Tempeh

[Walk]

I would like to make tempeh from dry beans other than soy. I've seen commercial tempeh made from chickpeas. Anyone have any experience with tempeh as a homemade product, particularly with alternative ingredients?

[robertb]

What is it? I don't know whether it's some strange concoction I've never encountered or something familiar under any other name.

[ottawagardener]

I'd be interested in seeing what people have to say about this too.

[raymondo]

I've not made it myself, but have eaten tempeh-like products made from different beans when in Indonesia. They use just about any pulse including common beans, cowpeas, pigeon peas, winged beans and broad beans, though where they got the broad beans I don't know. I'm pretty sure they even use peanuts.

[blueadzuki]

Mar 8, 2010 1:13:08 GMT -5 raymondo said:

I've not made it myself, but have eaten tempeh-like products made from different beans when in Indonesia. They use just about any pulse including common beans, cowpeas, pigeon peas, winged beans and broad beans, though where they got the broad beans I don't know. I'm pretty sure they even use peanuts.

Actually broad/fava beans aren't all that uncommon in Asia. They were introduced fairly early possibly along the Silk road (remeber Broad beans, unlike common beans are an Old world crop they pre-date Columbus); they've been well known and well used in China for centuries. Of greater suprise to me was the winged bean seeds, given the smell they emit once thier soaked, I always assumed mature winged bean seed tasted really,really nasty (I know the seed is used to make flur and a coffee substitute but I assumed they were roasted before this was done) plus of coruse the things are so damn hard ; craking them for the tempeh base must be really difficult. Wonder if they use hyachinth beans too.

[cornishwoman]

My daughter makes this once a week,I will be honest,I don't care for it at all and I think I have eaten it in every conceivable way,boiled ,smothered with sauce,doused with herbs,her latest was a curry sauce,hubby and I spent a lot of time flushing the loo next day.

[rhizowen]

I've made tempeh many times, using broad beans - not bad, slightly mealy texture compared to soy beans. You need a low amylase strain of Rhizopus oligosporus. I did try making it with R. arrhizus as well - very white mycelium, heady smell, perfectly edible. best way to eat tempeh is fried.

[cortona]

guys can you explain wath tempeh is? here were i live is almost unknow so.....if you are so kind to give me some info i'm more tan happy!

[atash]

guys can you explain wath tempeh is? here were i live is almost unknow so.....if you are so kind to give me some info i'm more tan happy!

Tempeh is the native breakfast food of Java. It is usually soybeans innoculated with a deep-tropical fungus native to that part of the world. The fungus creates a cottony mycelium enveloping the soybeans, which binds them into sort of dense little "cakes". These are cut into slices and fried. Malays eat it for breakfast, but most foreigners who have adopted it eat it later in the day as it is fairly rich and filling. It is extremely rich in protein because of the soybeans, and easier to digest than straight soybeans are.

It makes surprisingly good vegetarian sloppy joes.

It is one of the few "vegan" sources of vitamin B12, although depending on your intestinal flora you might be making it already. The B12 is made by the fungus.

It's a bit tricky to make because you have to keep a fungal culture going and pure (no "weed" fungii...). It's a tropical fungus so you have to keep it pretty warm, too.

[cortona]

thanks atash... i think i can live without this food... a bit too triky for me to prepare and i have to harvest my first soybean so i try to test it in a more simple way ;-)
your explanation is exaustive and interessant anyway!

[atash]

>> i have to harvest my first soybean so i try to test it in a more simple way ;-)

Simplest preparation I am aware of to make soybeans edible for and reasonably palatable to humans is to make soymilk out of them. That's pretty easy, though it does require a heat-resistant blender.

You can make them edible by pressure-cooking them, but be aware that they are oddly oily and bland.

[cortona]

i have a friend that know how to prepare milk and after tofu (he like tofu, i have to decide if i like it realy)
wath about edamane(boiling with pod at green stage) it seems that lots of variety around are used in this way.

[atash]

For edamame, you pick them green as you mentioned, and boil them pod and all in saltwater for roughly 7 minutes (the directions on the package usually say "5" but I think they are a tad hard-to-digest after only 5 minutes). In Japan it's a snack to have with beer, but in Taiwan it is a fairly common garnish for other dishes.