Siddharth Ramasubramanian’s excitement was palpable. As he introduced his new venture and product one couldn’t help but get curious when he said, “It has more protein than any vegan or veg food per 100 gms! It is low in saturated fat — lower than paneer. Low in carb and high in fibre.” The Bengaluru-based founder and CEO of Hello Tempayy was recently in town to launch the soybean-based tempeh, which has its roots in Indonesia and seems like the best kept food secret.
The big find
“I have found that tempeh, made by fermenting soybeans, is an incredible source of vegetarian protein, plus it has no preservatives or additives and being fermented makes it good for the gut too. As a vegetarian, I am constantly exploring variety when it comes to food choices and looking to add more protein to my daily meals in different ways,” explains Siddharth, who stumbled upon the ingredient during his travels in Europe and adds that it was not a meat substitute. “I was always looking for a balanced delicious veg meal and always wondered where will I get my B12 and iron from — besides other nutrients? By March 2019, we were well in the experimental stage with recipes and were going through consumer feedback — finalised packaging and marinades. Post September, we hustled!”
Versatile takes
Though he insists that tempeh is a really versatile vegetarian ingredient and works well with Indian cuisine, we don’t take his word for it. We dig into some of the dishes to find out for ourselves, as some kitchens across the city collaborated with the brand and experimented with cubes of tempeh. We try kebabs and Chilli Tempayy, along with coin parathas made by the chef at Synck. Two mouthfuls in and we are bidding goodbye to good ole soy chunks and Hello Tempayy indeed! The key is ample marination and patient cooking, we are told. We found that the Indian and Asian flavours indeed melded with tempeh in a delicious manner — however, dishes with less spice and lower cooking time may be an acquired taste.
Mince, toss & roll
Talking about his personal interest in the product, Siddharth says, “I use and cook with Tempayy in many ways depending on the day and my mood. On days I workout I will run through a full pack of Tawa Masala cubes in a Kathi Roll or add it to a flavourful Indian gravy. For my favourite kebabs and cutlets, I mince and mash Natural Tempayy cubes and eat it as a burger or even just pan-tossed with some spices, as a snack. So, I am always getting protein as a meal on the go.” In Chennai, Soy Soi and Amethyst have tied up with the brand and plan to introduce tempeh-based dishes in their menu, while Hello Tempayy has three marinades (Tawa Masala, Simply Sriracha and Peppery Szechuan Chilli) available off-the-rack (offering 60 days chilled shelf-life).
Available in Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. INR130 onwards for 200 gms.