The first time I ate sambal goreng tahu tempe was at my friend’s Hari Raya Puasa celebration. His grandmother had made the most incredible sambal goreng and I’ve been chasing after that taste ever since. This is one of the traditional ways Indonesians use tempeh, which they invented.
I don’t know who came up with this combo, but the soft tofu, dense tempeh, and crunchy beans are brilliant together. The spicy sambal is tempered by the sweet coconut cream, bringing the flavour to the next level. Sambal (the chilli paste) itself tends to be naturally vegan. However, a lot store-bought sambal contains dried shrimp. So I always make my own and I have included how to make it from scratch in this recipe. As always, adjust the amount of chillies used to your spice tolerance level. This dish is not supposed to be burn your face off spicy but it does taste better when there is a good amount of heat.
Sambal goreng tahu tempe is an excellent vegan dish since it contains tofu and tempeh, two ingredients that are super high in protein. So next time somebody goes, “Where do you get your protein”, you know exactly what to say!
For another classic Indonesian dish check out this Indonesian Banana Blossom Curry.
Ingredients
- For spice paste
Instructions
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Small dice the tofu and tempe, and cut the long beans into thumb-lengths.
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Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a non-stick pan. Pan fry the tofu and tempeh until golden brown on at least two sides. You can make them brown on all sides, or you can do lazy person style like me and just do two or three sides randomly. Set aside for later.
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Heat another 1 tbsp of oil and add the long beans. Add a pinch of salt to help the beans release their moisture, and put the lid on the pan. If your beans are a little old you might need to add 0.5 or 1 tbsp of water into the pan as well. After about 3 minutes with the lid on, the beans should be done. Set aside for later.
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Roughly chop the spice paste ingredients and blend well.
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Heat 1 tbsp of oil on medium-low heat in a non-stick pan and fry the spice paste. Fry the spice paste until it shrinks and darkens, about 8 minutes, taking care not to let it burn.
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When the spice paste is done, taste it and decide if you want to use all of it. If it is too spicy, remove some before the next step.
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Add 80ml of coconut cream and mix well with the spice paste. Add 1 tbsp of kecap manis.
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Add the long beans, tofu and tempeh. Toss and mix well until the sauce is fully melded with the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with plain rice!
