Tempe: Delicious and Nutritious Indonesian Food

One of the most popular vegetarian healthy foods known worldwide is Tempeh, or also known as Tempe. This Indonesian food is made from cooked and slightly fermented soybeans that are formed in a patty. Just think of it like a soybean burger.

Tempeh

Although tempe and tofu are both made from soybeans, different fermentation process helps Tempe maintain all the fiber of the beans and gives Tempe higher nutrition value than tofu. It is said that 100 grams of Tempe provides around 200 calories, 18.2 grams of protein, and 10% of RDA of calcium and iron. Tempe is a naturally cholesterol-free food! Also, the fermentation process of Tempe created enzymes that give Tempe digestive benefits. With this high value nutrition, Tempe has many health benefits, such as strengthen bones, ease menopause symptoms, reduce risk of coronary heart disease, and some cancers. Thanks to its low fat and high protein contents, tempe is consumed regularly by vegetarians and by people who are on a diet.
Besides all its nutritional value, tempe is popular because of its meaty texture and nutty flavor. Some vegetarian consider tempe to be a meat analogue. Tempe even referred as Javanese meat. Another interesting thing about tempe is its flexibility. You can even create a whole new recipe which has tempe as the shining main ingredient. You can fry it, stir fry it with soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce, put it in a spicy soup, or even make a meatless chili out of it.

A couple of years ago, 4 college students from the Faculty of Agriculture, Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta, created a sausage with tempe as the main ingredient. To make a tempe sausage, the ingredients needed are tempe, egg white, water, tapioca, and oil. To add more flavors, add garlic, salt, sugar, and pepper. All these ingredients are mashed in a blender. The paste like result will be put in a special container and be tied up on both ends with thread. It is then boiled or baked, then set aside to cool off. The tempe sausage then needs to be fried before it’s ready be served and enjoyed. The benefits of tempe makes this sausage good for treating diabetes, diarrhea, and heart disease. It also can lower cholesterol level, prevent cancer, and great as a vegetable protein.

Protein contained in tempe is also proven to be the best compared to other types of beans. Its protein contents level is equal with protein from meat, milk, and egg. Furthermore, tempe can increase level of antioxidants in the blood, lower the amount of damage from skin tissue that are radiated by ultraviolet rays. This has been proven by a study done by a professor from Udayana University. It is concluded from this findings that if you want to prevent negative effects from exposure to ultraviolet rays and to keep your skin healthy, you can eat tempe regularly. Furthermore, although very high in nutrition, Tempe is fairly affordable. So this is definitely an affordable way to keep your appearance.