Balinese food series: Tempe Kering recipe (deep fried tempeh in sweet soy sauce)

Tempe Kering is a Balinese dish consisting of deep fried tempeh (fermented soy bean cakes) with a sweet and spicy sauce. Literally meaning dry tempeh, this dish is really easy to make, it can be stored in a jar for a few days and it is a perfect dish for a vegan diet. Dig in to learn how to make this delicious Tempe Kering recipe!

The basis of the dish is vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free (if you’re careful with the brand of kecap manis and tempeh). Therefore, it is an easy option for many people with dietary restrictions but it can be easily tweaked to adapt to all tastes.

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Tempe Kering recipe: ingredients (4-6 pax)

2 packets of tempeh

10 red chilies

5tbsp Indonesian sweet soy sauce, Kecap Manis (if you can’t find it, use dark soy sauce or 3 parts honey + 1 part soy sauce).

4 shallots

8 cloves of garlic

1 spring onion

5 kaffir lime leaves (use a bit of lime zest as a substitute if you can’t find)

¼ liter coconut oil for frying

Salt and pepper

Tempe Kering recipe: instructions

1. Slice the tempeh into thin strips. 
2. Boil the coconut oil in a pan. Then, add the tempeh and deep fry until golden brown then remove and set aside.

3. Cut the red chilies open and remove their seeds. Slice the garlic, shallots, spring onion and red chilies. Then, heat about 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in another pan and sauté then until they are light brown.

4. Add the deep-fried tempeh to the pan of garlic, shallots, spring onions and chili and mix while adding the Kecap Manis and broken kaffir lime leaves. Stir well to coat tempeh in the sauce.

5. And that’s how you make Tempe Kering! Serve hot as a main course.

Tempe Kering recipe: variations

As I mentioned in the introduction, the basis of Tempe Kering is vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free (if you’re careful with the brand of kecap manis and tempeh). Therefore, this dish fits well for many dietary restrictions. However, you can still really enjoy it without having any! You can add some complexity in texture by adding some roasted peanuts and it goes very well with rice and as a complement to other dishes. Also, you can add some fragrance and taste by adding some galangal or ginger in step 3.

Closing statement

As you can see, there is not secret to this Tempe Kering recipe. It is a very simple yet tasty dish that you can surprise your guests with or have in stock as a healthy dish or snack during a busy day. Try it at home and let me know how it turns out!

I learned this Tempe Kering recipe at Paon Bali Cooking Class by the hand of Mama Puspa, the sassy chef that led our class. You can read more about our experience with Paon Bali and Mama Puspa in my dedicated post.

Paon Bali Cooking Class review: our experience in a Balinese cooking class

You can book your class here, through Paon Bali’s website or phone number (+62 813-3793-9095).

If you’re planning a trip to Indonesia, have a look at these posts:

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