I used to do a lot of fishing several years ago and I would love to cook coconut-crusted snapper fingers with my little grunt catches. I would bread them in some coconut and serve them with a little orange marmalade/horseradish dipping sauce. Yum! I decided to make a Vegetarian/Vegan version using Flaxseed and Soy Tempeh and the result was crunchy, coconut-y goodness!
Tempeh is also a great fish substitute because is it doesn't fall apart when you bite into it like the normal snapper fingers would. I used egg for the breading since it holds better but you could easily substitute to make this dish Vegan. And for those of you non-aspiring vegetarians like myself, you could make this recipe with Tilapia or Snapper and it would be just as delish!
Coconut-Crusted Tempeh with Pineapple Sticky Rice and Mango Chili Cream
Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 50 Min (Brown Rice takes 50 Min)
Ingredients
- 1 package of Tempeh, sliced into 1/2 in wide pieces. I used half Flaxseed Tempeh, half Soy Tempeh
For Marinade
- 1/4 cup of soy sauce
- 1 lime
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tsp ginger
For Mango Chili Cream
- 1 can of pineapple or 1/2 of a whole pineapple (if you buy canned, be sure to save some for the rice)
- 1 mango, chopped
- 1 plain yogurt cup. I used soy yogurt.
- 3 tbs Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce (found in ethnic/oriental food aisle at grocery)
For Pineapple Sticky Rice
- 1 cup of Sweet Brown Rice (if you can't find sweet rice, regular brown rice will work)
- 1/2 cups of coconut milk
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of chopped pineapple
For Breading
- Coconut. I used dried unsweetened, however sweetened coconut would also be good
- Panko breadcrumbs
- Flour
- 1 Egg. I used egg but you can substitute a mix of flour and water to form a paste to make Vegan
- Salt/Pepper to taste
Directions
- In a sauce pan, bring the rice, coconut milk, water and oil to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Once boiling, reduce to low and allow to cook for 50 minutes until tender. If you substitute white rice you should be able to reduce your cooking time down to 20 minutes.
- Slice Tempeh and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the marinade ingredients and then add just enough water to cover the Tempeh. Place in the fridge to marinate while you prep.
- When the rice is about 20 minutes from completion start the rest of the cooking.
- Make the Mango Chili Cream by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Place in a small bowl in the fridge until dinner is ready.
- Remove the Tempeh from the fridge and drain the marinade. Place Tempeh on paper towels and pat dry. 
- Setup your breading station with flour on one plate, your egg in a bowl and then the coconut and breadcrumbs combined on another plate. Dip the Tempeh in the flour, then egg, then the coconut/panko mixture.
- In a large pan, saute the Tempeh in a little olive oil until golden brown, turning at least once. About 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set on paper towels to drain some of the oil.
- When the rice is done, add the remaining pineapple and stir.
- Serve the Tempeh over the rice and place the Mango Chili Cream in a small bowl for dipping. I would season with a little salt and pepper. Enjoy!
