How to make Tempeh at home
HOMEMADE TEMPEH
Making tempeh has been hands-down the best food experience I have had this year.
It takes a little bit of effort - but it is really worth it.
The taste of the fresh tempeh is so amazingly fresh. I am Indonesian and have been eating tempeh all of my life. Eating fresh tempeh straight from the incubator is tastiest I have EVER had !
Period.
Cant find fresh tempeh in your town ? This is the answer. Order some tempeh starter today and get your taste buds ready. You wont be sorry.
Please do message me if you need any advice along the way.
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INGREDIENTS
600 g Organic dried soy beans
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
½ tsp tempeh starter
I bought my tempeh starter online from www.topcultures.com
They were easy to deal with and the starter quality is excellent.
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PREPARATION
Place the soy beans in a large bowl. Add water to cover the soy beans.
Soak for 12 hours and then rinse. Add some new water to the bowl.
Massage the soy beans to remove the outer husk. All of the beans must have the husk opened, as the starter wont penetrate the husk. (If any soya beans remain whole in the batch your tempeh will become more crumbly). As husks float to the top of the water, remove them from the bowl. Its ok if a few are left over – they will separate in the boiling process.
Strain off the water and place soy beans in a large sauce pan. Add the vinegar and stir through. The vinegar changes the pH of the beans, creating a favourable environment for the tempeh starter, while discouraging undesirable bacteria.
Bring to the boil, put the lid on and then simmer for 30 minutes over a low heat. Remove the saucepan from the heat and strain the water from the soya beans.
The next step is to dry the beans. I do this using a very low heat setting for about 5 minutes with the soy beans in the saucepan – stirring constantly - until the beans are dry.
Rather than use the stove, you can also use a hair dryer - stirring constantly until most of the moisture from the outer beans is removed. Alternatively, you can let the beans air dry, stirring every 15-20 minutes to ensure they dry evenly.
Lace the dried beans into a bowl and let them completely cool to room temperature.
Add the tempeh starter and stir it evenly through the beans using a clean wooden spoon.
Transfer half of the beans to medium zip-lock bag. Flatten the beans in the bag and zip closed. Using a pin – prick the bag in a grid of holes 2 cm x 2 cm apart. Turn over and repeat the pin pricks.
Complete the second zip-lock bag.
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INCUBATION
The bags need to be placed in warm place with a temperate of 28-32 °C (82-90 °F) degrees for 36-48 hours, until the soybeans are covered with a very dense white mycelium. I use a hot water bottle inside an ice-box, and it works so well. I use boiling water in the hot water bottle and change the water every 12 hours. Alternatively, you could use a lamp inside a small cupboard.
Note 1: Try to keep the temperature at the lower end of the range after 12 hours as the fermentation will produce its own heat
Note 2 If the tempeh continues to ferment longer than required, it will create spores that are black in colour and will look like black spots. These spots are perfectly safe to eat, but they don't look great and they change the taste of the tempeh.
Once ready, place the tempeh in the fridge to stop the fermentation. The tempeh will last for one week in the fridge. Note that it tastes better the fresher it is.
You can also freeze your tempeh for 3 months to enjoy later. Use the tempeh 2 days after thawing.
I hope you like this video – please do try this at home !