Chinese Greens & Water Chestnut Tempeh Stir Fry
Comforting, green, and high in protein – this stir fry is easy and delicious! The meaty marinated tempeh, crunchy water chestnuts, and savory soy & black bean sauce make for a winning combination that’s easy to overindulge in. Takeout has its place, but sometimes you’ve gotta make Chinese food at home!
What is high in sodium and higher in satisfaction? A stir fry based in soy and black bean sauce.
Chinese food is one of many cuisines that has grown on me significantly with time and exposure. My palate started off in life quite bland with affinity only for carbs and cheese, and has now expanded to an ever-widening horizon.
One of my favorite home cooked meals I ate growing up was my dad’s “stir fry pork.” The meaty pork strips, crunchy water chestnuts, and savory soy and black bean sauce made for a winning combination I overindulged in at every occasion.
It’s no secret that soy sauce (even the lower sodium type) is not friendly on a low sodium diet, but sometimes you gotta treat yo’self. And fortunately, the salt content can be modified much more easily at home than it could in a restaurant, especially when you eat vegan and bypass the hidden punch of sodium present in an animal’s flesh.
I cooked this dish a few times in order to modify the level of sodium, which was clearly too high in the first trial. This type of electrolyte is necessary for vital function and present naturally in most vegetables, but most Americans over-consume it. Like sugar, sodium is highly palatable and lurks in unexpected places — particularly processed foods and animal products.
I have a salt tooth myself, but it’s something I keep an eye on. Dishes should be salted as needed, but never salty. Making huevos rancheros with an ex-boyfriend before I was vegan made me cringe as I saw him adding way too much salt, not tasting as he went. Keeping tabs on my added salt during cooking and at the table feels like common sense to me, but it must not be to many.
In this dish, I replaced the naturally salty pork with whole food, plant based marinated and baked tempeh. The soy sauce and black bean sauce do lend sodium, but this dish also contains plenty of water to offer a refreshing balance. Of course, I have included ample amounts of my favorite ingredients — VEGGIES.
This recipe isn’t half bad for my first experiment with Chinese food — try it out and let me know in the comments if you agree!
Chinese Tempeh Stir Fry
Equipment
- Medium bowl
- Small saucepan
- Medium baking sheet¾
- Wok
Ingredients
For the tempeh
- 8 oz tempeh cut into strips (about 2" long x 1" wide x 0.5" thick)
- 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp drunken garlic black bean sauce*
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 dried crushed red chili pepper I used pequin
For the rice
- 1 cup long grain brown rice
- 1 and ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp Better Than Boullion** seasoned vegetable variety
- 1 tbsp vegan butter optional for added savoriness
For the sauce
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup black bean sauce
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2-3 dried crushed red chili peppers
For the stir fry
- 8 oz can bamboo shoots drained
- 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts drained
- 1 and ½ cup snow peas
- 1 bunch baby bok choy white ends cut off and diced, green leaves sliced in half vertically
Instructions
- Cut the tempeh and set aside in a medium bowl, then add remaining tempeh ingredients to a small saucepan. Heat on medium and stir occasionally until mixture begins to thicken and bubble slightly. Once thickening begins (it will happen quickly once hot enough), remove from heat and pour over tempeh. Mix well to coat and allow it to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes to overnight (the longer the better).
- Once ready to cook, combine all listed rice ingredients in a small saucepan or rice cooker. If cooking on the stove, bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook 45 mins, or according to package instructions.
- Preheat oven to 400°F and arrange marinated tempeh on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix together the sauce ingredients while you wait for the oven. Bake tempeh for 10 minutes, remove to mix, and bake again for another 10 minutes.
- Preheat a wok or large skillet on medium-high. Once hot, add a teaspoon of sesame oil and rotate wok to coat. Add the diced bok choy stems, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and snow peas. Stir fry 5-7 mins until veggies are bright green.
- Add sauce to wok and stir regularly until mixture begins to thicken, a couple of minutes. Add bok choy and mix to wilt slightly.
- Remove from heat and serve, keeping the elements separate or mixing it all together if you prefer. Enjoy!