PLEASE NOTE: this tutorial is for colder countries where the temperature in your house is no more than 22C. If your room temperature is above 25C, there is no need to cover the beans with tea towels or electric blanket. Just leave the batch in a safe place.
How do I know when the house is around 25C? If I walk around the house in a tank top, or my underwear, or bikini. Heatwave, baby!
I prefer to make yellow split peas (YSP) tempeh as it is easier to buy the ingredients in the supermarket or local shops. It is also easier to make as there is no requirement to split the beans and spent hours removing the hulls.
For beginner tempeh makers, I recommend learning the craft using yellow split peas. After mastering this you can move on to soybeans and other beans. A good friend of mine even said that YSP tempeh is more fragrant and softer than traditional soybean tempeh.
Let's start with the ingredients:
Soak the YSP overnight (minimum of 6 hours)
Prior to cooking, strain off the water, rinse and replace with fresh clean water.
Add 5 tablespoons of vinegar. Switch on the hob and as soon as the beans start to boil, switch on the timer and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Once boiled, strain off the water and leave to cool.
Allow for the YSP to dry on double tea towels. An electric fan will help to dry them faster. Dry until there is no more surface moisture.
Once the YSP are cooled and dry to the touch, sprinkle Tempehtation starter then mix thoroughly. If they aren't mixed evenly, they may fail to ferment properly.
Use the sanitised satay stick to perforate the plastic bag at a distance of 1cm - 1.5cm apart. Seal and press it flat. Use a rolling pin if that helps.
Place the packed YSP on a clean tray (I use a cookie tray) and wrap it in a thick towel or several tea towels. Make sure the minimum temperature in the room is at 20C. The incubator temperature is steady at 27C. If the temperature of the incubator is up and down the tempeh might not ferment.
Once small condensation is visible remove the tea towels and leave the tempeh to ferment.
After 24 hours of condensation the bag should be filled completely with white mycelium. The entire contents should be solid and smell of fragrant sweet mushrooms. Congratulations!
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