Jamaican Jerk Tempeh

Recipe by Bret Sutherland

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

This is an approximation of a dish I used to enjoy at a restaurant in Florida called Reggae Shack. Jerk is typically made with Scotch Bonnet peppers, which I couldn’t source.
Habaneros are close in flavour and heat but you can use any hot peppers. Both tempeh and tofu work well; here I have used both but go wild. It should be spicy and is best served with the traditional rice and peas (which is rice and beans cooked with coconut milk.)

Ingredients

250 g tempeh
250 g tofu (firm or extra firm)
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp garlic paste
3 hot red chillies
1.5 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp blackstrap molasses
¼ cup light soy sauce
¼ cup pineapple juice
1 ½ Tbsp thyme
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp nutmeg powder
½ tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp allspice
Salt (to taste, may not be needed with the soy sauce)

Directions

Cube the tempeh and tofu into 1½-2 cm cubes.
[Optional] If you are using supermarket tempeh, you can steam the tempeh to open up the texture. Bring two cups of water to the boil in a pan and steam the cubed tempeh in a basket or colander for 10 minutes.
Add oil to frying pan and, when hot, add the tempeh and tofu and cook, turning often.
While the tempeh and tofu cook, blend the lime juice, garlic, chillies, ginger, brown sugar, molasses, soy sauce, pineapple juice and thyme together.
As the tempeh begins to golden, add the dry spices to the pan, toss, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add the blended sauce to the pan, mix through, cover the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
[Optional] You can add any vegetables at this point—zucchini, capsicum, mushrooms, etc., to add texture and balance.