Random vegan meal ideas_Asian bowl with pickled veggies and crispy sesame tempeh

So I do eat a lot of tofu (and soy) especially since now I'm back in Vietnam. If you don't like tofu you can't be my friend. Period. But recently I've found a place that sells tempeh for a really good price, so I've been having tempeh instead as my source of protein. Tempeh is little trickier. A bit more work, a bit more of an acquire taste. But if you do it right (like I do), you'll like it, more than tofu even and that is quite impressive. Also tempeh is higher in protein compared to tofu which I very much appreciate.

I love grain bowls. You can just prep every thing on a free day and then you can put it together for less than 5min for a quick, filling and healthy meal. I didn't know what to call this "bowl. I reckoned since I'm asian and the flavor of this bowl is rather "asian-ee", it'd be ok to call it "asian bowl". I do make sure every meal I have a balanced ratio of carbs, fat and protein. This bowl is also great for meal prep since all of the elements stores well in the fridge and the flavor actually gets better as it sits.
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3 servings (2 if you're hungry)
Ingredients:

#Protein

1 block of tempeh (250gr) *see notes if you're using tofu*
*The marinate*
3 tbsp of soy sauce (or soy sauce alternative like tamari/ coconut aminos)
2 tbsp of sweet chili sauce/plum sauce
2 tbsp of water (plus extra water for steaming the tempeh)
1/2 tbsp of sesame oil

#Pickled veggies

1 small carrot, shredded
1 medium cucumber, cut in to small strip
2 korean green sweet chili (leave it out if you can't handle spice and if you don't have it, substitute for some 1 tsp of siracha instead)
1/4 medium head of cabbage, shredded (you can use red cabbage for a pop of color. I just used white cabbage since that's what I have)
1 glove of garlic, minced finely
*Pickling vinaigrette*
2 tbsp of soy sauce (or soy sauce alternative like tamari/ coconut aminos)
2 tbsp of rice vinegar
1 tbsp of maple syrup (you can use white sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar instead. Just add an extra 1tbsp of warm water to dissolve the sugar completely)
1/4 tsp of black pepper

#Carbs/Per serving

1 cup of cooked brown rice/white rice (any grain of choice, noodles even)
1 tbsp of soy sauce (or soy sauce alternative like tamari/ coconut aminos)
1 tbsp of rice vinegar
a drizzle of sesame oil

#Topping (optional)

Green onions
Sesame seeds
Pepper
Hot sauce aka siracha
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Instructions:

1. Cut the tempeh into thin 0.5 cm strips. I got 18 thin strips out of my block of tempeh. Put them in a pan add steam them on medium heat with some water. This will make the marinate soaks in better. But if you're pressed in time you can skip this step.
2. Mix the ingredients for the tempeh marinate together in a container with a lid and add in the steamed tempeh. Close the lid and shake it so that the marinate coats the tempeh well. *see notes if you're using tofu*. Let it sit for at least 15min or over night.
3. In a bowl, add in the ingredients for the pickling vinaigrette and mix well, then add in the prepped veggies. Make sure the vinaigrette coats them well. Let it sit at least 15min or up to a week in the fridge. The flavor will enhance as it sits
4. Lay the tempeh strips on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake them in a preheated oven at 400F or 200C for about 15-20 min or until golden brown and crispy, flipping half way through the cooking time. Use 6 strips or more per serving. The rest can be stored in a container in the fridge for a week. You can reheat by throwing it in the oven/airfry-er or microwave it even. *See notes for instructions of you don't have an oven*
5. Mix your carbs of choice with the soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil, make sure your source of carbs is warm.
5. Assemble the bowl with your carbs at the bottom, the pickled veggie and baked tempeh on top. Garnish with your toppings of choice. In my bowl I also added in some kale and avocado since I was extra hungry then. Enjoy!!!!

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*Notes*

1. If you're using tofu, make sure you get firm tofu and pat it dry. Cut it into 3 pieces then cut each third into 12 cubes. Skip the steaming part and add your tofu directly to the marinate, make sure it's well coated. Let it sit and bake it the same way you would with tempeh. Just use the same amount of tofu with tempeh.
2. If you don't have an oven, just fry in in a pan with some oil 3-5min each side. It works the same way with tofu. Keep in mind that this way it might be more crumbly.
3. I also add some pickling vinaigrette on top of my grain for more flavor.