"Tempeh" or "tempe" (our original Indonesian spelling) has been around in Indonesia for centuries. A Javanese literature called "Serat Centhini" (written circa the 19th century) mentions tempeh as a food item served for a royal lunch by Prince of Tembayat. It is mentioned as "Brambang Jae Santen Tempe" or "Tempeh in Coconut Milk, Shallots, and Ginger". According to our beloved internet oracle a.k.a Google, tempeh making technology was developed before 16th century in the island of Java.
The name "tempe" comes from an old Javanese vocabulary, "tumpi" which translates into "white colored food". The idea of making tempeh is basically to inoculate certain kind of mold into medium of boiled food (usually legumes) so the mold grows white strings that mould the beans to brownie-like texture.
We Indonesians cook tempeh almost in every imaginable way. Fried, steamed, stewed, you name it. We even use overripe tempeh (tempe "semangit") as an ingredient for appetite inducing herbal potion (jamu).
Tempeh entered European kitchens via Indonesian Dutch people living in Netherlands and also became popular in its neighboring countries of Belgium and Germany. In America, a Chinese Indonesian researcher named Yap Bwee Hwa started his studies on tempeh in 1958. Tempeh gained a superstar fame when vegans in the west started to see it as an exotic meat replacement in the decade of 2010s.
As usual, some vegans want to veganize everything meaty. They make tempeh burgers, bacons, even steak. The worst part is they make recipes and videos on tempeh-based "meat" and act like it actually tastes like meat. See, I'm not against western people making new dishes from our traditional ingredients, but acting like tempeh tastes just like meat is misleading. Tempeh will taste like tempeh, even if you marinate it with your fanciest BBQ sauce for 24 hours.
Tempeh is not a meat replacer nor it is meant to taste like meat. Tempeh is delicious in its own way, you don't have to cook it with traditional meat recipes to taste its real beauty.. We eat tempeh and don't think, "OMG, this fried tempeh tastes like chicken nuggets". I guess this vegans' attitude towards tempeh can fall into "cultural appropriation" category. So please, dear vegans, if you read this blog please stop the attitude.
OK, enough for the yada-yada. You're here to learn how to make tempeh starter aren't you?
(You can watch our video on YouTube if you need to)
Ingredients:
- Half a loaf (about 235-250 g) of store-bought tempeh
- A tablespoon of rice flour
Directions:
- Prepare half a loaf of your store-bought tempeh (about 235 g), then cut into small cubes.
- Store into a well ventilated food container for 24 to 36 hours. It is not supposed to be airtight, we need the air to flow from and into the container.
- After 24 to 36 hours, the mold will go crazy and cover all the surface of your tempeh cubes.
- Get mortar and pestle, mash your cubes into smaller pieces.
- Get a tray and spread tempeh bits evenly.
- Sun-dry the mashed tempeh for 1 to 2 days, depends on your local weather. You want it to be dry and flaky. If you're not familiar with sun-drying food, hypothetically you can use your oven to do this part. Remember, this is to reduce moisture and not to kill the beneficial microorganisms.
- Next, get a blender's dry mill or coffee grinder. Grind your tempeh flakes into powder. Add an extra spoon of rice flour then mix well. This is to reduce moisture and extend the shelf-life.
- Sift your tempeh starter with a fine mesh strainer until it has no lumps.
- Store in a air tight container for future use. For every 250 g of peeled and boiled soybeans, use a tablespoon of this starter to make your own tempeh at home. Enjoy your tempeh making journey!
Credits:
This recipe is based on Mrs. Licha Alby's post on Cookpad, translated into English by Dapur Cuan.
Alby, Licha. "Resep Ragi Tempe Homemade." Cookpad Indonesia, cookpad.com/id/resep/15085752-ragi-tempe-homemade, June 1st, 2021.
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