Having stayed in Szechuan region for 3 months during my latest travel to China, I started to truly appreciate the taste & the numb profile of the szechuan sweet peppercorn.
The unique aromatic from this humble ingredients is very well represented in many Szechuan dishes such as in stir fry, noodle dishes and the most loved in the region – the Spicy Hotpot. In this recipe, I wish to combine this unique Szechuan taste with the natural nutty flavor of tempeh. I think it works really well. Let me know what you think if you decide to give it a try.
This marinate is quite flexible in that you can adjust the taste & spicy level to your liking. If you are new with Szechuan pepercorn taste, I will suggest to go with half the prescribed amount. The aroma of this sweet peppercorns is awaken by a quick toast.
If there is any leftover after marinating the tempeh, you can use this versatile sauce in stir-fry as well!
To marinate tempeh, you can either choose to raw marinate for at least an hour or you can boil it in the sauce for 10 mins until all the liquid is absorbed.
Then simply fry it on a non stick pan with a small amount of oil or for me, I simply put it in the air fryer for 8 minutes each side at 200C
Enjoy it as a wholesome snack or I also like to use this marinated tempeh as meat alternative in a fresh spring roll
Szechuan Marinated Tempeh
Ingredients
- 200 g tempeh Cut into squares
- 1 tsp ground szechuan peppercorn
- 2 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp ground ginger paste
- 1 tbsp ground red chilly
- 1 tbsp black vinegar
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing coooking wine or mirin
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients onto tempeh and marinate for at least 1 hour
- Fry with small amount of oil on pan or use air fryer
Notes
- You can find szechuan peppercorn in powder form, it still work for this recipe but the taste will not be as pungent.
- You can reduce the amount of Szechuan Peppercorn and Ground chilli as desired if you prefer milder marinate.
- I often use this marinated tempeh as meat alternative in a fresh spring roll
