STICKY TEMPEH, MANGO & LIME NOODLE SALAD

Sticky tempeh, mango & lime noodle salad image

Combining punchy flavours and contrasting textures, this special Asian salad is sure to be a hit with both vegetarians and meat eaters

Provided by Emily Kydd

Categories Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Supper

Time 1h

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

400g tempeh (I used 2 x 200g Impulse tempeh - see tips)
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
5 tbsp dark soy sauce or tamari
large thumb-sized piece ginger , peeled and grated
100g vermicelli rice noodles
25g coconut flakes
sunflower oil , for frying
4 banana shallots , finely sliced and divided into rings
5 limes
5 tbsp clear honey
2 red bird's-eye chillies (deseeded if you don't like it too hot), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves , grated
1 large mango , peeled, stoned and cut into 1.5cm cubes
½ cucumber , halved lengthways, deseeded and sliced diagonally into 5mm-thick pieces
8 mixed radishes , thinly sliced
small pack coriander , leaves picked

Steps:

Slice the tempeh into 7mm-thick slices and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray. Mix together 2 tbsp sesame oil, 3 tbsp soy sauce and the ginger in a bowl, then pour it over the tempeh. Get your hands in and gently coat the tempeh all over. Cover and set aside to marinate for at least 30 mins, preferably 2 hrs.
Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Pop the noodles in a bowl and pour over enough just-boiled water to cover. Set aside for 10 mins, then drain and rinse under cold water. Tip into a bowl of ice-cold water and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan and toast the coconut flakes until golden brown, then transfer to a bowl. Pour sunflower oil into the same pan, to about 5mm deep. Once hot, fry half the shallots, keeping the other half raw for the salad. It is best to fry in batches until golden brown and crisp - if you overcrowd the pan, the shallots won't crisp up. Remove using a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.
To make a dressing, zest 2 of the limes and mix with the juice, the remaining soy sauce and sesame oil, 1 tbsp honey, the chillies and garlic. Cut the peel and pith from the 3 remaining limes, then segment each one and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan. Fry the marinated tempeh over a medium- high heat for 2-3 mins each side until well browned. You'll need to do this in batches, adding more oil if needed. Remove to a plate. Spoon 2 tbsp honey into the pan, let it melt and start to bubble. Add half the fried tempeh slices, turn to coat in the honey, and cook for about 2 mins each side until dark and sticky. Repeat with the remaining honey and tempeh. Leave to cool.
When ready to serve, drain the noodles really well and combine with the raw shallots, lime segments, mango, cucumber, radishes, and coriander. Divide the salad among the plates and arrange the tempeh slices on top, tearing a few of them in half. Drizzle 1 tbsp of the dressing over each plate and scatter with some toasted coconut and crispy shallots. Serve the extra dressing, coconut, crispy shallots and any tempeh in bowls on the table, letting everyone help themselves.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 595 calories, Fat 24 grams fat, SaturatedFat 5 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 64 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 36 grams sugar, Fiber 11 grams fiber, Protein 25 grams protein, Sodium 3.5 milligram of sodium