Hi Friends,
After several years of making my own tempeh,
I have been able to improve the process 
into a much less laborious one
with equally satisfying result.
First thing is to get good quality organic 
and non-gmo soybeans.
Good quality soy beans not only means 
it is much better for your
body but it also cooks better 
and tastes more creamy.
I am starting with 2 cups of soybeans that
I have soaked overnight or for at least eight
hours. Once soaked drain all the water. You
may keep this water for the plants. This water
is not good for us but it’s a good source
of nutrients for the plants. This is better
used for outdoor plants rather than indoor
ones as the liquid might smell after a day
or so.
One thing that I do differently now is that
I do not dehull the beans. When I first started
to make tempeh, I used to dehull the beans
by hand by massaging them into the water until
the hulls would float up. Then pour them out
and keep doing this until most of the beans
are dehulled. But this is very time consuming
and as it turns out, a rather unnecessary
process as I’ve made successful tempeh even
without dehulling the beans.
So now, I just rinse off the beans a couple
of times with fresh water and place them in
a large pot. Then fill the pot with fresh
water to cover the beans so that the water
level comes to about an inch above them. Cover
and cook on medium heat.
The reason why I also no longer dehull the beans
is that I have noticed that they take a whole
lot longer to boil. Whereas when the hulls
are left on, the beans become much softer
and creamier.
Keep an eye on the pot and if the water starts
to boil over, place the lid at a slight angle
to let more of the steam escape. Then lower
the heat. Once the excess steam has gone down,
you can cover the pot again. Also check for
the water level every now and then. Check
the beans for doneness as from 30 minutes.
Add more water if needed to cook the beans
for longer. Soybeans may take from 30 minutes
to one hour to cook.
Cook the beans until they are almost done
or to about 80% done. Then add in the vinegar.
Continue to cook the beans until they are
soft but not mushy.
I add the vinegar at the last stage of cooking
as when vinegar is added at the beginning,
I’ve noticed that the acidity considerably
slows down the cooking process. I guess if
you are using a pressure cooker, you can add
the vinegar right at the start.
The vinegar is needed to provide a slightly
acidic environment
that favours the growth of the mould.
The good thing about making tempeh at home
is that you can cook the beans
to the doneness that you like them.
I usually cook the beans to the softness that I usually consume them.
This results in a smooth and creamy texture;
something that you will not get 
with most store-bought tempeh.
Once the beans are cooked, drain off most
of the water. Then, return the beans onto
the heat and evaporate the remaining liquid
from the pot.
Allow the beans to cool to about 35°Celsius
(or 95°Fahrenheit).
Next, we are going to add in the rhizopus
mould which is the tempeh starter. I buy mine
online. I’ll leave you some links below
from where you can get it. If you want to
have tempeh without any black spots, make
sure to get a good quality starter. Although
if you do get black spots, the tempeh is perfectly
safe to eat. It is just the life cycle of
the mould that has aged a little bit more.
Once beans are cooled to about 35°Celsius,
add in the mould and mix well.
There are three ways that you can allow the
beans to ferment. A zip lock bag is the most
convenient one. Perforate the bag at an inch
interval all over using a bamboo or metal
skewer. This will allow the mould to breathe.
Decide on the number of portions 
you want to make
and place a portion of the beans inside.
Then close the bag and fold it if needed 
to reduce the size
so that you have a nice thickness
for the beans. Then evenly distribute the
beans around. If you use a good quality zip
lock bag, you can actually re-use it several
times before it wears out.
A more environmentally-friendly alternative
to plastic is to use banana leaves which are
also the traditional way of making tempeh.
I get frozen banana leaves from my local Asian
store. Cut the leaf to the size you need.
Banana leaves are porous so they do not need
any perforations. Place some beans in the
middle and lightly shape them to a rectangle.
Then fold the leaf over and secure with a
toothpick. I only placed a small portion of
beans for today but what I tend to do is to
place a larger amount and make a longer log.
Once the tempeh cake is formed, then I just
cut through the leaf itself and store the
smaller portions.
Sandwich the bags or wrapped leaves in between
two chopping boards and keep in a warm place.
If you have an incubator, you may place them
in there overnight or you can leave them in
the oven with only the lights turned on. Just
remember not to turn the oven on by accident
and to remove them from there 
or the incubator after 12 hours.
During winter, if you have the radiator on, 
you just can place them close by.
What I have also found to work is to just
place the beans in a glass or ceramic dish.
Then place the dish uncovered in a closed
large box. I have one of those cake boxes
with a lid that seem to work great for that
purpose. Otherwise, you can just use any large
box with a lid. Just keep the box in a warm
area of the house.
After 36 to 48 hours, the tempeh should be
ready. The mould should be fully grown around
the beans holding them together.
For the wrapped leaf, you should be 
able to see some spores
through the cracks of the leaf, so you’ll
know that the mould have grown and the tempeh
is ready.
For the one in the dish the spores may tend
to go a little out of control with this method.
Also, the resulting tempeh is a little less
compact and drier than when using a bag or
wrapped leaf. But the tempeh cake still holds
together well. Make sure to thoroughly wash
the box afterward to clean it of all remaining
spores.
Tempeh can be kept in the refrigerator for
up to a week or it can be frozen for several
months. I usually make tempeh twice a year
and freeze the batch for over 6 months.
Apart from soybeans, tempeh can also be made
with other beans, legumes, grains, or a mixture
of these along with some seeds added in for
extra nutrients, taste and texture. You can
make tempeh with chickpeas or lentils for
a soy-free option for example.
If you make soymilk or tofu at home, a good
way to use up the okara, that is the leftover
soy pulp, is to make tempeh with it. This
works out to be very economical. In fact,
this is how tempeh was discovered in Java,
Indonesia, during the production of tofu when
the discarded soybean pulp caught the spores
and grew around the pulp. It was found to
be edible and tempeh was born.
If using okara, you would just add a quarter
of the amount of vinegar to the warm pulp.
Then mix in the mould and proceed as for the
rest of the recipe.
Tempeh offers a much more nutritious and digestible
way to eat soy if you are not intolerant or
allergic.
The fermentation process reduces the phytic
acid in the soy and this allows the body to
better absorb the minerals. The gas causing
substances are also considerably reduced by
the rhizopus mould.
Tempeh has to be properly cooked before consuming.
It can be steamed or boiled, 
marinated and pan fried
or used according to your favourite recipes.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this video. Don’t
forget to give it a thumbs up. And if you
attempt your own tempeh, share a picture with
us and tag us on social media @veganlovlie.
Enjoy and see you soon.
