It`s an exciting time to be a vegetarian, vegan or veg-curious in India. Paneer, tofu, mushrooms are passé; a whole new pantry of protein-packed options are being unlocked every other day, each claiming to outdo the other with glowing health benefits. A fairly new entrant is tempayy or tempeh, an Indonesian protein that’s prepared by fermenting soybean, and which has been hailed for packing vitamins, fibre and 
other nutrients.

In Mumbai, a delivery venture called Hello Tempayy is serving the ingredient in a range of flavours — from natural to roasted Chettinad. Siddharth Ramasubramanian, CEO of Vegolution, a Bengaluru start-up that launched this brand, remembers sampling tempeh for the first time in The Netherlands. “I tasted it in someone’s home, and that too, in an Indian gravy dish. I liked the mouthfeel and satiety it provided. I was drawn to the taste and texture before discovering its amazing nutritional qualities,” shares the founder. Prompted by the protein gap in India, he saw an opportunity to tap into tempeh — a gluten-free, dairy-free option.