For the (practically) seven years I’ve been writing recipes right here, I’ve needed to create a vegan bolognese. There are many recipes on the market for lentil, tofu, mushroom or vegan mince-based ones, none of which has taken my fancy. However then a field of tempeh caught my eye on the grocery store and every part fell into place. Tempeh, for the uninitiated, is constructed from fermented soya beans. It’s delicate in flavour, and nuttier, meatier and chewier than tofu, and it dances with south-east and east Asian flavours in addition to Ellie and Vito danced on Strictly.
Spicy tempeh spaghetti
You’ll discover tempeh in the identical aisle as tofu on the grocery store. You’ll want chilli bean sauce (Lee Kum Kee makes an important and extensively accessible one), Sichuan peppercorns and Shaoxing wine, all of which will be present in bigger supermarkets, on-line and in Chinese language and south-east Asian meals shops.
Prep 10 min
Cook dinner 40 min
Serves 4
200g tempeh – I like the Tofoo Co’s one
200g spring onions, trimmed
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, effectively bashed in a mortar
4 tbsp (75g) tomato paste
1 tbsp chilli bean sauce
3½ tbsp gentle soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1½ tbsp darkish agave syrup
Salt
300g spaghetti
6 tbsp rapeseed oil, plus slightly additional for the pasta
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
20g chives, finely chopped
Chilli oil or vegan parmesan, to serve
Put the tempeh on a big chopping board, reduce it into chunks, then chop it into lentil-sized items (or chuck the chunks right into a meals processor and blitz). Finely chop the white and inexperienced components of the spring onions, put them in a sieve and submerge it in an enormous bowl of chilly water. Squish together with your hand to rinse out any sand, then drain.
In one other bowl, combine the bottom Sichuan pepper, tomato paste, chilli bean sauce, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and agave syrup.
Carry two litres of water to a boil, add two teaspoons of salt and cook dinner the spaghetti based on the packet directions. Close to the tip of the cooking time, scoop out a mugful of the starchy water, then drain the pasta and drizzle with slightly oil.
Put the oil in a large frying or saute pan on a medium-high warmth and, as soon as sizzling, add the spring onions and garlic, and stir-fry for 2 minutes, till the garlic now not smells pungent. Add the minced tempeh and stir-fry for as much as eight minutes, till it begins to brown. Stir within the sauce, cook dinner for 2 minutes extra, then add the cooked pasta and eight or 9 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water and toss to mix. Fold within the chives and take off the warmth.
Portion the spaghetti into 4 shallow bowls, furnish together with your favorite crispy chilli in oil (mine is Laoganma) or vegan parmesan, and serve directly.
