Homemade Tempeh Recipe -
Learn How To Make Garbanzo Tempeh!

There is nothing like a fresh homemade tempeh recipe to make you realize what you've been missing! It just takes a little bit of know how and a few ingredients to be well on your way to tempeh heaven!

The best part about making tempeh is that you get to use any bean you want, not just soy bean. Over time, you will discover your favorite legumes and combination's. Our all time favorite bean is the garbanzo. You can also add cooked grains, like millet and wild rice, as well as a variety of spices and seaweeds.

Here's our basic homemade tempeh recipe that will leave your taste buds singing for more. Trust me, its nothing like the rubbery, bland store bought varieties out there. In my opinion, the texture and the rich, buttery mushroomy taste of the homemade version is the only tempeh worth eating.

There is an art to making tempeh, but with patience and practice you WILL get it down. Believe me it is well worth the time and effort you may initial have to invest! It took my husband and I a few times to master it, but then it becomes just as easy as making sauerkraut, miso or kefir!

Homemade Tempeh Recipe:

• food processor
• glass baking dish/pan
• big bowl
• aluminum foil

As with making any of the fermented foods, you need to make sure all is clean and your hands are washed to avoid contamination.

Ingredients:

• 3C garbanzo beans
• 2 1/2T vinegar
• 1 1/2t tempeh starter

1. Soak garbanzos overnight.
2. Cook them the next morning until soft but still firm (slightly under done).
3. Strain liquid and let cool to body temp.
4. Place in food processor.
5. Process slightly with some whole bean remaining.
6. Place in bowl.
7. Add vinegar and mix with spoon.

8. Add tempeh spore and mix thoroughly.
9. Place into a baking dish or pan.
10. Spread evenly and pack it down tight.
11. Place a piece of aluminum foil on top of dish.
12. Poke a number of fork holes in foil.
13. Place a cloth over dish.
14. Find a place to incubate for 24 hours, btwn 85-90 degrees.

Make your homemade tempeh recipe in the morning, so that it has the heat of the day to get the spore culture activated. After it has established it will continue at even slightly lower temps.

In 24-30 hours you will have a delicious garbanzo bean tempeh. You can now cut it up into squares because the white culture has firmed up the bean mixture into a solid form. Do not be alarmed at the fuzzy culture growing on the top of it, this is normal and means it has incubated appropriately. When you slice it, you can wrap it individually in wax paper or stack the tempeh with the top side facing down in a container and store in the fridge or freezer.

NOTE: It should smell pleasant with a rich mushroom like fragrance. Patches of grey or black coloration mean your tempeh has cultured correctly. If it smells off-putting or has green mold or a slimy texture discard and try again.

You can use it in tempeh recipes, healthy cooking recipes, soups or make a sandwich using our sprouted grain bread.

It is also great with our homemade miso recipe. Sometimes I just spread miso over the top of some grilled tempeh. Yum!

Incubation:

One of the most important things about making tempeh is that the temperature needs to remain consistent at about 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit (29-32 degrees Celsius), during the 24 hour incubation process. There is some room, however, for slightly lower temps at night we have noticed. The goal is to create an environment of warmth and moisture to encourage fermentation.

Incubation can be achieved in several ways:

1) Dehydrator - we leave our tempeh on top (not inside) of our excalibur dehydrator on the very lowest temp setting. This ensures heat, but not too much. You don't want to put it IN the dehydrator because this will, of course, dry it out.

2) Oven - place inside an oven for 24 hours on lowest temp with a mason jar lid in the door to crack open slightly.

3) Cabinet - incubate tempeh in a warm, high cabinet space that is right over your wood stove or other heat source.

4) Greenhouse - if you live in a warm climate, sometimes a greenhouse will even work.

NOTE: You can also pack your tempeh mix into a plastic bag with fork holes, pressing it into a big rectangular shape. This method also allows the tempeh to "sweat" and incubate nicely. We don't promote the use of plastic close to your food, but in a pinch this method works well.

Take pleasure in the delights of this rich and flavorful substitute for your average cooked meat entree.

Try it on a our Tempeh Reuben sandwich with onion bread, nut mayonnaise and homemade sauerkraut.

Also see our fermented food recipes for more info on a great new book for anyone new to the world of fermented and cultured foods.

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