METHOD:

How to prep tempeh and get rid of any pungent flavour:

If you find that the tempeh you buy has a pungent or bitter to taste you can do this step to eliminate that before moving on to the marinade. This process might also allow the tempeh to soak up the marinade better.

Fill a pan or pot with about 1 inch of water and make sure that your piece of tempeh can lie flat in the water. Bring the water to a gentle boil with the tempeh in it and then turn it down to a simmer. Simmer the tempeh for 10-12 minutes, flipping it when half of the time has passed.

Remove the tempeh from the water and rinse it with cold water until it cools off a little. Pat it dry with a clean tea towel or a piece of kitchen roll. Now you are ready to cook it any way you wish.

The tempeh “bacon”:

Slice your tempeh into roughly 0,5 cm thick slices. My piece made about 18 slices but this will depend on the shape of your tempeh.

Combine the soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil, liquid smoke, smoked paprika and black pepper in a shallow, flat bottomed dish and mix well to combine.

Submerge the tempeh slices in the marinade one by one, making sure both sides of the slices are well coated. Repeat until all have been submerged and then spread them out in the dish and leave them to marinate for 20 min. Make sure to move them around at least once during this time to allow all the slices to be well marinated.

When the tempeh is well marinated heat a skillet over medium heat with the rapeseed oil in it. Once the pan is warm fry the slices for about 2 minutes on each side or until they have got some colour and the edges are crisping up a little.

The sandwich:

Grab two slices of rye bread for each sandwich. Spread your favourite grainy mustard on the one slice and the vegan mayo on the other.

Layer the baby greens on one slice followed by about 3-4 tempeh slices, a good amount of sauerkraut and 2 tomato slices. Then close the sandwich up with the other slice of bread and enjoy.