Tempeh Mendoan The crispy, herby fritters we ate in Yogyakarta
When your tempeh is good - it can easily handle you cutting it into very thin, almost paper thin slices and then a quick dip in a fragrant, loose batter. You then fry it until the edges are lacy and crisp. aha and whilst people in the west associate tempeh with vegan eating and therefore alternative healthy eating - Tempeh Mendoan is not really that - it's a deep fried snack.
Ingredients:
- 200g tempeh, sliced very thin (about 3-4mm)
- 100g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon rice flour (or cornflour)
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- Small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- Salt to taste
- 175-200ml water (batter should be quite thin)
- Neutral oil for frying
Method: Mix all batter ingredients together – it should be thinner than tempura batter, almost like thin cream. Dip each slice of tempeh to coat completely. Fry in hot oil (about 170°C) until golden and crispy at the edges, about 2-3 minutes per side. Drain on paper and eat immediately with salt flakes, sweet soy sauce or chilli sauce for dipping.
When making this - do try to slice the tempeh very thin and keep the batter quite wet; it won't stick much – that's normal. You want those crispy, irregular edges.
Ready to try your hand at traditional tempeh? Join us for our Tempeh & Jamu workshop [dates], or order authentic Javanese tempeh culture to start experimenting at home.
This was one of our blocks that we made and brought to the local restaurant where she taught us to make this delicious, crispy tempeh dish. YES - it's a big block isn't it?
I tried to slice it super thin like our host - but she was watching, I felt self-conscious - and so these aren't as thin as they could be! We then battered it and fried it. I think the other customers were quite suprised to see me come out of the kitchen to serve these up. Jeff became my main customer. SO YUM. (Can you also see here how tight and good our tempeh was?!)
Battered and fried, ready to serve. :) So excited! ok yes I am also very tall in Indonesia. haha!
