Tempeh is a traditional soybean cake unique to Indonesia.
Made by fermenting whole soybeans with a unique culture,
the cake has a rich smoky flavor and nutty texture.
A very good source of protein, tempeh is also an excellent source of vitamin
B-12.
Europeans have cheese, San Franciscans have sourdough bread.
Indonesians have TEMPEH, an everyday food made from fermenting soybeans
in a plastic bag, or banana leaves with yeast in a hot, humid room.
Typically you buy TEMPEH ready-made, even in Indonesia, and if you live
there, buying it is like hunting for a loaf of bread
it is widely available, cheap, and most importantly, freshly produced,
and since it has a savory taste and dense texture, it easily replaces meat
which is typically very expensive.
Here in the U.S. however, you wil be hard pressed to find fresh TEMPEH
anywhere. It is only available in a frozen state at Asian markets.
These frozen blocks are a decent substitute, but only until you have had
a freshly made batch of tempeh.
Whether you make your own tempeh or buy it frozen, you have a myriad
of ways to prepare it. It can be used in stir fries, stews, or grilled like
a hamburger patty. Our favorite way is deep frying after marinating
in mashed garlic and salt.
The flavor is probably unlike anything the western palate has tasted before.
It is chunky, with an alarming soft pebbly texture. The flavor is meaty
with a little bit of tartness somewhere between a ripe mushroom and tofu.
When deep fried, the outer skin gets crunchy and harbors the full intensity
of the seasonings you put into it.
Now you know what to look for. Tempeh is certainly not widely available
we can show you the way at Tempeh Online.
