Tempeh Chili Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How to eat tempeh healthy? ›

Tempeh Crumble - Cooking tempeh and then crumbling it into small pieces makes for a great topping. This option is great as a finishing touch on salads, grain bowls, and other healthy dishes containing seasonal vegetables. Tempeh Curry - Cooked tempeh is a great plant-based option for curries.

Tempeh must be cooked before it's eaten, so many recipes call for steaming the cake first, both to kill the culture and to add moisture. After steaming, you can cube, slice, or grind it, depending on the dish and the texture you want to achieve.

Tempeh, along with other fermented soy products, is generally considered safe for most people. However, some individuals may want to consider limiting their intake of tempeh. Those with a soy allergy should avoid tempeh altogether. Eating tempeh may trigger an allergic response for these people.

Because of this potential, to ensure food safety, all tempeh should be pasteurized or cooked before it's eaten (FYI, pasteurization and thorough cooking are pretty much the same thing). This is why tempeh, though fermented, should not be considered a probiotic food. But don't worry!

Steaming the tempeh will remove some of the bitterness before cooking it further. This step isn't always necessary, especially if you're pairing the tempeh with a boldly-flavored sauce. You can steam tempeh using a steamer basket in a saucepan or a microwave-safe dish covered with water or vegetable broth.

“It's completely safe and healthy to eat up to two to three servings of soy products, such as tempeh, daily,” says Palmer. Of course, if you're allergic or sensitive to soy, you'll want to avoid it.

Cooking tempeh kills the bacteria on the outside, but the probiotics on the inside should remain intact. If you want to maintain maximum probiotic benefit, keep your tempeh's internal temperature below 115˚!

Risks or side effects

Fact: soy doesn't cause breast enlargement in men. Fact: soy doesn't raise your breast cancer risk. It's actually linked to a lower risk of breast cancer. “It's completely safe and healthy to eat up to two to three servings of soy products, such as tempeh, daily,” says Palmer.

Can tempeh be eaten raw? Yes. There is nothing wrong with eating it raw. However, when raw tempeh is coated with any oily mix like mayonnaise moisture gets sealed in and air gets sealed out and this creates a favorable environment for some anaerobic bacteria which will give tempeh an unpleasant taste.

Doesn't cooking tempeh kill the good bacteria? Just on the outside. As long as the internal temperature doesn't get too hot the probiotic stimulators will remain alive. That's why we recommend you don't cook in the microwave.