Making tempeh at home is very easy. All you need are soybeans, tempeh starter cultures and a little rice vinegar.
Ingredients / equipment
(for about 1 kg Tempeh)
Instructions:
Step 1:
Soak the peeled soybeans in water overnight (8 to 10 hours).
Step 2:
Then put soaked soybeans in a sufficiently large saucepan. Fill the pot with enough water that the beans are well covered. Now add the vinegar and let it cook for about 30 minutes.
Drain the water and leave the beans in the pot. Dry the beans by keeping the heat on when they’re in the cooking pot, but just use a medium heat setting for a couple of minutes until the soybeans are dry. If they are not completely dry, they can also be spread out on a clean kitchen towel and dabbed dry.
Step 3:
Let the soybeans cool to below body temperature. Sprinkle the soybeans with the tempeh starter and mix them with a clean spoon for a good minute to distribute the tempeh starter culture evenly throughout the whole soybean mass. It is imperative to distribute the tempeh starter culture evenly.
Step 4:
Get two plastic bags that are about 18 x 27 cm and perforate them with a thick needle to make big holes that are about 15-20 mm apart.
Divide up the soybeans into the two bags and seal them off. Press them until they are flat, to about a thickness of 4 cm.
Step 5:
Put the bags in a warm place (for example Oven, Dehydrator) with a temperature of about 28-32 °C (82-90 °F) for about 36-48 hours, or until all the soybeans are covered with a very dense white mycelium. Try to keep the temperature at the lower end of the range as the time wears on. Your tempeh should be ready now! You can now enjoy a fresh and delicious tempeh. Bon appetite! 🙂
Good to know:
A few dark spots (black / gray) are completely normal with Tempeh. These gray spots arise during maturity through the formation of tempeh spores, which, like the fungus, are completely harmless.
If your tempeh have colored spots (purple, orange), then it is spoiled and should be discarded.
Can I eat tempeh raw?
The Tempeh starter cultures were produced under sterile conditions. However, if you do the tempeh at home, it is always possible for bacteria to “sneak in” and contaminate the current batch. These bacteria could grow in the fermentation process. We therefore recommend frying or cooking the tempeh before you enjoy it.
Tips and suggestions:
Of course you can also use unpeeled soybeans. However, you must then first free the beans from their pod. Let the beans soak longer (about 12 hours) and knead them in the water until the pods have loosened.
Works with chickpeas, lupines, black beans, for example.
The finished tempeh can either be prepared directly (eg fry in a pan) or kept in the refrigerator for about 1 week. By freezing, of course, it is even longer lasting (about 3 months). Then, however, it is recommended to freeze the tempeh as quickly as possible.
User reviews:
Read Olivia’s review when she made her first tempeh herself.
Order Tempeh starter cultures now:
Tempeh and Natto starter cultures and other ingredients are available in the fabulous! Vegan Shop Switzerland.
Order now !
very nice food. thank you for the recipe