Braised eggplant with black bean tempeh

Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food made by the fermentation of soybeans. It is high in protein, probiotics and has a wide array of vitamins and minerals.

We made our tempeh using a variety of beans - black beans, chickpeas, red beans, black eye peas etc. They have a firm but chewy texture, and a slightly nutty taste. Simply pan-fried or baked gives you a distinctive taste of the beans.

Tempeh absorbs flavours very well, hence they are excellent in braised dishes too. This recipe uses tempeh that are pan-fried then braised with eggplants. The dish is lightly seasoned with fermented black beans and spiced with curry leaves and ginger. You may add red chilli or bell pepper for extra flavour.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 200g black bean tempeh

• 1 medium eggplant

• 1 tablespoon ginger

• 1 stalk curry leaves

• 1 teaspoon fermented black bean (tausee)

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Method

1. Cut tempeh into bite size chunks, about the size of a finger.

2. Cut brinjal into bite size.

3. Roughly chop ginger and fermented black beans.

4. Heat oil in a wok. Pan fry tempeh to brown then push aside or scoop out for later use.

5. Add oil to the wok and stir fry ginger, curry leaves and fermented black beans till fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add in eggplants and stir fry till the colour of eggplant is changed, about 5 minutes.

6. Season with light soy sauce and add water to cover the brinjal. Cover the wok and braise for about 5 minutes, or till brinjal is soft.

7. Return pan fried tempeh into the wok and mix well. Allow to cook for another 3 minutes for tempeh to soak up the flavours.

8. Serve immediately.