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INGREDIENTS
2 servings of your
preferred noodles
2 Tbsp oil
1 small eggplant, cubed
1 tomato, chopped
3–4 pieces tempeh
1–2 Tbsp light soy sauce,
or to taste
1 tsp salt
750 ml–1 litre (3–4 cups)
water
2–3 stalks long beans
3–4 okra (ladies’ fingers)
60 ml (
1
/
4
cup) coconut
milk
1–2 Tbsp lemon or lime
juice, or to taste
1 sprig coriander,
chopped
SPICES
0.5-cm knob ginger,
peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, peeled
and minced (or use
more ginger)
10–15 curry leaves, or
to taste
2–3 dried red chillies, or
to taste (optional)
1
/
3
cup curry powder or
4 Tbsp curry paste
curry tempeh noodles
Serves 2
METHOD
1.
Cook noodles according to packet instructions and
set aside.
2.
To fry the spices, heat oil in a pot over medium-low heat.
Fry ginger and garlic until lightly browned. Add curry
leaves, chillies and curry paste or powder. Mix and fry
until fragrant.
3.
Add eggplant, tomato, tempeh, 1 Tbsp soy sauce and
salt, then mix to coat well with curry spices. Sauté for
2–4 minutes until eggplant is slightly softened.
4.
Add water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 3–5 minutes
over low heat.
5.
Add the remaining 1 Tbsp soy sauce, long beans, okra and
half the coconut milk.
6.
Cover pot and cook for 5–8 minutes, until long beans and
okra are tender.
7.
Add the remaining coconut milk and cooked noodles before
removing from the heat.
8.
Taste and adjust seasoning with lemon juice and extra soy
sauce if preferred. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.
NOTES
•
Instead of frying the spices with curry powder or paste, ready-made
curry pastes or powders can be used to save time. However, I highly
recommend adding curry leaves to a ready-made paste.
•
Different veggies or mushrooms can be used for this recipe.
•
Pan-frying tempeh or tofu before cooking it in the curry helps to
lock in more of the curry flavour. Other proteins you can try in this
dish include tofu puffs (
tau pok
), soaked tofu skin (
tau kee
), seitan
(
mian jing
) or canned beans.
•
I don’t press firm tofu to remove water before use – the Chinese
actually don’t do that except for some cold dishes. I find that there’s
no difference in taste and in fact it makes the cooked tofu drier.
•
Allium-free option: replace garlic with more ginger, curry leaves,
soy sauce and lime or lemon juice.
•
Gluten-free option: replace soy sauce with tamari or liquid aminos,
and use rice noodles instead.