Serves 2 to 4
Time: 1 hour 10 minutes || Active time: 15 minutes
Don’t be scared by the total time, most of it is just the tempeh marinading. You can let it sit for up to 4 hours, so go ahead and marinate, then do your shopping or protest on Washington or whatever, then come back and cook it.
If you’re just a young soybean and have never cooked tempeh before, the gist is that you’re steaming it first, to take away the beaniness and get it ready to absorb all the flavor. A long marinate and then it’s ready to be cooked to succulent perfection, either on the grill or in the broiler.
For the fresh thyme, I just slide off as much leaf as I can. If the stems are soft enough, they can be thrown in, too. Don’t be alarmed at the quantities, remember, this is just the marinade, you won’t be eating it in the final product, so you want to infuse as much flavor as possible.
I slice the tempeh thinly, another way to infuse flavor. Prep directions for rectangles and squares of tempeh are both given. Trapazoids and rhombuses need not apply.
Garlicky Thyme Tempeh is great for topping pastas or salads, alongside mashed potatoes and gravy, or tucked into sandwiches.
8 oz tempeh
For the marinade:
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup veggie broth
2 tablespoons white balsalmic vinegar (or 1 tablespoon regular balsamic)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh thyme, leaves whole, soft stems roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Start your steaming apparatus.
If your tempeh is a rectangle: slice it into 2 squares. Slice those squares into two thin squares across the middle, sort of like a clamshell. Now slice each square corner to corner, into triangles. You should have 8 thin triangles.
If your tempeh is square: slice in half into two rectangles. Slice each rectangle across the middle, sort of like a clamshell. Then slice in half, into squares. You should have 8 thin squares.
Steam the tempeh for 10 minutes. It’s going to smell like baking bread!
In the meantime, mix all mariande ingredients together in a big bowl. When tempeh is ready, transfer it directly into the marinade.
Let marinate for 1 to 4 hours, flipping occasionally.
To grill:
Preheat lightly oiled grill on medium high (indoor or outdoor). Cook tempeh for 5 minutes on each side, flipping with a metal spatula, so that it doesn’t stick. Tip: rub thyme and garlic on each side. Some will fall off, but not all of it.
To broil:
Preheat broiler. Keeping a close eye, broil tempeh on a baking sheet places 2 to 3 inches away from flame. 3 to 5 minutes each side. Baste with some of the liquid when you flip.
Serve immediately!
I wish it was already lunchtime, this looks amazing! Silly question-what do I do if I don’t own a grill or broiler? Would it work if I baked them or grilled them in the oven?
A pan sear will work! Try 12 minutes, med-high heat, in a little olive oil, flipping occasionally.
Brilliant! Thanks 🙂
Why do you have to steam the tempeh? What happens if you just go straight to the grill? Thanks for your awesome recipes!
I explain in the recipe! Check it out.
Thank you, St. Isa, for explaining the whole tempeh thing so well. I’ve been unclear as to how to prepare it correctly. I will be doing this tomorrow……just finished some MORE sausages. Can’t seem to get enough. This time I did the Kielbasa seasoning, or at least most of it, and they are delicious!! Can they be frozen?
I don’t know about the rest of you, but here in Vermont, we are being inundated in Tropical Storm Irene……part of Route 7 in southern Vermont is under 10 feet of water and the bulk of the storm isn’t supposed to hit for another 3 1/2 hours!!! So just how big is a cubit?
Is there any reason I couldn’t marinate this overnight? I’ll not have time to leave it on the night I plan to cook it, but could easily do it the night before.
Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! These were so good. I made them tonight and made sandwiches out of them. I wasn’t expecting them to be anything special and when I took the first bite, I was amazed. My husband loved them too.
Has anyone tried this recipe using dried thyme?
Never ate tempeh I liked before. Never made my own tempeh. Made this and fell in *LOVE*! Came out perfectly! <3 🙂
I lived in Java for many years and became addicted to tempeh. It’s used in so many ways there all of the yummy. I like this recipe a lot. Thanks
How do you steam the tempeh? I’ve never done it before.
Just slice as you’re going to use it, and steam for 10 minutes in your steamer. Is there something more specific you’re asking?
This tempeh came out AMAZING! Haven’t always been a fan of tempeh, but this marinade changed it! Grilled it and served with grilled veggies. Ate leftovers in a sandwich today…YUMMY! Thanks for the steaming tip, it seemed to help with the marinade 🙂
Awesome! Welcome to the tempeh side.
This is your most addictive recipe yet. I always mean to combine these little squares with something…but end up eating them straight from the fridge because I can’t help it!
On that note – what have people successfully paired the tempeh with? I’ve tried a lot of things, but the problem is that everything seems to cover up the wonderful flavor of the tempeh. Plain white rice is all I can do so far. And since it’s dry, I’ve tried dijon, avocado, mayo, etc…and again the flavor is dampened. Ideas? Lettuce wraps?
So no stock and only dried thyme. Still workable? What substitutions or adjustments would you make?
This tempeh was the BUSINESS! Such good flavor…thank you Isa! I used apple cider vinegar instead of balsamic, and about 2 Tbsp. dried thyme instead of fresh, and it still tasted marvelous.
Really delicious! Is it best to store leftovers in the marinade and cook & eat fresh, or should you remove from marinade, cook, and then refrigerate?
This sounds delicious. I’m still trying to find a tempeh recipe I like so I’m eager to try it. What tempeh do you recommend to buy? I just bought the lightlife three grain because I thought it wouldn’t have a ton of competing flavors but a friend of mine recently recommended smoky tempeh. Any recommendations?
I am really liking this tempeh! I actually tried to use it in a Guatamalan recipe today. I was mistaken about the recipe, but I think it will go really well.
I will try this recipe tomorrow for my family
How do you steam the tempeh if you don’t own a steamer. I sometimes steam broccoli in the microwave. I add a little water to in a bowl, chopped broccoli, cover and cook for 2 min. Will that work for the tempeh?
Thank you so much for your wonderful recipes
Just here to say I LOVE this recipe, it is one of my go-tos. I always make a double batch since it’s so delicious I’ll happily eat it four dinners in a row! Got some fresh thyme with my CSA box and immediately knew it was time to make this again. Usually though I use dried thyme since that is what I have in the kitchen.
This is also one of the recipes I make for non-vegans as a tasty non-meat main course or sandwich filling. Another great one has been the hot-sauce glazed tempeh from Veganomicon. Thanks a million to Isa for teaching me how to steam tempeh first to let all the flavors get in.