Jamaican Jerk-Spiced Tempeh Nuggets
We recently held a contest where you can win free copies of Robin Robertson cookbooks, including Vegan Fire & Spice, so I decided to take a few recipes from the book for a little test drive.
One of the best that I tested was the Jamaican Jerk-Spiced Tempeh Nuggets. The recipe calls for boiling the tempeh for 30 minutes, which really helps soften the tempeh and make it slightly less nutty. I must warn that if you’ve never tried tempeh, you shouldn’t expect this to taste like tofu or frozen faux chicken nuggets you buy from the supermarket. Tempeh has a very unique taste that you may need to learn to love.
After boiling, you then brown the tempeh in a skillet until there’s a nice golden color on all sides. Next you’re supposed to toss the tempeh with the jerk seasoning, but I feared the nuggets might be a little dry for my taste, so I added another tablespoon of oil and then the seasoning. Perfect.
I’ll stop giving you the play-by-play of my tempeh nugget experience so that you can try the recipe yourself. Enjoy!
Jamaican Jerk-Spiced Tempeh Nuggets
From Vegan Fire & Spice by Robin Robertson
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sugar or natural sweetener
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 (8-ounce) package tempeh, cut into cubes
2 Tbsp. cold-pressed canola oil
- Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, salt, allspice, pepper, ginger, cayenne, and thyme in a small bowl and set aside.
- Place the tempeh in a saucepan of boiling water. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the tempeh and pat it dry.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tempeh and cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the spice mixture over the tempeh and toss until fragrant and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Serve hot.
Serves 4
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