Spicy Korean Tempeh Fritters

• 450g Organic Tempeh
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tbsp minced or grated ginger (~1" piece)
• 1/4 cup gochujang (Korean pepper paste, can be found in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet wine rice, can be found in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose)
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable broth or water
• 1/2-3/4 cups cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 1/2-1 cup panko style bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• Green onions for garnish
• Oil for baking or frying

GOCHUJANG MAYO

• 1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
• 2-4 tbsp gochujang (Korean pepper paste, can be found in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose)
  

1. Tear up tempeh into chunks and place them into a large bowl or baking dish. 450g of tempeh is typically torn into 16 fritters.
2. In a bowl or a large liquid measuring cup stir together the garlic, ginger, gochujang, soy sauce, mirin, toasted sesame oil, coconut sugar, and broth. Pour it over the tempeh and marinate for 10-30 minutes, flipping occasionally, or place in the fridge to marinate up to overnight.
3. When ready to make the fritters, either preheat your oven to 215ºC if baking, or slowly heat about 2.5cm of oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium-low heat to deep fry.
4. Place the cornstarch in one bowl and the bread crumbs in a second bowl. Prepare your tempeh fritters by removing each piece of tempeh from the marinade, tossing it in the cornstarch, tapping off any excess starch then putting it back into the marinade, making sure to coat the entire piece, before dipping it into the breadcrumbs to coat. Set aside and repeat with the remaining pieces.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice to the remaining marinade and set aside.
6. To bake: Place the prepared tempeh fritters on a parchment or silicon mat lined baking tray and spray or drizzle with oil. Bake for 10 minutes, then flip and bake an additional 6-10 minutes until golden and crispy on each side.
7. To fry: test that the oil is hot, it should be 175ºC if checking with a thermometer, or you can test with a small piece of tempeh: the oil should bubble/boil vigorously around it and the piece of tempeh should float to the surface fairly quickly after being dropped in. When the oil is heated, fry in batches, 1-2 minutes on each side, until the fritters are a rich golden brown. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel lined plate.
8. When the fritters are done baking or frying, transfer them back into the bowl with the marinade and toss them to coat in the remaining juice. Remove quickly once coated so they don't get soggy.
9. Top with some green onions and serve right away with gochujang mayo for dipping, if desired.

GOCHUJANG MAYO

In a small bowl mix together the vegan mayonnaise and 2 tbsp of the gochujang. Taste and add more gochujang if desired. This can be made in advance.