Recipes
Indonesian-Style Tempeh Satay Rice Plate with Peanut Sauce
Lemongrass tempeh strips over fragrant coconut jasmine rice and golden baby potatoes, with a rich, sweet-spicy peanut sauce poured over everything. Island street-food pleasure, fully vegan.
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Island street food, fully vegan
Across Indonesia and Malaysia, satay means marinated tempeh grilled until charred and sticky, served with a thick peanut sauce, crisp cucumber and onion. Tempeh soaks up that lemongrass and turmeric marinade like it was born for it.
Picture this: smoky edges, a little sticky sweetness, then you swipe it through that creamy, spicy peanut sauce… and then a cool crunch of cucumber. Mmmm. Eat with your fingers. Get messy. This is pleasure food.
A protein goddess dish
Tempeh is one of my favorite plant proteins, it's whole fermented soybeans, so you get about 20 g of protein per 100 g, plus iron, fiber and gut-friendly goodness from the fermentation. Peanuts add even more protein and healthy fats.
Squeeze lime over everything, that vitamin C helps your body absorb the iron. Approximate per serving (with sauce): 520 calories, 30 g protein, 5 mg iron, 9 g fiber. Served with coconut jasmine rice and golden potatoes, like the plates I fell in love with when I lived in Indonesia, it's a complete, satisfying meal.
Make it sing
Steaming the tempeh for 10 minutes first softens any bitterness and helps it drink up the marinade. Don't skip it, love. And if you don't have a grill, a hot pan or broiler works beautifully.
The recipe
Indonesian-Style Tempeh Satay Rice Plate with Peanut Sauce
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 minutes
- Cook
- 15 minutes
- Chill
- 0.5 hours
Ingredients
- 2 blocks (about 450 g) tempeh, cut into 2cm strips
- Marinade: 1 stalk lemongrass 1 stalk fresh lemongrass (tender part, finely chopped) OR 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste, 2 garlic cloves, 1 small shallot, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, 1 tablespoon oil
- Peanut sauce: 3 tablespoons natural peanut butter, ½ cup coconut milk, ¼ cup water plus more as needed, 1 small shallot finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves minced, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon kecap manis (or soy sauce with 1 teaspoon coconut sugar), 1 teaspoon tamarind paste (or 1 tablespoon extra lime juice), 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1–2 teaspoons sambal oelek, 1 teaspoon neutral oil, salt to taste
- Coconut rice: 1½ cups (300 g) jasmine rice, rinsed, 1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk, 1¼ cups (300 ml) water, ½ teaspoon salt
- Potatoes: 500 g baby potatoes, halved, 1 tablespoon oil, pinch of salt
- To serve: 1 cucumber cut in chunks, ½ red onion in wedges, lime wedges, crushed peanuts
Method
- Make the coconut rice: add rice, coconut milk, water and salt to a pot, bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes, then fluff.
- Boil the potatoes in salted water for 12–15 minutes until tender. Drain, then pan-fry in the oil for 5 minutes until golden.
- Steam the tempeh strips for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, blend all marinade ingredients into a paste.
- Toss the warm tempeh in the marinade and let it sit for at least 30 minutes (or overnight in the fridge).
- Make the sauce: heat the oil in a small saucepan. Sauté the shallot for 2 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and sambal. Cook another minute until fragrant.
- Add the coconut milk, water, peanut butter, kecap manis and tamarind. Whisk until combined.
- Simmer gently for 3–5 minutes, adding water until it's smooth and pourable.
- Remove from heat, stir in the lime juice and taste. Add more lime for brightness, soy sauce for savoriness, or sambal for heat.
- Lay the tempeh strips in a single layer in a hot oiled pan, on a grill or under the broiler, and cook for 3–4 minutes per side until charred at the edges, brushing with leftover marinade.
- Spoon the coconut rice onto plates, add the potatoes, lay the tempeh strips on top and pour over the warm peanut sauce. Serve with cucumber, red onion, lime and a sprinkle of crushed peanuts.
Notes & storage
The secret: the sauce should taste tangy, savory, aromatic and slightly sweet, with peanut as one element rather than the entire personality of the sauce.
Nutrition is an approximate estimate per serving including sauce, before rice; coconut rice adds roughly 330 calories and 6 g protein, potatoes about 110 calories.
Contains soy and peanuts. Use tamari for gluten-free. Leftover sauce keeps 4 days in the fridge, it thickens when cold, warm with a splash of water.
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