Below are complete instructions for making fresh homemade TEMPEH cakes..

 POWERED TEMPEH STARTER  - PTS or Ragi Tempeh

  Our package of PTS contains enough starter spores for 6 batches of 6 kg/13 pounds of tempeh total.  You cannot make tempeh without the start spores.

Starter Ingredients: Rice flour, Rhizopus
Oligosporus culture.  Product of Indonesia
Net Wt.12 grams

    With this powered starter you can make your own fresh tempeh at home.  Once the tempeh is made, it may be used in a verity of recipes for a healthy probiotic shake or meal.  Tempeh is meatless, nutritious, cholesterol free, and is cheap and easy to make!  Simply soak the soybeans, briefly cook, & then culture about 24 hours for fresh delicious tempeh.  

2 grams(1/2 tsp) of inoculum tempeh / 1 kg(2.2lb) of dry soybeans or
1 teaspoon full of inoculum tempeh / 2.5 kg(5.5lb) dry soybeans or
1 tablespoon full of inoculum tempeh /10 kg(22lb) dry soybeans

  After removing the desired amount of starter, expel the air from the package and store in a cool dry place out of direct light.   Our Tempeh starter will remain potent for about 6 months, after which more starter may be needed per batch to produce the desired results.  You can also freeze the spores for longer shelf life.

 THE RECIPE

  1 pound= 2 ½ cups whole dry beans = 3 ½ cups cracked soybeans = 6 ½ cups cooked soybeans (measurements may vary due to the size of the beans used)

 1. Soaking & De-hauling the Beans

  The hulls need to be broken or removed to allow the tempeh spores to inoculate the soybeans.  Direct contact will insure good growth and a firm sliceable ‘cake’.  Use one of the following procedures after which the hulls will float to the surface of the liquid and can then be skimmed off.  Watch for over boiling as the hulls will cause the liquid to foam.

-   Purchase cracked or de-hulled soybeans, which need to soak for only two hours.

-   If you have a grist type mill you can run the soy beans through this at the proper setting to crack open the beans.

-   Hand de-hulling, soak the beans overnight and then rub them through your hands until the hulls break and the soy beans break in half.

2. Cooking the Beans

  After soaking, pour the de-hulled soy beans through a colander to drain off the soaking water and rinse briefly with fresh water, until water is clear.  Transfer to a large pot and cover with fresh water 2 inches above the soy beans.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Watch closely as the hulls will cause the beans to over boil very quickly.  Skim off the majority of the hulls and continue boiling for about 40 minutes.

3. Cooling the Beans

   Remove the soy beans from the heat.  Transfer the hot beans and water into a colander in the sink and allow the beans to drain.  Once drained transfer the beans to a flat surface covered with clean terry towels and spread the beans out in a single thin layer.  Cool until the beans are at room temperature and dry.   

4. Prepping the Packages

  TPS needs to breathe when incubating; however, the beans cannot be allowed to dry out to much. The easiest packaging is clean plastic baggies or sanitized glass or stainless steel trays covered with tin foil. Use an object to poke holes every ½ to ¾ inches in a grid type pattern. A special pasta cutter may also be used. Banana leaves are traditionally used to wrap the tempeh mixture  

5. Inoculating the Soy Beans

2 grams(1/2 tsp) of inoculum tempeh / 1 kg(2.2lb) of dry soybeans or
1 teaspoon full of inoculum tempeh / 2.5 kg(5.5lb) dry soybeans or
1 tablespoon full of inoculum tempeh /10 kg(22lb) dry soybeans

  Measure out the following of PTS of each pound of dry beans prepared above.  If the beans are not culturing fast enough you may have to use more inoculum starter.

  Once the beans are cooled, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle one half of the starter over the beans and mix thoroughly. Add the second half and mix again. A table spoon of sanitized flour can be added to the starter to increase the volume if needed. The flour is sanitized by heating the flour in a pan until it starts to brown but not burn. Allow the flour to cool before adding the PTS starter

6. Packing the TPS 

  The containers can be filled to a depth of ¼ to 1 ¼ inches deep.  Press the beans firmly to insure the beans are packed as to form a nice ‘cake’ that will stay together after the beans are inoculated.  Depending on the use will decide the thickness of the tempeh ‘cake’.

Instructions con't above left...

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Tips and Tricks for
Making Tempeh - PTS

1.  Watch the temperature more during the end of the culturing time as the fermenting soybeans build up heat and cause the tempeh to overheat, killing the spores.

2.  After the tempeh is done pre-slice into strips and freeze for ready to make snacks or sandwiches.  You can also marinate the strips at this time, too.

3.  For safety reasons always cook the tempeh before consuming.

4. Homemade tempeh can be stored one week in the fridge or three months in the freezer.



Care and Use...

Difficulty Level 2

  After a few rounds this culture is easy to work with, however, some special items such as a food dehydrator and temperature gauge are recommended for ease of culturing.

Instructions con't... 

 7. Incubation 

  The TPS culture needs heat to culture throughout the cooked beans. Incubate the TPS mixture at 85 F (29.5 C) for around 24 hours. During the first 12 hours make sure that the culture is warm enough to get the TPS growing quickly and to prevent unwanted organisms from taking hold and ruining the batch.  You can place the prepared trays/bags in an oven or better yet a food dehydrator. Check the temperature every hour to make sure the proper range is maintained.  The food dehydrator works the best because it also allows for good air circulation which is needed by the developing tempeh.

  During the last 12 hours, the TPS will start producing its own heat so watch for overheating.  The tempeh is completed culturing when the beans are firmly bound into a white cake like form with a fresh mushroom and nutty smell, maybe with a slight note of ammonia.

  There will most likely be small gray or  black spots around the air holes and this is from the spores being produced and is normal when the tempeh is complete.  However, you should stop the process before this happens, so reduce your culturing time or temperature.  If the finished tempeh has an off smell, any colour except for the black or grey, or has a mushy consistency it has most likely been contaminated and should be thrown out.  If this problem occurs, make sure the work area and containers are clean and the temperature was correct before attempting another batch. 

  You can refrigerate any tempeh that will be used within a few days or freeze for long term storage.  The tempeh needs to be cooked before eating.  Now cut a fresh slice of your homemade tempeh and enjoy! Many recipes can be found online. The uses for tempeh are never ending, as a meatless substitute or as an enhancement to many dishes.

 Recipe for a classic Tempeh Reuben sandwich
w/ raw sauerkraut

Ingredients Neededfor Tempeh Sandwich:

 - Fresh tempeh 3 to 4 pieces per sandwich

 - Marinade for the tempeh, see below

 - Rye bread sliced, buttered, and toasted

 - Raw sauerkraut

 - Russian dressing or thousand islands

 - Swiss cheese

  To start, cut the tempeh into thin slices.  Add this to a marinade of your choice.  You can choose a traditional corned beef marinade or make a simpler one by adding olive oil, soy sauce or tamari, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, turmeric, and some chilies.  Add ingredients to taste.

  Soak the sliced tempeh in the marinade for 2 to 6 hours, turning from time to time to coat all sides.  Once marinated, heat a skillet to medium heat with a tbsp or two of olive oil, add the tempeh and marinade mixture to the pan.  Cook until the marinade is absorbed and tempeh is browned.

  As the tempeh is cooking, toast the buttered rye bread.  Once toasted on both sides add cheese to one piece and melt.

  To assemble the sandwich, place cooked tempeh slices on top of the melted cheese and place the raw sauerkraut on top of the tempeh.  Spread dressing on other half of bread and place on top.

Now enjoy this delicious healthy meat-free sandwich.  Can also be
made vegan
with a few changes!


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