Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I tried marinating tempeh cubes for a few hours and it still didn't taste all that great. How do you get flavor to penetrate that stuff?

Should I try a marinade AND a sauce?

If you have Veganomicon there are some recipes for baked tempehs that are good and flavourful.

Did you steam or simmer it first? That really helps to allow the tempeh to soak up more marinade?
I think there are some really good recipes in appetite for reduction and veganomicon in which the tempeh soaks up a lot of marinade. and yes, you can always pour some of the marinade on while cooking!

I don't know what the secret is, but the bbq tempeh recipe from Peter Berley's book works really well for getting the liquid into the middle of the tempeh. You slice it so that it's only half as thick as usual, so I'm sure that's part of it.

It's posted here: http://eatair.blogspot.com/2006/09/barb ... empeh.html

Have you tried the vegan brunch (or VWaV) tempeh bacon? That stuff is so flavorful!

You can steam it for 10-15 minutes before marinating. If you are marinating larger pieces, poke a few holes in. Pour the leftover marinade over as you cook. With the tempeh bacon, this makes a very tasty semi carmaker coating.

The tamarind BBQ tempeh in AFR is also very tasty.

A) steam first
B) Marinate, then cook in the marinade.

I find with most tempeh recipes that I don't even need to do the marinate step as long as I bake the tempeh in the marinade. I do the same with tofu, otherwise I can't get tofu to really suck in the flavor.

This. Once I started cooking in the marinade, things got a lot better. I do this for tempeh bacon especially.

And definitely steam first!

I never bother steaming first. The key is a super flavorful marinade--the smoky tempeh and hot sauce glazed tempeh in Veganomicon are my favorites.

Depends I think.

If I want something moist, and made quickly, i will steam first, then marinate for an hour, then cook. (usually saute on the stove, with the reserve marinade added at the end). Usually use for an entree or a stand alone dish.

Although, if I want something kind of chewier & stronger tasting, i will marinade for 12+ hours or overnight, then cook (usually bake.) No steaming beforehand. I usually marinade in something strong, like baslmic, soy sauce and garlic. And i usually use in salads or wraps. I will make a big batch on the weekend, then have tempeh for salads and wraps all week.

Tempeh kind of takes some experimenting with to be honest, to get it just the way you like it.

This is true for me in some cases, too. I've made tempeh bacon first by marinating and then baking in the marinade without steaming. Was just as good. I think the marinade steams it in a way while baking.

But if you dont steam, I think you need a really strong marinade. If you do something that is lighter in flavor, I am not so sure the flavor will take, and then you might get left with the bitter taste.

I made that mistake with a marinade of only veggie stock, some garlic, lemon juice and herbs. Tasted great on Tofu, not so great on un-steamed Tempeh.

The most flavorful tempeh I've ever made was marinated for twenty four hours.

Mmmm...I just had BBQ tempeh for the first time over the weekend at Strong Hearts Cafe in Syracuse while on a lil' road trip...and now i'm dying to re-create this BBQ tempeh sandwich that I had! I'm going to totally make that BBQ tempeh recipe posted above, thanks!

Last night we took tempeh, sliced it into triangles (and in half so it was thinner), soaked it in some soy sauce and a bit of liquid smoke for 20 min, used a brush to apply mushroom sauce (our fake fish sauce) to both sides, coated them in bread crumbs and fried them up.

SO good.

I find stabbing it with a fork helps.

I agree with the recommendations to cut into small pieces, steam, marinate for hours or overnight, then cook, then pour marinade over. Or baking the tempeh in a marinade is always a winner for me too.

A really long marinade time always helps. One other trick: hot tempeh (as in just steamed or simmered or whatever) takes on more flavor than cold tempeh. Do both these and a strong marinade and you should be golden.

the veggie/vegan coop restaurant at school once made the GREATEST tempeh and they were huge chunks too. I should have asked them what they did.