular pieces so that it resembles ground meat creates a variety of textures in each bite. To make it a complete meal, stir in spinach, peas or another quick-cooking vegetable with the sauce — or accompany with crispy raw vegetables like thinly sliced cucumbers or radishes on top of rice.

Ingredients

• 0.25 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chile sauce, such as sambal oelek or Sriracha
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil (such as grapeseed or sunflower), plus more as needed
• 2 (8-ounce) packages tempeh, crumbled into pieces no larger than ½ inch
• Salt

Steps

1. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and chile sauce until the sugar dissolves.
2. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the tempeh, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly golden, 7 to 9 minutes. Add more oil as needed if the pan looks dry or the tempeh is burning.
3. Reduce the heat to low, give the sauce another stir, add the sauce to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and glossing the tempeh, about 1 minute.