Who says vegan food can’t get down and dirty with the big boys? This vegan take on the classic BLT is everything you could want from a sandwich. And it’s unbelievably delicious! I dare you to try it. Just once. You’ll be coming back for more, I promise you.

So what is tempeh? It's simply soybeans, fermented and compressed. You can buy tempeh, plain or smoked, from whole food shops and grocery stores such as Unicorn (in Chorlton, Manchester), and from online suppliers such as Goodness Direct or the wonderful organic Devon farm Naturemade who deliver organic tofu and tempeh across the UK. Unlike tofu, it contains the whole soybean, so tempeh has a much higher protein, vitamin and fibre content.

Method

1. Marinate the tempeh slices in the soy sauce for ten minutes.
2. Wash and slice your lettuce and tomato. Set aside. Lightly toast the bread.
3. Mix together the mayonnaise and gochujang paste.
4. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, then add the marinated tempeh slices. Fry gently until they start to brown and become a little crispy on the outside. About 3-4 minutes each side. Lay on kitchen roll and set aside.
5. To build your sandwich, layer the bottom slice with the lettuce and watercress, then top with the tomato slices. Layer the fried tempeh slices over the top and generously drizzle with gochujang mayonnaise, and top with toasted bread.