Tomorrow's bento: jerk tempeh with wehani rice with fennel seeds, collard greens, and carrots.

I managed to get some allspice from the grocery store so I can start cooking from the Delicious Jamaica cookbook, but I forgot the thyme.  I loosely followed Sobers’ recipe for a wet jerk marinade, substituting a little oregano for the missing thyme and adding some garlic (not sure why on that one).  Overall it came out decently, but I think I need to follow the recipe more closely next time.

I cooked up some tempeh in the jerk marinade and it came out okay…while tempeh has a great texture and absorbs flavor readily, it also has a bit of a bitter flavor that’s best masked by sweeter or saltier sauces.  As a result, the jerk seasoning on tempeh didn’t quite work as well as I’d hoped; I’d recommend using tofu instead.  The most amusing part of this I suppose is the fact that tempeh is Indonesian,  jerk seasoning is Jamaican and the wehani rice with fennel seeds is vaguely Indian inspired.