Today The Netherlands became stricter on social distancing, as have many other countries in our world. The good side might be that, if we are still in good health, by being stuck at home there may be more time to cook? At least I hope so!

Anyway, this might be a nice recipe to try. It’s quite simple. Plus you could use any kind of green veggies. Just calculate 250 g per person and you are on your way!

This recipe makes about four to five servings and features a sweet, spicy, and slightly tangy sauce with a Thai twist. It’s filled with copious amounts of happy green veggies and earthy tempeh. Fresh, deep, and pungent all at once.

Tip: The tempeh can easily be substituted with tofu or dried soy mince, and some lime zest can substitute the lime leaves.

Ingredients

250 g (1½ cups) tempeh or tofu
1 medium courgette (zuchinni)
1 red bell pepper
1 medium red onion
125 g (1½ cups) snow peas
250 g (small crown) broccoli
2 stems green onions
20 g (2 tablespoons) fresh ginger
3 medium cloves garlic
1 red chilli
2–3 tablespoons oil for frying
For the tempeh; 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.

Sauce

120 ml (½ cup) water
6-8 dried lime leaves
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Method

• Thin slice the tempeh, then cut into bite-size pieces, or cube the tofu. Marinate with the soy sauce and vinegar.
• Cut the courgette into batons.
• Deseed and cut the red bell pepper into medium sized triangles.
• String the snow peas if neccessary.
• Slice the onions into thin diagonal strips.
• Cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets and peel the broccoli stem and cut into short batons.
• Slice the green onion into thin diagonal rings.
• Peel and mince the garlic, ginger.
• De-seed and mince the chilli.

℘

• In a small saucepan, bring the water, lime leaves, and brown sugar to a scant boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and soy sauce and season to taste. Stir in the lemon zest. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid.

℘

• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick frying pan on a medium flame and stir-fry the ginger, garlic, and chilli until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir into the sauce.
• In the same frying pan, add a little more oil, and stir-fry the bell pepper until caramelized on the edges. Set aside.
• Next, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the frying pan and stir-fry the tempeh. When it starts to blush, turn down the flame and toss occasionally until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes.
• While the tempeh is frying, bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Drop in the courgette, bring back to a scant boil. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and put in a colander to drain. Next drop in the snow peas, cook for about 30 seconds, scoop out and set aside with the courgette.
• Finally, drop in the broccoli florets and stems, return to a boil and simmer for a few seconds, until crispy-tender. Scoop out with a slotted spoon and set aside with the rest of the vegetables.
• In a large pre-heated pot, toss the sauce through the vegetables, tempeh, and green onions.
• Serve with Thai rice.