How to Cook Tempeh: 7 Easy Indian-Style Recipes for Beginners

Tempeh is one of the easiest proteins to cook — it doesn’t crumble, doesn’t need marinating time (though it helps), and absorbs Indian spices beautifully. Here are seven beginner-friendly recipes to get you started.

Before You Cook: Prep Tips

Steam first (optional but recommended): Steaming fresh tempeh for 10–15 minutes before cooking removes any residual bitterness and softens the texture slightly, helping it absorb flavours better. Simply place slices in a steamer or over boiling water.

Don’t be afraid of high heat: Tempeh handles high heat better than tofu. It doesn’t fall apart in a wok, tawa, or curry pot.

1. Tempeh Bhurji (Scrambled Tempeh)

Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 2

Crumble 200g of tempeh into small pieces. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, chopped onion, and green chilli. Cook until onion is soft. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, and garam masala. Add the crumbled tempeh and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring often. Finish with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with roti or as a high-protein toast topping.

2. Tempeh Masala Curry

Time: 25 minutes | Serves: 3–4

Cut 300g tempeh into cubes. Pan-fry in oil until golden (5 minutes). Set aside. In the same pan, cook a standard tomato-onion-ginger-garlic base with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and red chilli powder. Add water to make a gravy, then add the fried tempeh cubes. Simmer 10 minutes. Finish with kasuri methi and garam masala. Works exactly like palak paneer or kadai paneer — swap tempeh for paneer 1:1 in any recipe.

3. Tempeh Tikka

Time: 30 minutes (+ 30 min marinating) | Serves: 2

Slice 250g tempeh into thick pieces. Marinate in a mixture of curd (or plant-based curd), lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, tandoori masala, and red chilli powder for at least 30 minutes (longer is better). Cook in a hot pan or grill until charred on both sides. Serve with green chutney and onion rings. The fermented texture of tempeh holds the marinade better than paneer.

4. Tempeh Stir-Fry with Indo-Chinese Sauce

Time: 20 minutes | Serves: 2

Slice 200g tempeh thin. Heat a wok until very hot. Fry tempeh slices in oil until crispy (3–4 minutes per side). Remove. In the same wok, stir-fry capsicum, broccoli, and spring onion. Add soy sauce, sriracha, a dash of rice vinegar, and minced garlic. Return tempeh to the wok, toss to coat. Serve over steamed rice or noodles.

5. Tempeh Sandwich / Roll

Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 2

Marinate thin tempeh slices in soy sauce, garlic, and a pinch of smoked paprika for 5 minutes. Pan-fry until deeply caramelised and crispy (the soy caramelises beautifully). Layer into a whole-wheat roll with sliced tomato, lettuce, and green chutney. A perfect high-protein lunch that takes 15 minutes total.

6. Kripik-Style Crispy Tempeh Chips

Time: 20 minutes | Serves: 2

Slice tempeh wafer-thin. Deep-fry or air-fry at 180°C until completely crispy (10–12 minutes). Toss immediately with chaat masala or your favourite dry spice blend. These are Kripik — the traditional Indonesian way of eating tempeh as a crispy snack. Tempewala sells ready-made Kripik chips if you’d rather skip the frying.

7. Tempeh Coconut Curry (South Indian Style)

Time: 30 minutes | Serves: 4

Dry-roast coconut, red chillies, coriander seeds, and curry leaves, then grind to a paste. Cook onion in coconut oil until golden. Add the coconut paste and cook 5 minutes. Add water, tamarind, salt, and cubed tempeh. Simmer 15 minutes. The nutty flavour of tempeh is exceptional in coconut-based curries — it echoes and amplifies the coconut without overpowering it.

Quick Tempeh Cooking Tips

• Always cook tempeh before eating — it improves both flavour and digestibility.
• Batch cook: pan-fried or steamed tempeh keeps in the fridge for 4–5 days.
• Freeze sliced tempeh for up to 3 months — thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Don’t over-marinate with acidic marinades — more than 2 hours can make it mushy.

Get fresh tempeh delivered to your door from Tempewala — made daily, no preservatives.