- Tempeh is a great meat substitute (my favorite!) but it comes in two layers of non-recyclable plastic, so a no-go for our ZW challenge. I tried to make it myself and was pleasantly surprised. It turned out REALLY WELL and was not hard to make at all. I could not find a full recipe that included ZW instructions, so here's the complete run-down of how I did it:
- 2 cups dried soybeans
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon rhizopus mould (tempeh starter) - you can purchase it here or here. One package is enough for 4 batches, which produces 4 large blocks of tempeh (e.g. 16 blocks of tempeh come from this tiny package).
- Soak the soybeans in water for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- You can dehull or not dehull (the texture is a little better if you dehull at least half. I found the easiest way is to leave them in the water and squeeze handfuls of the beans in between your fingers to dehull many at once. The husks will float to the top and you can just skim them out.
- After dehulling (or not), rinse the beans, put them in a large pot on the store and cover with water about an inch over the beans.
- Cover and cook on medium heat for about 1 hr.
- If water level goes below the beans, refill again to about an inch above.
- Taste test the beans - when they are almost done, add in the vinegar and continue to cook. They are done when they are soft but not mushy.
- Drain the beans and return to heat to evaporate any remaining liquid. They should be dry to the touch.
- Turn off heat and cool the beans to approx. 95°Fahrenheit.
- Add the rhizopus mould and mix thoroughly.
- Prepare banana leaves by cutting to the desired size.
- Scoop out approx. 1/4 of the beans onto each banana leaf, fold the ends in, and pin shut with toothpicks. The beans should be piled about 1-1.5 in high.
- After all banana pouches are filled and secured shut, place them on a flat surface (i.e. baking sheet or wood cutting board) and place a flat, heavy object on top (another wood cutting board, ceramic baking dish, etc.). Place in the oven and turn the light on but DO NOT TURN ON THE HEAT.
- Keep in oven with light on for 12-18 hours.
- Then turn the light off but keep the tempeh in the oven for another 24-48 hours. Open the banana leaves every 6-12 hours during this period to check mold progress. When the mold appears solid and fills all spaces between the beans, it's ready.
- Remove the tempeh from the banana leaves. One by one, place the block in about an inch of boiling water. Boil the block for about 1 minute on each side.
- DONE - tempeh will keep for 1 week in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer.
Making tempeh, unlike making tofu, is actually FUN and it's really cool to watch the mold form. If you think eating mold or fermented food is gross, make sure to cut out cheese and sour cream, alcohol, pickles, mushrooms, most breads, and pickled/smoked meats (e.g. sausage, bacon, etc.). Eating fermented foods is natural and healthy and humans have been doing it for years! Fermentation allows natural bacterias to feed on the starches, which not only preserves the food but produces probiotics and other healthy nutrients. It is also said to make foods more digestible. Fermented plant proteins are a addition to your diet (and as an occasional substitution to meat, if you are a committed carnivore).
If you are wondering how to cook tempeh for dishes - Here are some ways they can be seasoned and added to dishes. My favorite way to use tempeh is to cook it in 1 tsp. of soy sauce on the stove (about 2 min. each side) and use it in a wrap, with salad, etc. It can be marinated and used in any dish you would typically use chicken or beef in.
The guidelines I followed to create my recipe are here and here. The first link provides instructions for making tempeh in plastic bags, if you don't have access to banana leaves (If you don't have a banana tree, ask family/friend/neighbor if you can have a leaf off their tree! You can also buy banana leaves at Asian grocery markets.)
Happy fermenting!
