Mix up your meals with tempeh.Tempeh tem·peh n. A high-protein food of Indonesian origin made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans. [Indonesian tempe, from Javanese, soybean cakes.] (pronounced TEM-pay) is a soybean soybean, soya bean, or soy pea, leguminous plant (Glycine max, G. soja, or Soja max) of the family Leguminosae (pulse family), native to tropical and warm temperate regions of Asia, where it has been cake made by mixing whole soybeans with rice or millet. This traditional Indonesian food has the advantage of fiber over tofu tofu Soft, bland, custardlike food product made from soybeans. Believed to date from China's Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220), tofu is today an important source of protein in the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia. , since the latter is processed without using the whole grain. For this reason, tempeh also has a higher concentration of vitamins and other nutrients. For example, a three-ounce serving of tempeh contains 15 grams of protein; the same portion of tofu contains 6.4 grams of protein. You can usually find tempeh in natural food stores, where it is kept frozen. It will last for several months this way, but once in the refrigerator you should use it within 10 days. It's not uncommon to find small bits of harmless mold on tempeh; as with certain types of cheese, this may be cut from it without discarding the whole cake. The rich flavor of tempeh is sometimes described as nutty or smoky, and is often compared to the flavor of mushrooms. Its chewy chew·y adj. chew·i·er, chew·i·est Needing much chewing: chewy candy. chew  i·ness n. but tender texture makes it a good food for grilling (first steam the tempeh). You can also add cubes of it to spaghetti sauce, soups, chili, and even casseroles. Another option is to steam and then grate tempeh and mix it with mayonnaise and celery for a tuna-salad-like sandwich spread. The culturing process, which produces the culture Rhizopus oligosporus, is thought to be responsible for the novel taste, and likely aids in the digestion of the soybeans in tempeh. This culture also produces an active enzyme called phytase, which helps liberate additional quantities of minerals like calcium from the beans. While tempeh is not a low-fat food, it does provide several key nutrients in large amounts. In addition to calcium, these include potassium, protein, carbohydrate, phosphorus, and magnesium. A three-ounce serving contains a whopping five grams of fiber, and almost no sodium. For a unique addition to a diet high in fiber, put tempeh in regular rotation. See the sidebar for more nutrition information. (U.S. Soyfoods Directory, Physicians Laboratories, www.soyfoods.com/soyfoodsdescriptions/Tempeh.html; USDA USDA, n.pr See United States Department of Agriculture. National Nutrient Database, Release 18, 2005, www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp; Wikipedia, "Tempeh," September 2005, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh) RELATED ARTICLE: Nutrition Facts Tempeh, cooked Serving Size 3 oz (85 g) Amount Per Serving Calories 167 Total Fat 10 g Saturated Fat saturated fat, any solid fat that is an ester of glycerol and a saturated fatty acid. The molecules of a saturated fat have only single bonds between carbon atoms; if double bonds are present in the fatty acid portion of the molecule, the fat is said to be 3 g Monounsaturated Fat 3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g Cholesterol 0 g Sodium 12 mg Potassium 341 mg Total Carbohydrate 8 g Dietary Fiber 5 g Protein 15 g Calcium 82 mg Magnesium 65 mg Niacin niacin: see coenzyme; vitamin. niacin or nicotinic acid or vitamin B3 Water-soluble vitamin of the vitamin B complex, essential to growth and health in animals, including humans. 2 mg Folate folate /fo·late/ (fo´lat) 1. the anionic form of folic acid. 2. more generally, any of a group of substances containing a form of pteroic acid conjugated with l-glutamic acid and having a variety of substitutions. 18 mcg Iron 2 mg Phosphorus 215 mg Zinc 2 mg Folic Acid 0 mcg (www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/) |
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