A delicious crispy tempeh and sweet potato sandwich with refreshing salsa criolla.
I've been eating this sandwich since I was a little kid, its delicious flavors usually being a part of breakfast on Sunday. It shouldn't be a surprise that I missed this recipe once I became vegan. When J and I started dating, I would tell her about this being my favorite breakfast whenever I was in Peru, and in wanting to be able to share this we came up with a vegan version of the sandwich.
This recipe works so well not because of the smokey tempeh but because of the sweet potato and salsa criolla flavors. Therefore, this recipe can be made many different ways, with different "meats" and breads, you'll always get a satisfying sandwich! Our Peruvian breakfast sandwich has salty sweet potato, and savory tempeh, along with a refreshing acidity that will always leave you feeling satisfied.
What goes into it?
It may seem like a lot of ingredients and steps, but trust us, its not that bad at all. While the sweet potatoes cook, take care of the tempeh and quickly whip up a salsa criolla. Alternatively, you can substitute the tempeh for a plant based breakfast sausage or patty. We love to use Beyond Meat Sausage and our non-vegan friends and family also love it.
Smokey Tempeh (or other plant-based alternative)
Full recipe here
- Tempeh
- Soy Sauce
- Maple Syrup
- Garlic and Onion Powder
- Smoked Paprika
This is quickly put together, just slice the tempeh and cover it in the seasonings and cook! To make this more hands off, prepare in the air-fryer at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 9 minutes, flipping half way through.
Peruvian Salsa Criolla
Full recipe here
- Red Onion
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Aji (Peruvian Spicy Pepper)
Grab a container that you won't mind if it smells like onion. Slice the onion, chop the cilantro, slice the aji (if you have it), and squeeze the lime over it. Season with salt to taste and give it a quick mix!
Sweet Potato
- Sweet Potato
- Oil for Frying
A mandolin will help slice the sweet potato quickly and evenly. Normally these shouldn't be so thin that they turn into a chip, but feel free to prepare it at your prepared thickness.
Bread
Normally this is made with Peruvian French bread, these are round breads with two rounded peaks on top. Since this isn't the easiest thing to find, we typically use a baguette but you can use a bread of your choice. It's still going to be delicious.
How to Assemble?
Grab your bread of choice, line one side with slices of sweet potato, place your plant-based protein of choice on top, and cover in salsa criolla!
Substitutions and Pairings
- Swap the tempeh for a Beyond Sausage
- Use gluten free bread to make this a gluten free meal
Peruvian Breakfast Sandwich
Ingredients
- Baguette or bread of choice
- 1 Sweet Potato
Tempeh Bacon
- 1 Tempeh Block
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
Peruvian Salsa Criolla
- 1 Red Onion
- 1 bunch Cilantro
- 2 Limes
- 1 Aji Peruvian pepper (optional)
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Tempeh "Bacon"
- Cut tempeh block into strips.
- Heat a little oil in the pan at medium-high.
- Once the oil is hot, add the tempeh strips. Cook them until lightly golden brown (approximately 1-2 minutes on each side).
- Add the ingredients to the tempeh and mix together in the pan. You can measure ahead of time and pour the mixture in, or just add the ingredients directly into the pan with the tempeh.
- Once its all combined and cooked to your liking, remove from heat.
Peruvian Salsa Criolla
- Thinly slice the red onion, and aji pepper (if using)
- Chop the cilantro
- Combine all the ingredients: red onion, pepper, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
Sliced Sweet Potato
- Thinly slice the sweet potato
- In a pan heat some oil, enough to just cover the bottom.
- Fry the slices for 1-2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate with some napkins to absorb any excess oil.
Assembling the Sandwich
- Add the sliced sweet potatoes to one side.
- Add the tempeh.
- Top it with salsa criolla and enjoy!
