Fried tempeh basil

Ingredients

• 5-6 pieces garlic, diced
• 2 thumbs ginger, diced
• 6 spring onions, white parts thinly sliced
• 1-2 fresh or dried red chilli
• 400 g tempeh, crumbled
• 2 whole basil plants, leaves plucked and roughly chopped

Sauce

• 2 tbsp fishsauce (or vegan fish sauce)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce (or vegan mushroom sauce)

Directions

Heat wok to medium high and add a little oil. Fry the crumbled tempeh until it has some color then set aside.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and add 6-10 cracks of freshly ground black pepper.

Heat wok on medium and then add oil. Add in garlic, ginger, green onion stems, and chillis. Fry for a minutes or so until fragrant, then add in fried tempeh and toss with the oil and aromatics. Add in sauce and fry until its reduced — reducing heat if necessary to avoid burning. When sauce is absorbed by the tempeh, turn off heat and add basil and toss. Allow the residual heat to wilt the basil, causing it to become particularly fragrant. Serve immediately on top of rice.

This goes well when topped with a crispy fried egg cooked in the wok. Bean sprouts can also be added along with the basil to make the dish lighter and counteract the density of the tempeh.

When cooking with a stove-top pan, prepare the recipe in two batches so you don’t over crowd it.