Sesame Tempeh Ramen
Tempeh is one of those ingredients that people either love or look at suspiciously, but when you fry it until crispy and coat it in sesame, even the skeptics come around. It's made from fermented soybeans pressed into a cake, and it has this nutty, mushroomy flavor that's nothing like tofu, more substantial and earthy. The trick to good tempeh is getting the exterior golden and crunchy while the inside stays tender, and a sesame seed coating gives it this beautiful armor that shatters when you bite into it. Serving it over ramen in a sesame-forward broth doubles down on those nutty flavors, and the whole bowl becomes this satisfying, protein-rich meal that happens to be completely plant-based. It's Indonesian street food meets Japanese noodles, and it works better than you'd expect.
Fermented and fried—sesame armor gleams gold—protein wears a crown.
Let Me Tell You...
I didn't understand tempeh until I went to Indonesia and saw how they actually cook it there, which is nothing like the soggy, unseasoned stuff I'd been choking down at health food restaurants back home.
At a warung in Yogyakarta, I watched a woman fry thin slices of tempeh until they were shattering-crisp, then toss them with sambal and sweet soy sauce while they were still sizzling.
I ate the whole plate in about three minutes and ordered another one, finally getting why people who grew up with tempeh can't understand why Americans mess it up so badly.
Thin pieces crisp up better and cook through evenly.
When I got home, I started experimenting with tempeh in everything, trying to recreate that crispy magic I'd discovered in Indonesia.
The sesame coating happened by accident when I ran out of breadcrumbs and grabbed the bag of sesame seeds instead, but it turned out better than anything I'd made before.
You dip the tempeh slices in a soy sauce mixture, then press them into a pile of sesame seeds until they're completely coated.
When you fry them, the sesame seeds toast and form this incredible crust that's nutty and crunchy and slightly sticky.
A thick coating means more crunch in the finished dish.
Making a sesame-forward broth to go with the tempeh was the obvious next step, blending tahini into dashi with a splash of soy sauce and rice vinegar to create something that tasted like the best parts of Japanese and Indonesian cooking combined.
The broth is creamy without being heavy, nutty without being overwhelming, and it makes the crispy tempeh seem even more satisfying when you dip it in.
I add the tempeh at the last minute so it stays crispy, letting people dunk pieces into the broth as they eat rather than letting them get soggy.
Don't submerge it in broth or it loses its crispy coating.
This ramen converted my brother, who used to claim he hated tempeh and refused to try it for years despite my repeated insistence that he just hadn't had it made properly.
He took one bite of the crispy, sesame-crusted triangle, looked at me with genuine surprise, and asked why no one had told him tempeh could taste like this.
That's the thing about tempeh: it's not about the ingredient itself, it's about treating it with respect and actually making it delicious.
Ingredients
- 2 packages ramen noodles (discard seasoning packets)
- 8 oz tempeh, sliced into triangles (about 1/4-inch thick)
- 1/2 cup white sesame seeds
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 4 cups vegetable broth or dashi
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- Salt, to taste
Preparation
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons soy sauce, rice vinegar, and maple syrup. Spread the sesame seeds on a plate.
- Dip each tempeh triangle into the soy mixture, letting excess drip off. Press both sides firmly into the sesame seeds to coat thoroughly. Set coated pieces on a clean plate.
- In a medium pot, bring the vegetable broth to a simmer. Whisk in the tahini, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and toasted sesame oil until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed. Keep warm over low heat.
- Heat about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering (about 350°F).
- Fry the sesame-coated tempeh in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until the sesame seeds are golden brown and the tempeh is crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- While the tempeh fries, cook the ramen noodles according to package instructions. Drain and divide between two serving bowls.
- Ladle the warm sesame broth over the noodles.
- Arrange the crispy sesame tempeh triangles on top of each bowl, keeping them above the broth line to maintain crispiness.
- Garnish with sliced green onions. Serve immediately while the tempeh is still crispy.