I think I'm generally pretty open-minded about food. I'd happily give almost any food a try. But certain things should remain in obscurity. Tempeh has to be one of them. It's really dense, smelly, weird looking, and totally flavorless. So I was less than enthusiastic when VB wanted to try to make a classic Reuben sandwich with tempeh. As predicted, it was like chewing a brick of dehydrated space food covered in Thousand Island dressing. But I like Reuben sandwiches enough that I wanted replace the tempeh with seitan and give it another shot.
Seitan has a meaty and chewy texture that is superior to tempeh. It tastes better too! After fully cooking the seitan, I removed it from the pot and pan seared it on all sides. Then I sliced it thin, returned the slices back into the hot pan and tossed them until golden brown. Layer in some sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, Thousand Island dressing in between slices of rye bread and we have classic Reuben sandwiches. Of course, they are not the real deal. But for a vegetarian Reuben sandwich, it's pretty good.
As for tempeh, I don't think I'll be putting it onto my dinner plate again any time soon.
I feel like a terrible vegetarian admitting this, but I'm not a huge fan of tempeh either. Maybe I should try seitan.
ReplyDeleteUgh, tempeh is thoroughly gross. Don't get me started again.
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