the tempehs, they are a-changin'
OMG. Having taken this amazing, eye-opening tempeh class at Natural Gourmet Institute last week, today I launch into the unknown territory of homemade tempeh. We sampled some in the class, lightly fried. Even unseasoned and unadorned, it was delicious: a taste combo of nutty, mushroomy, chewy, and satisfying. And absolutely nothing like the store-bought version [which has probably been frozen and thawed].
Here, then, is Phase 1:
Tempeh #1: ½ soybean, ½ rice mix: long grain brown rice, red rice, pearled barley & wheat berries
Tempeh #2: ½ soybean, ½ “sweet” purple Thai rice
The de-hulled, partially cooked beans and slightly undercooked rice are mixed with a commercial tempeh starter and held between 80°-90° for 20-30 hours. These bags will rest on the upper rack of my gas oven with only the pilot light to keep them at temp. The combination of air [you can see a series of fork holes in the bags], moisture, and the starter is enough to inoculate the mixture and start the creation of mycelium, bonding it all together. That’s tempeh for ya….
And, please! Why would I not love the combination of food and electronics!? The temperature has to be monitored, lest it get too high [killing the mycelium] or too low [failing to produce mycelium at all].
Here is the first batch, all Frankensteined up and ready to go:
Tomorrow, sometime between 4:00 and 6:00 pm, an amazing, fresh concoction will emerge…..