Deep Fried Tempeh
This is a basic recipe for frying plain tempeh without marinating. I usually shy away from deep frying, but in the case of plain tempeh I find frying them in hot oil the fastest & easiest method compared to baking in the oven. That’s because there is next to no splatters when deep frying plain (dry) tempeh.
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We love the taste of tempeh for its strong & nutty taste. Tempeh is usually soaked in a liquid marinate before frying. To season plain tempeh after frying, one can sprinkle salt & pepper as the main seasoning, followed by other seasoned powder (such as cayenne/paprika, seaweed, garlic salt etc). We often eat it plain at home (because the cook is lazy) :P
Fried tempeh can be used as a salad topping, for stir-fries or added to soups, curries & stews. I usually fry a full batch and eat them like a snack, with the remaining tempeh chilled in the fridge for meal prep. I used this particular batch of tempeh for a spicy tempeh cabbage curry (pictured above). 
These are packets of tempeh I bought from Sheng Siong (SS). I like buying from SS as each packet of tempeh comes in 2 small rectangular stabs of 40g each, and wrapped in banana leaf. There are more modern vacuumed type of packaging sold at supermarkets, but I like this traditional packaging the most.
There are two ways to cut tempeh before frying. To fry them as a whole block, make criss-cross (or diagonal) superficial slits on one side without cutting all the way through. Alternatively, cut tempeh to bite-sized sections.
Heat peanut or canola oil (or any cooking oil with a high smoke point) until tiny bubbles form (about 180°C (356°F). Deep fry until light golden brown. Plain tempeh is dry, so oil splatters are a rare occurrence during deep frying. Take out the fried pieces and blot out excess oil on tempura paper or kitchen paper towels before serving.
Deep Fried Tempeh Recipe
You can use any amount of tempeh. Deep fry them in batches to avoid overcrowding the frying pot.
The oil used for deep frying tempeh can be reused for a few more times within a week as long as it still looks clean.
Meal Prep – fried tempeh can be kept for up to 5 days in the fridge, and reheated in the toaster or microwave oven.
Ingredients:
- 6x 40g tempeh pieces (up to you)
- peanut or canola oil for shallow or deep frying (enough to submerge the tempeh)
- powdered seasonings (such as salt & pepper, cayenne pepper, seaweed powder etc)
Directions:
- Cut tempeh according to desired serving sizes. Either make criss-cross superficial slits on one side of tempeh, or cut the tempeh to uniform short sections.
- Deep fry tempeh & serve. Add enough oil that will cover the tempeh in a frying pot. Heat oil to 180°C (356°F) or until tiny bubbles form when a wooden chopstick is inserted into the oil. Deep fry the tempeh in batches until light golden. Blot out excess oil by placing fried tempeh on kitchen paper towel or tempura paper. Optional: Sprinkle powdered seasonings (such as salt, garlic salt, pepper, paprika or cayenne pepper, seaweed powder etc) and serve.