4 tbsp. organic brown rice vinegar, 3/4 tsp. rhizopus mould
Soak beans overnight or at least 6 hours.
Rinse the beans with fresh water and transfer to a deep large pot as bubbles tend to boil over when cooking. Fill with water about two inches above the soybeans. Cook on high heat until it boils and lower to mediu to keep cooking.
You might need to add more later on if it dries fast and the beans are still hard.
Check beans every 25 mins. Cook beans on desired doneness. I cook mine to 1 1/2 hour on normal pot and stove. You may use pressure cooker following safety instructions.
Once beans are cooked to desired texture, drain all liquid. Add brown rice vinegar and keep cooking on medium heat until all liquid evaporates but be careful not to burn or dry the beans out.
Cool the beans to 35 degrees celsius then add the tempeh starter, and mix well until most beans have starter on them. This helps with even spore growth so your tempeh is nice and solid.
When using banana leaves:
Banana leaves are naturally porous making the Rhizomes breathe while it does its thing.
Cut the banana leaves on desired manageable size. Wash with clean water, dry with a clean kitchen paper.
Place a portion of soybeans to the leaf and fold over, and secure both ends with a toothpick. It doesn't need to look perfect as nature will do the rest anyway.
Transfer the wrapped soybeans in a container that fits them, weigh down beans with a flat surfaced material (e.g. chopping board, I use pan grate so I can see the surface).
Place in a warm place, incubator, or inside the oven with lights turned on. I put mine near a window where sun shines for 12 hours to kickstart its internal temperature.
After 12 hours transfer to a different warm space if desired because nobody wants to stare at a random container. Keep there for 36-48 hours depending how warm your space is. The spores should be grown by then and tempeh is ready. Sometimes the spores come out of the holes from the toothpick.
Portion as desired. I keep mine in fridge if I plan on cooking it within 3 days, and freeze for longer storage and future use.
Have fun!
*use of banana leaves is one of the many ways you can use to make tempeh, it is my preferred way as it is traditional, abundant in our yard, and the leaves are biodegradable. :)
Important:
Tempeh has to be properly stored and cooked before consuming. Feel free to message for Tempeh Recipes.
