Vegan Tempeh "Fish" – High in Protein

Watch the video

In my opinion, tempeh is the ultimate food for building muscle mass. I’ve written about it in detail here, but I'll mention again that tempeh is produced through a traditional fermentation process of soybeans. This increases the bioavailability of the protein and other nutrients like iron and calcium. Additionally, during the metabolic process of fermentation, some of the carbohydrates are "consumed," and the protein profile improves. In short, it’s a nutritional powerhouse—and I haven’t even mentioned the prebiotics that tempeh is rich in.

To turn this powerhouse into something mind-blowing, I wrapped the tempeh in Nori seaweed, which is rich in iodine—a mineral you might be lacking if you’re vegan and avoid seafood or eggs. Plus, the seaweed provides a "marine" flavor to the dish, which is why it can be called vegan fish. If you don't connect with that name, feel free to call it whatever you like. I won't be offended 🙂

I buy my tempeh from Holy Tempeh, which is the most delicious tempeh you'll ever taste. That's because Netanel makes it with so much love at home. You can buy it online or visit the Port Market every Friday morning—just hope they haven't sold out, because it goes fast.

A bit about Vegan Tempeh Fish

Yes, it tastes like fish. No, you can't skip the seaweed because that's where the flavor comes from. Well, you could skip it, but you'd just have tempeh wrapped in rice paper, which is a bit boring, right?

To get a nice crispy texture and ensure it absorbs all the flavors, I wrapped the seaweed-covered tempeh in rice paper and lightly pan-fried it.

The sauce is a basic Asian glaze: soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and a bit of Tabasco or chili.

Nutritional Values:

One serving (out of 2), containing 5 pieces of vegan tempeh fish, will provide:

• 533 calories
• 32g protein
• 46.5g carbohydrates
• 22.5g fat (of which 2g is saturated fat)

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Vegan Tempeh Fish

Prep time 20 minutes

Cook time 5 minutes

Servings 2 servings

Calories 533 kcal

Ingredients

• 300 g Tempeh
• 5 sheets Nori seaweed
• 10 sheets Rice paper
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil for frying

For the Sauce

• 3 tbsp Dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Vinegar
• 1 clove Garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp Ginger root, peeled and grated
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco

Instructions

1. Mix all sauce ingredients in a deep bowl and add 1/4 cup of water to dilute.

2. Take the tempeh and cut it into 10 slices.

3. Place the tempeh slices into the bowl with the sauce and marinate for half an hour. Flip the tempeh occasionally.

4. After marinating, save the leftover sauce.

5. Take a sheet of nori and cut it into two halves using scissors.

6. Take a tempeh slice and roll it in the nori (see video).

7. Dip a sheet of rice paper in water for 2-3 seconds and place it on a damp work surface.

8. Wrap the nori-covered tempeh in the rice paper (see video).

9. Cut each tempeh roll into two halves.

10. Heat a pan with oil and fry each half-roll until the rice paper becomes brown and crispy.

11. Add the remaining sauce to the pan and stir well until the sauce is fully absorbed.

12. Remove from heat and garnish with sesame seeds.