My husband surprised me with tempeh for Valentine’s Day (that may not sound romantic to you, but this was perfect for me – he knows me well). The first thing I wanted to do was make this miso tahini tempeh stir fry.
As a side note, I would normally use an orange sweet potato for an extra pop of color, but we only had a white one on hand. Not only are white sweet potatoes also delicious, but the weather forecast that read ‘feels like -22 degrees F’ was more than enough to encourage me to use what was in our pantry. This is a flexible recipe, so I encourage you to also use what you have stocked, frostbite-inducing weather or not.
I hope you enjoy!
Miso Tahini Tempeh Stir Fry
Course: MealDifficulty: Easy4
servings10
minutes20
minutesA deliciously satisfying blend of flavors and great way to prepare tempeh.
Ingredients
1 onion
1 sweet potato
1-2 Tbs olive oil
1 bunch of kale – curly, lacinato, or whatever type you like!
Tempeh – I used an 8 oz. block
Garlic, minced, to taste
A pinch of salt
Red chili flakes, to taste (optional)
- Sauce
3 Tbs tahini
2 Tbs miso – I used white miso but red would be fine
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
Juice from 1 medium lemon, or to taste (optional)
Directions
- Sweet potato can take longer to cook than onion, so cut the onion into bigger chunks and the sweet potato into smaller cubes. Cook them in a sauté pan over medium heat with the olive oil, a pinch of salt, and red chili flakes if using. Miso is salty, so don’t get too overzealous with the salt here.
- In the meantime, cube the tempeh, dice the garlic, and cut up the kale to whatever size you prefer. I like to use the kale stems instead of throwing them away, but they do take longer to soften than the leaves. So, I separate out the pieces that have the thicker part of the stem to add those first.
- Once the sweet potato and onion are nearly cooked through, add the tempeh and pieces of kale with the thick part of the stem (if using) and continue cooking. Now is also a good time to add your garlic if you want it to be somewhat mild. If you want it even milder, add it earlier; if you want a strong garlic flavor, hold off and add it with the sauce.
- While waiting, mix up your sauce in a separate bowl: miso, tahini, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and garlic (if you haven’t already added the garlic and are going for that garlicky punch/hedging your bets in case the vampires are coming).
- Cook until things have softened and started to turn a light golden brown. Then add the kale leaves and cook until they have softened to your ideal kale-enjoyment-texture.
- Add the sauce and stir well to coat.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Then serve!
Notes
- If you want more textural contrast, crisp up your tempeh in a separate pan in a bit of oil before adding it to this dish.
- If you don’t have tempeh, tofu can be a good substitute. However, it does have a little less texture to sink your teeth into than does tempeh.
- Feel free to add sriracha or something similar for a kick. I like the flavors of the miso and tahini so just stuck with red chili flakes.
So, where are the legumes you ask? In the miso and tempeh!
Something about the combo of miso, tahini, and tempeh makes for a delightful, flavorful, and creamy pairing. Let me know what you think!
This sounds amazing and looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
Does it warm up well if there are leftovers?
Hope you like it, and yes to re-heating well! Love leftovers 🙂
I made this the other night, and I highly recommend it! The recipe was VERY good and easy to make. I made a couple of substitutions due to personal preferences, but it was still great. It also reheated well. It was the first time I’ve used tempeh, and I would absolutely use it again — in this recipe and others.
Thanks for letting me know you made it and what you thought! So glad you enjoyed tempeh and hope you enjoy experimenting with it in the future. I’ll include some more tempeh recipe ideas!