Talk about double comfort in a bowl! This dish combines my childhood tempeh flavors with a Southern comfort food: rice grits (see sidebar). In this recipe, tempeh is oven-baked (without any oil) but you can opt to fry them, of course!
In this recipe we use local rice grits from Harvest Grain Mills and tempeh from Wiwas Tempeh made in Spring, TX. Both can be ordered online.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)*
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek or preferred hot sauce
- 1 pound piece tempeh
- 1 cup Carolina Gold rice grits
- 3 cups coconut stock (see below), or other stock
- 8 pieces baby bok choy, washed
- *Or substitute with brown (or palm) sugar dissolved in dark soy sauce in a 50/50 ratio.
- 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 3–4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
- 1 habanero, whole (optional)
- Salt to taste
Preparation
Step 1
Make Cocunut Stock - recipe below
In a small bowl, combine kecap manis, ginger and sambal or hot sauce. Set aside.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut tempeh in ½-inch thick slices. Arrange in a single layer on a wire rack over a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt to taste. Transfer to oven and bake for 12–15 minutes. The tempeh is done when it has a golden color and feels crisp to the touch.
(Note: These are now delicious to eat as is, simply dipped in the soy sauce.)
Brush each piece lightly with the soy sauce mixture, turn the pieces and repeat. Set aside.
Step 3
Combine rice grits with stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for about 15–20 minutes, or until grits have softened and thickened. If necessary strain through a sieve over a bowl to catch any liquid. Put the grits back in the saucepan. Stir in 2–3 tablespoons of the reserved liquid. Add more liquid until you have a porridge-like consistency. Season to taste with salt. Keep warm.
Note: We found using our local rice grits from Harvest Grain Mills straining was not needed.
Step 4
Steam bok choy quickly in remaining stock (1–2 minutes). Drain and keep warm.
To plate: Spoon rice grits into bowls, top with tempeh, arrange bok choy alongside and drizzle with some extra sweet soy sauce.
Coconut Stock
In a stockpot, bring 4 cups water, tablespoon salt and coconut milk to a rolling boil. Add all remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low and keep stock at a low simmer for 30–45 minutes. Strain through a colander over a bowl or saucepan. Set aside until ready to use (or store covered in the fridge for up to a week).
