Enjoy this Asian-inspired dish with the crunch of tempeh, the tanginess of kimchi, and the butteryness of avocado!
Korean food is one of my favorite cuisines. From bibimbap to mung bean pancakes, it is always deeply satisfying. And one of my favorite things is the condiment kimchi, which is fermented cabbage.
Over the past few years I have started fermenting my own foods, and have fermented mushrooms, tomatoes, half-sour pickles, and a variety of other things. Sandor Katz’s wonderful book Wild Fermentation got me excited about the idea of fermenting. There is just something amazing watching life grow and work its magic on food. Kimchi turned out to be really easy to make. I think I spend 20 minutes total in prep, let it sit on the counter for 2 to 3 days, and then I have the wonderfully zesty and funky taste of fresh kimchi. It is great for your gut biome, which has many health benefits I use the recipe from The Simple Veganista. If you don’t want to make it, there are many awesome varieties available in the grocery store.
I had been working on my Vegan Nutrition Class from the Vegan Chef School and had to come up with a recipe with lots of umami. Looking over the examples of foods, I came up with the idea for this dish.
I hope you like it as much as we did!
Recipe
Pan Seared Tempeh with Kimchi and Avocado
Ingredients
- 2 cups Kimchi
- 8 ounces Tempeh
- 2 Avocados
- Gochugaru chili optional
Instructions
- Cut the block of tempeh into 4 sections lengthwise, and then cut each of these 4 sections down the middle. You want the tempeh to be thin.
- Heat up a cast iron over medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add a couple of tablespoons of neutral oil, such as sunflower oil, and coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil begins to shimmer, add in the tempeh, cut side down. Jiggle the pan to make sure the tempeh does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook on one side until the tempeh has browned. This can take up to 10 minutes. Flip the tempeh over and brown on the other side.
- Place ½ cup of kimchi on the plate. Place 4 pieces of tempeh on the kimchi. Place avocado slices on top of the tempeh.
- If using Gochu-garu, sprinkle on top of the avocado.
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