Make Tempeh Yourself: The Best Tips and Ideas

Make tempeh yourself: this is how it works

To make the fermented product you will need 3 grams of tempeh starter, 500 grams of soybean halves, and 5 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.

• First, put the soybeans in a pot with 2 liters of water. Now bring them to a boil and set the stove on medium-high. Then the soybeans have to simmer for about 45-60 minutes.
• Drain the cooked soybeans after the time has elapsed and then put them back into the pot. Stir constantly until the remaining liquid evaporates.
• Now stir in the apple cider vinegar and let everything cool down to about 32°C.
• Now stir in the tempeh cultures as well.
• Now you have to put the beans in two fresh storage bags, each with a capacity of 1 liter. You have to prepare these beforehand by poking a hole in the bag about every 2 centimeters. A toothpick or needle, for example, is suitable for this.
• Now fill the bags about half full with the soybean mixture and form a loaf out of it. The bags must now be folded as tightly as possible around the loaf and then closed.
• The loaves then have to mature at 30-34°C for around 24-48 hours. The oven with a hot-water bottle, which is refilled, again and again, is suitable for this, for example.

Soy-free sweet lupine tempeh

Tempeh can also be made without soybeans. For this variant, you need 200 grams of lupine seeds, 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of tempeh starter.

• First, you need to break the lupine seeds in half. A hand-held grain mill is ideal for this.
• Soak the seeds in 2 liters of water for about 18 hours. After 18 hours, the seed coats will float to the surface of the water, which you can now skim off.
• Now put 2 liters of water, the vinegar, and the lupine seeds in a saucepan and let everything boil for half an hour.
• When the time is up, you need to drain the water and cook the seeds over low heat, stirring regularly, until the liquid has evaporated.
• Now pour 1 teaspoon of the tempeh starter over the seeds and mix well.
• Then put the seeds in a freezer bag, in which you have previously pierced small holes about one centimeter apart. Form them into a loaf and close the bag as tightly as possible.
• Now the loaf has to mature for 36-48 hours at 28-32°C. The oven or a dehydrator is ideal for this.

Lentil Tempeh – The soy-free alternative

You can also make tempeh with lentils. To make this, you’ll need 70 grams of your choice of lentils, 45 grams of an even mixture of brown rice, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon tempeh starter, and 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar.

• First, put the lentils with the rice-seed mixture in a saucepan with 2 liters of water and let the mixture boil over medium heat.
• Cook until fully cooked and tender. If necessary, you can add new water from time to time.
• Now pour off the remaining water and let the mixture cool down to about 35°C.
• Now add the apple cider vinegar and tempeh starter and mix well.
• Now pour the mixture into glass containers and place these containers in another container that you can cover with a warm, wet cloth and a lid.
• Now you have to re-wet the cloth every day. It takes about 3-4 days for the tempeh to be ready. Before you process it further, it should be stored in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Make tempeh without a starter

Tempeh starter contains the required spores or seeds of fungal culture. You need these to be able to make tempeh yourself. These mushroom starter cultures are powdered mixtures consisting of soy, rhizomes, and sometimes even rice. Unfortunately, you can’t make new tempeh without a starter.

• If you can’t buy a tempeh starter, you can try growing it yourself. Just reserve a piece of tempeh.
• To do this, simply take a piece of a prepared tempeh loaf and let it ferment for about 60 hours. During this time, the mushroom culture will begin to bloom. This means it now produces its own spores.
• You should let the whole thing dry after fermentation. After that, pulverize it. If you need a starter again, you now have some on hand.