I can keep on talking about food basically every moment of the day, and in Indonesia I’m in the perfect spot because with 18,000 islands Indonesia has quite some original and delicious kitchens! Kirstie and Ellen commented on my last Delicious Indonesia blogs that I missed a tempe dish and I completely agree! Did you know tempe originates from Indonesia? So it’s the perfect topic for this blog! Tempe is made from fermented soy and can be prepared in many different ways, below you’ll find my favourites. Let me know if you agree! 😀

Kering tempe
My absolute favourite is kering tempe: spicy fried tempe. The tempe is cut in thin slices and fried in a spicy/sweet sauce until it’s caramelized. Often there’s also peanuts mixed with the tempe for extra crunch. It’s perfect as a side dish with your nasi campur!

Kering tempe – spicy crispy tempe

Tempe Penyet
Tempe Penyet is bruised tempe, served with a spicy tomato chilli (sambal) sauce. The sambal you get in Indonesia is mostly handmade and the spiciness depends on the cook and on which island you are in Indonesia, so it can vary widely between restaurants!
For tempe penyet the slices of tempe are marinated in garlic and brine and then fried until beautifully brown and crispy. Before serving the tempe is slightly bruised to enhance the sambal flavours in the tempe. Serve with rice, cucumber and raw vegetables.

Tempe penyet – bruised tempe

Tempe satay
Satay is a very common snack/side dish in Indonesia. Skewers are sold often with grilled chicken but you’ll also find skewers with grilled tempe, served with the typical fragrant peanut sauce. This dish is an ideal meat replacer for vegetarians!

Tempe satay – grilled tempe on skewers with peanutsauce

Tumis tempe
Tumis tempe is a delicious dish which combines small blocks of fried tempe with stir fried vegetables. The vegetables can be young corn, green beans, red & green peppers, tauge, onion etc. The tempe and vegetables are marinated in a soy sauce before frying to get a nice and salty flavour.

Tumis tempe – fried tempe with vegetables

Have you tried all of these tempe dishes already? Did I miss one of your favourites? Let me know in the comments below!