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Below are complete instructions for making fresh at home TEMPEH cakes and dishes..

POWERED TEMPEH STARTER  - PTS

Our package of PTS contains enough starter spores for 3 batches for 5 pounds of tempeh total.  You'll need to get some spores to get started.

Ingredients: Organic rice flour, Rhizopus Oligosporus culture.  Net Wt.11 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 snake 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.  One teaspoon of PTS is sufficient to start one pound of dry soybeans as prepared below.  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 PTS starter will remain potent for about 6 months, after which more starter may be needed to produce the desired results.

 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.  Transfer to a large pot and cover with fresh water2 inchesabove the soy beans.  Bring to a rolling boil.  Watch closely as the hulls will cause 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 cooled the room temperature and skin 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.  

  5. Inoculating the Soy Beans

  Measure out one teaspoon of PTS of each pound of dry beans prepared above. 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 heat the flour in a pan until it starts to brown but not burn. Allow this to cool before adding the PTS starter.   ...con't

Tips and Tricks for
Making PTS

1.  Watch the temperature more during the end of the culturing time as the heat can build up and cause the tempeh to overheat.

2.  After the tempeh is done pre-slice into strips and freeze for ready to make snacks or sandwiches.

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...

   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’.

  7. Incubation

  The TPS culture needs heat to culture throughout the cooked beans.  Incubated 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 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 smell.  There will most likely be small gray or a black spot around the air holes and this is spores being produced and is normal when the tempeh is complete.  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 container 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.  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.