According the recipe
notes, this recipe, “Singapore Noodles with Tempeh”, (page 241), is a popular
Indonesian dish also known as bami goreng
or mee goreng. Since tempeh originated
in Indonesia, it makes sense there would be many regional dishes showcasing it.
The preparation consists of four parts:
1) preparing the tempeh (dicing, steaming,
and sautéing);
2) preparing the sauce (blending peanut butter, coconut milk,
water, lemon juice, sugar, cayenne, and soy sauce);
3) preparing the noodles; and,
4) sautéing the vegetables (bell pepper, cabbage, garlic, green onions, and
ginger).
Once the components have been
prepared, fresh or frozen peas are added to the sautéed veggies, along with the
tempeh and noodles, and finally, the sauce, with everything simmered just
long enough to heat through. Top off with chopped peanuts and cilantro, and get
ready to enjoy! There are so many complementary tastes and textures in this
dish, it’s impossible to attribute the bursts of flavor to any one thing. Each
bite unfolds into a delightful, multi-layered, taste experience.
Oil was called
for in this recipe for tossing with the cooked noodles, sautéing the tempeh,
and sautéing the vegetables. It was easy to leave it out in all instances.
Rinsing the noodles thoroughly will prevent them from sticking, but if you
wanted to include the sesame oil here for flavor purposes only, used like a
condiment, a teaspoon or less would be effective, instead of the tablespoon
called for. The tempeh and veggies can be sautéed in water, broth, sherry, or
soy sauce.
In lieu of the
coconut milk, I used soymilk with a few drops of coconut extract, to avoid the
adding this source of highly saturated fat. This is a good way to include the
coconut flavor without the fat.
Keeping it
“McDougall Friendly” check list:
- Instead of using oil for
sautéing the tempeh and vegetables, use a non-stick skillet and/or use
sherry, broth, water, or soy sauce as a sauté liquid.
- Instead of coconut milk, use ¼ cup soymilk with ¼ teaspoon of coconut extract.
This is just what I was looking for!
ReplyDeleteI have a coconut fat intolerance, where if I have too much coconut fat it makes me feel really ill. I can still have some, but I have also often done the oatmilk (in my case) and coconut essence trick. Especially in smoothies or other drinks, where there would not be enough other liquid or flavours to dilute out the coconut milk. If I do use coconut milk, it is always light.
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