Soft leeks and crisped tempeh drizzled in a sticky, spicy sweet soy sauce and liberally sprinkled with salted peanuts make for a delightful vegan dish. Tempeh, a fermented compressed soy bean product from Indonesia, is now widely available in most large UK supermarkets. It offers a nutty flavour and chewy texture, making it a versatile ingredient.
This recipe combines tempeh cooked in a typical Indonesian style—fried until crisp and coated in a sweet soy sauce—with leeks, adding a British twist. You may need to visit an Asian supermarket for kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and sambal oelek (Indonesian chilli sauce), though many ingredients are now available in mainstream stores.
To prepare, start by slicing and washing the leeks, then frying the tempeh in oil until golden and crisp. Fry the leeks in batches until crisp, then set aside. In the same pan, cook garlic and ginger, then add sambal oelek, lime leaves, palm sugar, kecap manis, salt, and water. Mix in the tempeh, most of the leeks, and most of the peanuts.
Serve the mixture on a platter, drizzle with extra kecap manis, and top with remaining leeks and peanuts. Accompany with steamed jasmine rice for a satisfying meal.
