I hope this simple guide will inspire you to make your own tempeh, the tasty and healthy food, for your own family too. All photos were taken by the author unless otherwise stated. I was born and raised in Indonesia, the country where tempeh comes from. In Indonesia, tempeh is well known as an affordable source of protein. And it is sold very cheaply, compared to chicken and beef.
3.00, while a similar block of tempeh in Indonesia costs only Rp 1000.00 (or equal to 10 cents in USD). Not only affordable, tempeh is also very nutritious. No wonder, my mom loves to include tempeh in our daily menu since my childhood. Don't be surprise that I used to eat tempeh almost every day. It's just like a must-have dish in my family. When I live in Singapore, I realized that tempeh is much more expensive.
1.00, which is just enough for 4 servings. 1.30. So I resisted myself from buying too much. But things changed when I got married. My husband is a die-hard fan of tempeh. Then again, tempeh came to our daily menu again. After we moved to the States, on of my friend showed me the frozen tempeh sold in one of Asian store.
It is expensive. But, out of curiosity I bought one to try, that was the first time I bought a frozen tempeh. Previously I always ate fresh (refrigerated only) tempeh. To our surprise, the tempeh we bought was very inferior in terms of taste and texture. We were disappointed. We do have local co-op here that sells fresh tempeh, but the price is even higher.
I don't want to fork out more money again to buy something that I may not like it. And that's how I begin making my own tempeh. My mom was very kind, she gave a pound of tempeh starter (made in Indonesia) to me before I left Singapore. My experiment began, starting from a very small batch, not even enough to make one dish for our little family.
But then I have committed to make tempeh more frequently. Therefore I started making tempeh every week. The more I make my homemade tempeh, the more I learn how to make a perfect one. And proudly presented below, how to make a perfect tempeh. Ready to make some tempeh, Tempeh Production: A Craft and Technical ManualThis wonderful book gives beautiful illustrations how to make a tempeh and start to sell it. Whether you plan to create a small-scale shop or a big one, this is a book for you.
Here are things that you need to make tempeh. I will keep this list as simple as possible as I will discuss some of them in details in the subsequent paragraphs. SoybeansYou can buy soybeans from Asian market (they usually sell in packages), from local co-op, or if you are lucky like me, you can buy them in bulk from Winco Foods. If you just starting making tempeh, a pound of soybeans would be a good amount.
Tempeh starterIt is a magic powder sprinkled into soybeans, which will transform them into the white, meaty tempeh cake. Tempeh incubatorTempeh needs a special place to grow its mold, where the temperature is controlled in certain range. Don't step back, it's actually very easy to make an incubator from several things that you already have at home. Plastic containers / plastic bagsThis is where the soybean is placed before going into the tempeh incubator. Tempeh Starter - Where to buy the tempeh starter, If you are looking for tempeh starter, here are several places where you can get it online.
This is where I order my tempeh starter. Not only they distribute free samples, they also charge flat-rate shipping no matter where you are and how much do you buy. This tempeh starter sold here is suitable for first timer. This is a US-based tempeh starter distributor. They not only distribute tempeh starter, but also other types of starter (including the one for making tofu). This is another company selling tempeh starter, with flat shipping rate and accepts online payment.
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