Published: · Modified: by Vaishali · This post may contain affiliate links · 18 Comments
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Total time: 20 minutes minutes
A creamy, smoky recipe for Tempeh Stir-Fry in a gingery coconut sauce.
The other day, I sat down to try andexplain playback singing to Jay.
Tasveeer Teri Dil Mein was playing on YouTube, and Jay, in the midst of coloring a dragon, was transfixed by the black and white images on screen. Rafi, he said, pointing to Dev Anand.
By now, I have transferred to my otherwise very American son a deep love for Hindi oldies, and especially for the songs of Mohammad Rafi who was unarguably India's greatest playback singer and something of a genius. Rafi'sversatilevoice, which could emote and express better than the countless actors on screen that he sang for, including Dev Anand, often keeps me company while I work, cook, and clean around the house. Desi, a huge fan himself, often teases me -- not unfairly -- for being an encyclopedia on the singer.
Playback singing happensless frequentlyin Hollywood, but in Bollywood, where nearly every movie is a musical, it's a norm. Early on in the life of Indian cinema, music directors realized that marketable looks did not necessarily go hand in hand with musical talent, and separated the twocleanly. The practicestuck and to date, in Bollywood movies,actors do not actually voice the songs they are seen singing on screen.
The playback singers are huge stars, almost as big and marketable as the actors they sing for. When a movie, andits songs, becomes a hit, the singer inevitably gets paired with the actor in following movies, becoming the actor's "voice." So Rafi was Shammi Kapoor's voice. Mukesh was Raj Kapoor's voice. For a while, for some inexplicable reason, the talented south Indian singer S.P. Balasubramanian was a rather vapid looking Salman Khan's voice. I once heard Dev Anand tell an interviewer that Kishore Kumar was his voice. You get the picture?
So I wrapped up my little talk on playback singing, and Jay nodded vigorously and somewhat impatiently. I get it, mom. Thenone of his favorites started to play on the screen. Khoya Khoya Chand! he yelled excitedly and rather cutely, with a distinctly American accent. Next, he pointed to arubber-limbed Dev Anand flailing around on the screen, lip syncing, and yelled: Rafi!
Okay, so maybe I didn't do such a good job of explaining playback singing to Jay. But Dev Anand, even my seven-year-old knows better who was your voice.
**
If you're unfamiliar with Bollywood and its songs, that little slice of our life perhaps didn't make a lot of sense. But I have for you today a recipe that definitely will, because if there's one thing that transcends language and culture, it's almost certainly food.
This Tempeh Stir-Fry in a Gingery Coconut Curry Sauce is creamy and smoky and sweet and spicy, all at the same time. The creaminess and the sweetness comes from coconut milk, the spiciness from the ginger and a hint of cayenne, and the smokiness comes from roasted red peppers. Because so many of these ingredients require very little or no cooking, the recipe itself comes together in 20-25 minutes, making it a weeknight dinner winner.
But it is versatile, kinda like Rafi. 🙂 You can bowl up this Tempeh Stir-Fry with quinoa and some sauteed kale. Or scoop it up with a crusty bread. Or drizzle it over some brown rice and roasted sweet potatoes. If you don't have tempeh, or would rather not use it, you can substitute with tofu. Cut it into cubes and proceed the same way as you would with the tempeh.
You just cannot go wrong with this recipe.
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Tempeh Stir-Fry in a Gingery Coconut Sauce
A gingery, spicy, creamy recipe for Stir-Fried Tempeh in a Gingery Coconut Sauce. Roasted red peppers add smoke to the dish, and onions and coconut milk add sweetness.
4.88 from 16 votes
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Course: Side
Cuisine: Indian fusion
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 20 minutes mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 210kcal
Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan
Ingredients
- 8 oz tempeh (cut into ½-inch cubes)
- 2 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 1 small red onion (thinly sliced)
- 2 roasted red peppers (roughly chopped)
- 2 teaspoon ginger (grated)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon garam masala (or curry powder)
- ½-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a nonstick wok or karahi and stir-fry the tempeh until it turns lightly golden on all sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil and add the onions and ginger. Add a smidgen of salt and stir fry, until the onions turn translucent.
Add the turmeric, cayenne, coriander powder and garam masala or curry powder. Mix well.
Add the roasted red peppers and the reserved tempeh, stir-fry for another minute, then add the coconut milk and mix well.
Warm the mixture through and turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro.
Serve hot.
Nutrition Facts
Tempeh Stir-Fry in a Gingery Coconut Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
210
% Daily Value*
Fat
15
g
Saturated Fat
7
g
35
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
4
g
Potassium
395
mg
11
%
Carbohydrates
11
g
4
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
1
g
1
%
Protein
12
g
24
%
Vitamin A
214
IU
4
%
Vitamin C
12
mg
15
%
Calcium
92
mg
9
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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About Vaishali
Hi! I'm Vaishali, a journalist turned food blogger. At Holy Cow Vegan I share easy, tasty recipes made with clean, wholesome ingredients that the entire family can enjoy.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Tom
Hi Vaishali, this recipe was great, it was honestly one of the best things I've ever cooked. Thanks a lot. I only used about 1 teaspoon of coriander - is the recipe amount of 1 tablespoon correct?
Greetings from Australia!Reply
Vaishali
Hi Tom, so happy you loved it. Yes, it is 1 tablespoon. I love lots of coriander in recipes and the freshness it adds. 🙂
Reply
Tom
Oh cool, I'll try that next time then.
shae
Do you use jar roasted peppers? Which brand? Can I instead use regular colored peppers.
Reply
Vaishali
Hi, you can use either--jarred work just as nicely as peppers you roast yourself. And yes, any color peppers are fine!
Reply
Sanna
This is a nice recipe, just tasting very vegan and healthy. I would probably add more spice and fat.Reply
Alex
Just made this. It was okay, but it just seemed a little lacking. I think it could have used more sauce, so maybe doubling the spices and putting in a whole can of coconut milk might help? (BTW...I always used light coconut milk - much healthier and I can't tell much of a difference) It would be a radically different flavor using garam masala, which I tend to think of as a finishing spice. Using a homemade Madras curry powder along with the cayenne certainly gave it a pleasant kick!Reply
Evan
Would you reccommend full fat or is light coconut milk ok?
Reply
Vaishali
Full fat is better -- use less. Light coconut milk is just watered down and devoid of flavor.
Reply
Aeli
I love everything tempeh! This seems like a simple recipe but actually is quite flavorful. I used garam masala, will try with curry powder next time.
Reply
Alysson
Was looking for a good tempeh recipe and found your site. Good food and I also loooove Bollywood!
Reply
Sandy
I made this today. I love tempeh and wanted to try something different. It is quite tasty. Thank you for sharing the recipe
Reply
Dev
Excellent receipe!! I would love to try this. Do you know where to buy Tempeh from in Mumbai. I have reasearched online but could not find. I asked in several super markets too, and none of them seem to have heard of this. It would be great help if you can provide some info on this. Tempeh has B12, which is what most other vegan food lacks, so I am really trying hard to lay my hands on Tempeh. Thanks a ton if you can help!!
Reply
Vaishali
Hi Dev, I don't live in India, so unfortunately I can't answer this. Hoping some reader could help? Tofu's of course, not the same, since it's not fermented, but you could try using that as a substitute in this recipe.
Reply
onesonicbite
Do you play the newer Bollywood films or just stick to the older ones? I think I prefer the older songs since the new ones aren't my style. I do find it a little funny how popular playback singers can get. Usually when people get their voices used for dubs/voiceovers they get cut out of pop culture.
Reply
Vaishali
Almost exclusively the old ones. In the '80s, with Bappi Lahiri's disco era, Bollywood music pretty much went south. Although I will confess that some of those songs now sound better than the crap we're doling out today.
Reply
Ambica
This totally cracked me up; and Jay knows his music
Reply
Vaishali
😀 He really does. He loves old Geeta Dutt songs too, also my favorites. It's cute when he sings Ja ja bewafaa.
Reply
