Tempeh (fermented soya bean) & plates of fresh tamarind slices
Tempeh is fermented soya bean until they form a firm cake with a vey light golden tinge. It has a pleasant nutty flavour. They are slice into cubes or small rectangulars, deep fried and used in salads (gado gado) or as an accompaniment to rice and curries.
The tamarind pods grow on hugh tall trees. When unripe, the pods are green and becomes brown when ripe. Inside are the large flesh and almost black seeds. Tamarind comes in two forms, sold as a pulp in cake form in packets or as slices (picture). A small quantity of tamarind pulp is mix with water, massage to release the pulp from the seed, then put through a strainer. The puree is used as a souring agent in salads, curries and stews. As for the tamarind slices, they are cooked together with the curries or stews from the start. A word of caution, as the slices take time to impart the sourness, use 2-3 pieces initially and add according to the level of tartness you want. You can’t reverse the sourness by adding sugar!! Nowadays, you can get seed-free tamarind pulp in plastic jars sold in Asian grocery shops (see glossary)
myasiantable.wordpress.com 
