These mouthwatering barbecue tempeh sandwiches are made with crispy cubes of pan-fried tempeh smothered in spicy barbecue sauce that's been spiked with juicy mango puree!
Guys, I'm pretty much over summer. Not surprising, right? The temperature went well into the nineties where I live this weekend, maybe over a hundred? I'm not sure, I hid in the house for the most part. We're not a fan of the hot weather in my home...well, my husband and I aren't anyway. My cats seem to love it, and Cody, the plumper of my two is fond of plopping out under my chair at the dining room table were I normally eat/work in the hopes that I'll rub his belly with my bare toes, which I usually do. Scratching a cat's belly with bare feet is about as fun as the summer gets for me.
Well, that enjoying tasty summer food. I do have some summer food favorites. Barbecue. Mango. Sandwiches. They all make frequent appearances on my table and on this website this time of year. And tempeh is a favorite any time of year. So, I guess it's about time they all came together, and they did a beautiful job of coming together in this one. This sandwich was juicy, sweet, spicy, and loaded with flavor.
My other favorite thing about summer is cranking up the air conditioner and eating dinner on the couch along with husband and cats while watching a movie, usually a movie about Christmas, skiing, snow monsters or something like that. That's exactly how I enjoyed these sandwiches.
📖 Recipe
Mango Barbecue Tempeh Sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Mango Barbecue Sauce
- 1 cup mango puree, from about 1 large or 2 small ripe mangoes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon sriracha, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
For the Barbecue Tempeh
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 (8 ounce) packages tempeh, cut into ½ inch cubes
- ½ cup diced mango, about 1 small or ½ large mango
- 2 scallions chopped
For the Sandwiches
- 4 6 inch sandwich rolls, sliced open
- vegan mayo
- lettuce and sliced tomato
Instructions
- Place all barbecue sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and mix well. Place over low heat and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes at a low simmer, adding a bit of water if the mixture gets too thick.
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place over medium heat. Add tempeh and cook about 10 minutes, flipping once or twice, until browned on multiple sides. Add barbecue sauce and flip a few times to coat tempeh. Remove from heat and add mango and scallions. Flip a few more times to incorporate.
- Slather buns with vegan mayo and stuff with tempeh mixture. Top with lettuce and tomato. Serve.
Notes
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Just to be absolutely sure: it's cumin and not caraway -right? I'm swedish and always get confused with recipes including cumin, since the swedish word for caraway is cumin....
Correct! Cumin and not caraway. :) That must get confusing!
Yup, I'm over summer too. And hey, my cat has been loving the heat too. She has been climbing to the third floor, the hottest place in the house and napping. What a weirdo.
I've been making BBQ sauce, and putting it on tempeh sounds super yummy. I might have to try this out.
Cats are so funny! Lately I've been running the air conditioner on just the first floor of my house, because that's where I'm at most of the time. Both my cats seem to want to be as far from it as possible. They've got a spot at the top of the stairs, which is probably the hottest place in the house.