Tempeh

Tempeh has been on my list of things to try for a while, and I’ve got a folder full of information about it, though I haven’t proceesed everything, so a lengthy post on this will have to wait. I did want to try it in the meantime, and almost got a package for myself two months ago; there were several kinds in the refrigerator case and I was going to try all of them, when it occurred to me that the best thing to do is to let my Indonesian friends decide for me. So I gave them the tempeh I got (they hadn’t found a source at that point) — I can’t remember the brand now, but two weeks ago they gave me this from Lightlife, and told me that this came closest to what they used in Indonesia — so I guess there’s no need to feel guilty should you decide to stick with storebought.

Tempeh is an Indonesian product made usually from soybeans, though other legumes and grains can be used too. It’s doable at home, though you need a good way to maintain the product as it ferments at a certain temperature, so you may have to rig coolers or boxes or your oven or whatnot. I haven’t gotten my starter yet, maybe in the next couple of months. There are lots of helpful people and information at the Tempeh Yahoogroup — yup, there is one just for that!

And here’s a primer on tempeh.