For this first full week of Veganuary we’ve got some tips to help you tackle 2 of the less-well known vegan ingredients that we stock in the Storehouse – tofu and tempeh. Both are healthy, high-protein, low-fat, and make great meat alternatives (or cheese or egg!) that aren’t ultra-processed.

Tofu has been made in China for thousands of years. It’s simply pressed soya bean curd and doesn’t have a strong flavour of its own. It’s often marinaded before cooking – or you can try one of our pre-marinaded tofus. The easiest marinade is just soya sauce, either as it comes, or watered down, or mixed with red wine vinegar. You can cut the tofu into cubes, batons, slices, or just tear into chunks to marinade, and leave for at least 15mins, preferably a few hours. If you’ve got time add fresh grated garlic and ginger to the marinade with a teaspoon of tomato puree and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Drain from the marinade and either fry or bake in hot oven for 20mins till crispy. If you don’t need all the marinade for this meal, just keep it in the fridge for another marinade or recipe. Your tofu is now ready to add to curries and pasta sauces, to top salads, or simply nibble!

Tempeh is from Indonesia, made from fermented whole soya beans and has a chewier texture and nuttier, earthier flavour than tofu. It has a higher protein content and the health benefits of being a fermented wholefood. You can marinate it and cook in just the same way as tofu but it keeps its shape better in cooking and is great for thinly slicing to create ‘vegan bacon’ or other fillings for sandwiches, wraps etc.
We’ve chosen 2 easy recipes for you to try but do experiment – there’s a whole world of cooking out there!
Indian Scrambled Tofu Ingredients

½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp oil
400 g tofu
2 medium onions chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2 green chillies chopped
½ tbsp grated garlic
1 tsp grated ginger
1 large tomato chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 juice from a lemon
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup chopped coriander
Method
Crumble the tofu into small-medium sized pieces. Set aside.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
Add in cumin seeds, fennel seeds and mix.
Mix in chopped onions and green chillies and sauté onions until translucent.
Add grated garlic and grated ginger and cook for 2 minutes or until the raw smell disappears.
Add chopped bell pepper and chopped tomato and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Add in ground cumin, ground coriander, ground turmeric, pink salt, Kashmiri chilli powder and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add in crumbled tofu, mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.
Mix in ground cinnamon.
Squeeze juice lemon and add chopped coriander.
Take off heat and serve with chapati / naan or on toast!
Tempeh Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients

1. 1 pack Tempeh
2. 1 onion
3. 2 cloves garlic
4. 1 large carrot
5. 2 tbsp olive oil
6. 1 tbsp dried oregano
7. 2 tbsp tomato puree
8. 200ml red wine
9. 350g passata
10. 150g mushrooms
11. Salt and pepper to season
12. 250g dried spaghetti
13. Vegan cheese
Method
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat a deep frying pan and add the oil, then the onion and garlic. Fry until caramelised.
Peel and grate the carrot then add to the pan.
Crumble the Tempeh and fry until golden then add the oregano and tomato puree.
Fry for a couple of minutes then add the red wine. Reduce for a couple of minutes.
Add the passata then chop the mushrooms and add to the pan.
Reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes adding a splash of water if it is a little dry.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
Mix the cooked pasta with the Bolognese sauce then serve with a sprinkling of vegan cheese.
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