By Joe Yonan Food and Dining Editor January 6 at 8:00 AM

Maybe one day, because of the growing number of people seeking vegetarian meals, meat alternatives, fermented foods or all of the above, a certain soy product with age-old ties to Indonesia will finally break into the U.S. mainstream.

Call it my New Years wish.

Im talking about tempeh, the cultured soybean cake with as much protein as beef. If youve seen it, it has probably been shrink-wrapped in the refrigerator case at your nearest Whole Foods, next to the tofu and the seitan and some veggie crumble or another. Or maybe youve tasted it in a veggie burger or on a vegan Reuben, or youve tried smoky strips marketed as Fakin Bacon.

What you might not have realized is this: Fermentation makes tempeh quite possibly the most nutritious, digestible form of soy around. Its also one of the least-processed, using the whole bean (as opposed to tofu, made from soy milk).

At least in this month of resolutions and recovery, tempeh should be on your agenda. And it doesnt need to taste like punishment: Tempeh has much more than nutrition to recommend it, including an earthy, slightly bitter, even somewhat sweet flavor and a firm, nutty texture, giving it more character than tofu will ever possess. Yet, like tofu, it can be a chameleon, soaking up more flavor from marinades and sauces, which makes it surprisingly versatile.

If you know how to cook it, that is.

Like many vegetarians, I was first drawn to tempeh a few years ago as a plant-based protein. I opened a package of Lightlife brand, cut it into thick slabs, pan-fried it and watched in awe as it absorbed as much oil as I could put in the pan, and then some. I seasoned it lightly with salt and pepper, took a bite, and .... hmm. It was a little dry inside, with a slightly sharp flavor. This obviously was an acquired taste, I figured, which I obviously hadnt yet acquired.

What was I expecting? How many proteins taste all that great after a mere pan-frying? (Bacon lovers, dont answer that.) Soon enough, I started glazing tempeh after I pan-fried it, usually in a soy-sesame combination or sometimes one of miso, mustard and honey. I liked it much better enough to cook it now and then, but not often enough to make it as much of a go-to ingredient as, say, beans.

It wasnt until I started treating tempeh as seriously as I do other staples, seeking out tips and recipes, that I began to unlock its potential. Now that Im falling for tempeh, Im falling hard.

See more here:
Weeknight Vegetarian: Make 2015 the Year of Tempeh