STICKY-GLAZED TEMPEH AND CHILLI STIR-FRY

The Indonesian name of this dish is tempe orek, which translates as ‘stir-fried tempeh’: a spicy, glossy, aromatic stir-fry drizzled with the sweet and sticky flavour of kecap manis. While Indonesians traditionally deep fry their tempeh, my recipe oven roasts it, keeping the mess to a minimum and meaning it absorbs all the flavours it roasts in, creating a complex and aromatic dish with layers of textures.

SERVES 2 PREP & COOKING TIME 30 MINUTES

4 tbsp kecap manis (see tip), plus extra to serve

flavourless oil, such as sunflower or rapeseed pinch of ground white pepper 300g tempeh, cut into

1cm thick batons flaky sea salt, to taste

4 red chillies, sliced (deseed if you prefer less heat)

5 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced, or 5 tsp garlic paste

1 small onion or 2 medium shallots (120g), peeled and sliced

3 lime leaves, stems removed and finely shredded (optional) 40g roasted salted peanuts lime wedges, to serve

2 tbsp crispy fried shallots (shop-bought are fine)

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Mix the kecap manis with 1 tablespoon oil and the white pepper in a small bowl to make the glaze.

Grease a foil-lined flat baking tray generously with oil. Toss the tempeh with 2 tablespoons oil and a generous pinch of salt in a bowl, then place on the tray in a single layer.

Dab the glaze onto the tempeh using a pastry brush and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the tempeh over and glaze again. Return to the oven and continue to bake, glaze and turn the tempeh every 5 minutes until sticky, browned and well coated. This will take 15–20 minutes of cooking time in total. Add more oil during cooking if the tempeh looks dry. Dab the tempeh with a final glaze after cooking.

When the tempeh has finished roasting, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large frying pan on a medium heat. Add the chillies, garlic, onion or shallots and lime leaves, if using, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant and starting to soften.

Add the peanuts and roasted tempeh to the pan and cook for 1 minute, tossing together to combine.

Transfer to a serving plate and season with extra salt, if needed. Squeeze a lime wedge over the tempeh and drizzle with extra kecap manis. Garnish with fried shallots, if using, and serve with extra lime wedges.

TIP Kecap manis is available in most major supermarkets or you can use equal parts dark soy sauce and brown sugar, stirred together.