An all new soya-alternative, vegetarian superfood is soon to be on the market and has been tested in Sweden for its outstanding nutritional qualities. Tempe is a wholegrain food made from oats and barley created by doctorate student Charlotte Eklund-Jonsson of Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden.

New vegetarian food
Eklund-Jonsson aimed to create a new vegetarian food which would be high in fibre but also aid with iron uptake by being high in vitamin B folate. Tempe is usually made by fermenting soybeans, however in Europe, barley and oats make the product more sustainable and cut down on food miles.

Charlotte says: "Tempe is designed for vegetarians, but also for people who want to eat less meat for environmental reasons, for example. We also had the environment in mind when we chose to base it on barley and oats, which are suitable to cultivate in Sweden and therefore do not require long transports."

Japanese and Indonesian
As the soy variety of tempe (often known as tempeh) has been around for a while the Japanese and Indonesian cuisines use it a lot as well as tofu and other meat alternatives.

RECIPES:
Find below some easy and delicious tempe recipes to add variety to your cooking repertoire:
Indonesian Curried Tempe

2 tbsp vegetable oil
250 g tempe, cubed
2 red or green bell peppers, sliced
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
250 ml coconut milk
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
Accompaniment: Rice

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the tempe over a medium heat until brown.
Add the peppers, sweet potato, garlic and onion and fry for 10 minutes.
Next, add the curry powder, coconut milk, basil and soy sauce and cook over a medium heat for a further 10 minutes.
Serve with rice.

Tangy Tempe with Peanut Sauce
For marinade:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
1/3 cup rice wine
1 clove garlic, minced
250 g tempe, cubed
For peanut sauce:
1 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp fresh ginger root, minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to season
1/2 cup hot water
Accompaniment: Rice

Method:
To make the marinade:
Mix together the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine and garlic.
Sauté the tempe in a pan, pouring the marinade over. Bring the mixture to the boil then let it simmer for 15 minutes, turning the tempe and cooking until it is almost dry.

To make the peanut sauce:
In a blender mix together the peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, water, salt and pepper. This mixture can be heated in a pan or served cold, depending on preference.
Serve the tempe with rice, pouring over the peanut sauce at the last minute.