Although “bulgogi” means “fire meat” in Korean, this bulgogi tempeh uses the typical flavours of bulgogi in a skillet for a plant-based version.
Eddie isn’t a big fan of tempeh because of the texture, but both Bean and I love tempeh, especially tempeh bacon. The storebought smokey tempeh is one of my favourite forms of vegan protein to add to a salad or serve with breakfast! This bulgogi tempeh has also come into my lunch rotation since it’s a quick 30 minute recipe.
What is tempeh?
I’ve been needing more variety than tofu (although this is still soy), so I’ve been opting for this bulgogi tempeh from time to time. Tempeh originates from Indonesia, consisting of cooked soy beans pressed into blocks and fermented. I find that tempeh can be tricky depending on how you prepare it. It needs some extra prep so it doesn’t have that bitter, fermented flavour.
Some steam, some marinate, but I generally prefer to shallow fry my tempeh. Then blast it with a powerful sauce like this bulgogi marinade.
“Bulgogi” in Korean translates to fire meat. Typically it’s marinated thin strips of beef, cooked over a grill. Obviously this is neither grilled nor beef, but fried and cooked in a pan. I’ve seen versions of a more traditional bulgogi marinade use Korean pear puree. But I’m in my era of lazy quick cooking, and this quick sauce is usually a hit in this house.
How to eat bulgogi tempeh
You can eat this bulgogi tempeh with ssam (Korean lettuce wraps), much like how I’ve served the ground mince version of bulgogi. I like using shiso or perilla with lettuce, and using ssamjang, rice, and some kimchi. This is also great to use as a protein for kimbap as well!
I find this recipe is suitable for meal-prep, but I usually don’t prep more than 3-4 days worth of food. You can batch-fry and cook in the sauce, and store in the fridge. You can microwave and eat it with rice, but admittedly I will just snack on this cold from the fridge.
Bulgogi Tempeh
Ingredients
- Oil for shallow frying about 1/2 inch or 1 cm in your pan
- 250 g tempeh 1 block, cut into 2×1 inch inch slices
- 3 tbsp soy sauce use tamari for gluten-free
- 3 tbsp sweetener of choice I use oliosaccharide or green plum syrup/maesil cheong
- 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- Optional: 1/2 tsp MSG
- Toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- In a heavy skillet, bring about 1/2 inch or 1 cm of oil to medium heatOil for shallow frying
- Add the sliced tempeh and fry on both sides until golden. Remove from oil and let drain on some paper towel. I did two batches to cook the full sliced block.250 g tempeh
- In a bowl, combine soy sauce, sweetener, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, minced garlic and ground pepper. (Add MSG if desired)3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp sweetener of choice, 1.5 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 4 cloves garlic minced, 1/4 tsp ground pepper, Optional: 1/2 tsp MSG
- Remove the excess oil from the pan, then add the fried tempeh back in with the sauce. Mix well to cook, then remove once the sauce is reduced and the tempeh has absorbed the sauce.
- Serve with toasted sesame seeds!
Nutrition
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