Name: Crumbled Sticky Tempeh (Indonesian Sautéed Tempeh)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: ½ cup brown rice (uncooked (95 grams)); 1 cup water ((240 ml)); 4 garlic cloves (finely minced); 2 inches ginger (finely minced (5cm)); 1 block tempeh (8oz) (crumbled (225 grams)); 1 Tablespoon olive oil (or any other cooking oil); 3 Tablespoons soy sauce ((45 ml), sub with liquid aminos); 1 Tablespoon maple syrup (sub with agave nectar or another sweetener of choice); 1 Tablespoon lime juice ((from about 1 medium lime), or sub with lemon juice or rice vinegar); 2 teaspoons sriracha or sambal oelek ((optional)); 1 medium green onion for garnish (chopped (optional))

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This Indonesian crumbled sticky tempeh is a quick & healthy vegetarian sautéed dish inspired by the traditional tempeh orek. Beginner-friendly & a versatile meat substitute!

With umami sauce, it’s a flavorful one-pan recipe that is done in just 35 minutes!

Crumbled sticky tempeh with rice on a white plate and green onions.

Watch How to Make Here

Ingredients

Tempeh: This plant-based protein not only has all 9 essential amino acids, but it is also full of health benefits ranging from lowering your cholesterol, protecting your heart, and promoting bone health!
Garlic: Packed with a lot of flavor.
Ginger: An additional aromatic that packs even more flavor!
Soy sauce: Adds that umami flavor and helps to darken the color into that deep, rich, dark brown color.
Maple syrup: The secret ingredient that will help caramelize the tempeh! Any liquid sweetener will do.
Lime juice: A bit of tang to round off the flavor. Sub with lemon juice.
Sriracha (optional): A bit of heat for a kick!
Green onion (optional): Some garnish for serving.

What is Sticky Tempeh Crumbles?

This crumbled sticky tempeh uses tempeh with a savory, umami sauce (similar to my sticky eggplant with teriyaki sauce) to glaze the tempeh. It is made by first stir-frying some crumbled tempeh, then allowing the sauce to caramelize and thicken to infuse flavor into the tempeh.

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Prepare: Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Then crumble the tempeh until they have a mince-like texture. You can also cut them into sticks for a more authentic, accidentally vegetarian & vegan Indonesian Tempeh Orek recipe (note that the website is in Indonesian, but you can still see how the traditional Indonesian tempeh recipe looks like).

2. Mix: Mix together all the ingredients for the tempeh sauce.

3. Sauté time! First, add the aromatics (garlic and ginger) to the skillet and sauté until they turn slightly brown. Then add the crumbled tempeh and fry until golden brown.

4. Glaze: Glaze the pan with the sauce and cook further until it’s caramelized!

A white ramekin of soy sauce-based tempeh sauce.

A black pan with sauteed minced garlic and ginger.

Do I Need to Steam my Tempeh?

You can, but it’s unnecessary if you don’t mind the taste of tempeh. Steaming your tempeh reduces the slight bitterness that tempeh has, making this dish more accessible to people who are not used to tempeh/don’t like the flavor.

If you would like to steam your tempeh, you can just use the pan you’re going to stir fry/sauté the tempeh in. Just crumble the tempeh, add it to the pan, and cover it with water over medium heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 7-10 minutes until the water reduces.

Top Tips

Cutting – If you’re tight on time, you can also just cut the tempeh into slices, cubes, or sticks (like the traditional Indonesian tempeh orek recipe).
- You might get less flavor due to the lower surface area, but it will still be an excellent tempeh dish!
Steaming – If you’re not a fan of the tempeh flavor, the secret is to steam it first to neutralize the flavor. Refer to the section above for how to do so.
Garnish – For some garnish, I recommend:
- Top with 1 Tablespoon chopped green onions and/or 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds for every serving!
- Mix in 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil just before turning the heat off to give that Chinese food flair.

Close-up of Indonesian sticky tempeh with juicy and saucy glaze.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your tempeh crumbles on a bed of warm brown rice. But if you want to take it up a notch, below are some tasty options:

Turmeric rice / nasi kuning
- Simply add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder per 1 cup of uncooked rice, added before cooking the rice.
- Regarded as a superfood, turmeric has so many health benefits too due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. A quick tip is to add a pinch of black pepper too so your body can absorb the curcumin better!
Coconut rice
- Adding coconut milk to your rice makes it even more aromatic! Just add 1/4 cup (about 60ml) of coconut milk per 1 cup of uncooked rice! Add this before boiling so the rice can absorb the flavor well!
Peanut Butter Rice
- This recipe is actually inspired by a Zimbabwean dish. But since peanuts are also commonly used in Indonesian kitchens, they pair great together!

A plate of crispy tempeh crumbles with a fork on a beige napkin.

Storage and Meal Prep Instructions

You can make this recipe 5 days ahead which is perfect for a weekday lunch/dinner!

However, if you want it fresh, you can make ahead the sauce and sauté your tempeh + aromatics at the weekend (so steps 1-4). Store them in the fridge and just before you want to serve them, reheat the stir-fried tempeh + aromatics on a pan/skillet, then add the sauce to glaze them (steps 5-6). You would then be done in just 5 minutes!

FAQ

Tempeh is typically found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, often near tofu or plant-based meat alternatives.

Sure you can! You might get less flavor due to the lower surface area in tempeh slices or tempeh cubes, but when pressed for time, this will still be an excellent recipe!

Another option which is good for meal prepping is to make the sauce and stir fry your tempeh + aromatics, then store them in the fridge. Just before you want to serve them, reheat the stir-fried tempeh + aromatics, then add the sauce to glaze them. You would then be done in just 5 minutes!

Tempeh and tofu are both made from soy beans. They have similar nutrient content but tempeh is richer in protein and fiber. On the other hand, tofu has fewer calories and more calcium. You can read more about it in this Healthline article to decide for yourself which one suits you better.

In terms of flavor, tofu tends to be more neutral while tempeh could be more of an acquired taste to some. However, in general, tempeh absorbs flavor better than tofu. Speaking of tofu, you might like my Easy Marinated Tofu recipe!

Tempeh has a firm but slightly chewy texture. Tempeh also absorbs flavor well so it is perfect as a meat substitute when you are making vegan recipes. In terms of flavor, it has a nutty, earthy flavor with a slightly fermented tone to it.

Tempeh is a vegan protein source made from fermented soybeans (which btw made it to my List of 35 Brown Vegetables + Photos!). Tempeh itself originated from Indonesia (which is also where I come from 😉) and it is a very cheap vegan/vegetarian protein source that is commonly found especially on the island of Java.

Looking for More Easy Lunch/Dinner Recipes?

A fan of Indonesian food? Then check out My Mum’s Vegan Rendang Recipe (Indonesian Curry-like Dish)

A fan of fermented food? Then check out my Kimchi Sushi recipe, or this Kimchi Aioli. And if you like both soybeans and fermented food, definitely check out this Natto Rolls (Japanese fermented soybeans sushi) recipe!

And if you are a fan of Asian food in general, check out my 30-Minute Rainbow Poke Bowl or this Gochujang Aioli recipe for a Korean twist in your dips!