Recipe: Sweet Potato and Tempeh Stew

Rich and comforting, sweet potatoes are an ideal soup ingredient. Pairing them with tempeh and warm spices makes for an even heartier nutrition-packed meal. With a dollop of tangy yogurt and sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds, this stew can be served on its own or ladled over grains like quinoa for a satisfying fall dinner.

Sweet Potato and Tempeh Stew
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
6 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
3 cups vegetable stock or water
8 ounces tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup plain yogurt, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
Toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Sauté onion and garlic until onion is translucent.

Add ginger, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and sauté for another minute.

Add sweet potatoes and water or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add tempeh and simmer for about 10 more minutes, until tempeh is cooked through and potatoes are tender.

Remove from heat, season to taste, and stir in 1/2 cup yogurt. Serve garnished with the remaining yogurt and pumpkin seeds.

(Image: Emily Ho)

Comments (9)

Yum. I have some tempeh in the fridge I don't have slated for anything. This soup looks like a great idea... especially since we may get a frosting of snow over us this weekend.

This sounds AMAZING! Two of my favorite foods combined!

Yum is right. I have the ingredients on hand so this will be my dinner tonight!

Do you guys have any ideas on what could be used instead of the tempeh?

TheMia, you can omit the tempeh if you'd like. You might also try extra firm or baked tofu.

I just made this tonight, and Murphy's Law was in full force. I totally messed up just about everything... and you know what? It was STILL really good! The yogurt (I used fat free Greek yogurt) on top was my favorite part. I'll definitely make this again sometime, and try to do it right.

One unpleasant surprise, though... the sweet potatoes oxidized and turned brown right after I cut them.

I made this and used chick peas instead of tempeh and it was phenominal. making it again tonight - so easy to put together!

I didn't have yogurt so I used buttermilk instead and roasted the tempeh first (boiled tempeh, blech, we're trying to make people *like* vegetarian fare). I also added dandelion greens at the end for depth and to soak up some of the liquid. I liked the flavors but I'd use stock next time, a little bland.

This is pretty delicious. I just threw all the ingredients in a 4 quart crock pot and let it cook for about 10 hours on low.
The only problem I had: what do do about those coriander seeds and cardamom pods? They were like little spicy pebbles hidden throughout my soup. They were about as cooked as they'd ever get, I suppose, and tasty when cracked with the teeth every once in a while, but overall an obstacle. I had a pile of shrapnel next to my bowl by the end of the meal.
I've never cooked with either. Would grinding them up in a mortar before cooking make more sense?