For the (just about) seven years I’ve been writing recipes right here, I’ve sought after to create a vegan bolognese. There are many recipes in the market for lentil, tofu, mushroom or vegan mince-based ones, none of which has taken my fancy. However then a field of tempeh stuck my eye on the grocery store and the whole thing fell into position. Tempeh, for the uninitiated, is constituted of fermented soya beans. It’s delicate in flavour, and nuttier, meatier and chewier than tofu, and it dances with south-east and east Asian flavours in addition to Ellie and Vito danced on Strictly.
Highly spiced tempeh spaghetti
You’ll to find tempeh in the similar aisle as tofu on the grocery store. You’ll want chilli bean sauce (Lee Kum Kee makes an excellent and extensively to be had one), Sichuan peppercorns and Shaoxing wine, all of which can also be present in greater supermarkets, on-line and in Chinese language and south-east Asian meals shops.
Prep 10 min
Cook dinner 40 min
Serves 4
200g tempeh – I love the Tofoo Co’s one
200g spring onions, trimmed
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, neatly bashed in a mortar
4 tbsp (75g) tomato paste
1 tbsp chilli bean sauce
3½ tbsp gentle soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1½ tbsp darkish agave syrup
Salt
300g spaghetti
6 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus a bit of additional for the pasta
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
20g chives, finely chopped
Chilli oil or vegan parmesan, to serve
Put the tempeh on a big slicing board, lower it into chunks, then chop it into lentil-sized items (or chuck the chunks right into a meals processor and blitz). Finely chop the white and inexperienced portions of the spring onions, put them in a sieve and submerge it in a large bowl of chilly water. Squish along with your hand to rinse out any sand, then drain.
In every other bowl, combine the bottom Sichuan pepper, tomato paste, chilli bean sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and agave syrup.
Carry two litres of water to a boil, upload two teaspoons of salt and prepare dinner the spaghetti in step with the packet directions. Close to the tip of the cooking time, scoop out a mugful of the starchy water, then drain the pasta and drizzle with a bit of oil.
Put the oil in a large frying or saute pan on a medium-high warmth and, as soon as sizzling, upload the spring onions and garlic, and stir-fry for 2 mins, till the garlic not smells stinky. Upload the minced tempeh and stir-fry for as much as 8 mins, till it begins to brown. Stir within the sauce, prepare dinner for 2 mins extra, then upload the cooked pasta and 8 or 9 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water and toss to mix. Fold within the chives and take off the warmth.
Portion the spaghetti into 4 shallow bowls, furnish along with your favorite crispy chilli in oil (mine is Laoganma) or vegan parmesan, and serve without delay.
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