Tempeh: Origin, Flavor, Preparation and Difference from Tofu
Tempeh is a firm block of cooked soybeans that a noble mold of the genus Rhizopus binds into a cake. It comes from Indonesia, tastes nutty and slightly mushroomy, and you fry, deep-fry or braise it in slices or cubes.
Fact sheet
- Also known as
- Tempe, Tempe Kedelai
- Origin
- Indonesien (Java)
- Taste
- nussig, pilzig, leicht erdig, roh manchmal bitter; fester, körniger Biss
- Substitute
- fester Tofu oder Räuchertofu, als Hackersatz gegarte Linsen
- Storage
- im Kühlschrank bis zum MHD, angebrochen 3 bis 4 Tage; einfrieren möglich
- Where to buy
- Kühlregal im Biomarkt und gut sortierten Supermarkt, tiefgekühlt im Asialaden, online
Origin and production
Tempeh comes from the island of Java. There it is part of everyday food, as a side with rice or as a fried snack from a street stall.
To make tempeh, producers soak soybeans, remove the hulls and cook the split beans. After cooling and drying, they mix in spores of Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae, often with a splash of vinegar, and fill the mass into perforated bags or banana leaves. At about 30 °C (86 °F) the fungus grows for 24 to 48 hours. Its white mycelium runs through the beans and holds them together as a sliceable block.
In Europe you also find tempeh made from chickpeas, lupins or other legumes. In Indonesia there is also tempe gembus, a variation made from okara, the residue of making tofu.
Flavor and appearance
Fresh tempeh smells of mushrooms and tastes nutty and earthy, raw sometimes slightly bitter. The split beans stay visible in the cut, and the bite is firm and grainy. Black or gray spots show that the fungus has formed spores there. That is harmless as long as the block is firm and doesn't smell of ammonia. Pink, yellow or green patches and a slimy surface mean spoilage.
Steaming against bitterness
Some tempeh brands taste bitter straight from the package. Steam the slices for 10 minutes over boiling water before marinating or frying, or boil them for 10 minutes in lightly salted water. Afterward the tempeh tastes milder, gets a little softer and takes up marinade better. Eat tempeh cooked; raw it has little aroma.
Preparation
- Pan-frying: Cut the block into slices of about 1 cm (½ in) and fry them in oil for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. At the end glaze them with soy sauce and a little sugar or sweet soy sauce.
- Deep-frying: For Tempeh goreng you put thin slices in a brine of garlic, coriander seed and salt and fry them crispy. For Sambal tempeh you then toss the fried pieces in hot chili sauce. You can read more about the chili paste under Sambal oelek.
- Braising: For tempe bacem, tempeh cooks in coconut water with palm sugar, galangal and coriander until the liquid has cooked away. Then you fry it briefly.
- Marinating and baking: Put the steamed slices for 30 minutes in soy sauce, grated garlic, lime juice and a little sugar. Then bake them at 200 °C (400 °F) for about 20 minutes, turning once. Steamed, still warm tempeh soaks up the marinade faster than cold.
- In batter: Tempe mendoan from Central Java is thin slices in seasoned batter with scallions. You fry them only briefly so they stay soft inside, and dip them in sweet soy sauce with chili.
- Crumbled: Crushed and fried, tempeh replaces ground meat in sauces and fillings, as in the cassava balls Combro.
In Java fried tempeh sits next to rice, vegetables and sambal, for example with the coconut rice Nasi uduk or the rice plate Nasi campur. In the salad Gado-gado it comes to the plate with tofu and peanut sauce.
Tempeh and tofu: the difference
| Feature | Tempeh | Tofu |
|---|---|---|
| Base | whole, cooked soybeans | soy milk |
| Production | fermentation with Rhizopus | curdling with nigari or calcium sulfate |
| Texture | firm, grainy, chewy | from creamy to sliceable |
| Flavor | nutty, mushroomy, slightly bitter | neutral |
| Origin | Indonesia | China |
Tofu tastes of its sauce, tempeh has a nutty flavor of its own. For dishes with bite and roasted flavor, reach for tempeh; for soups and tender braises, tofu. Types of tofu explains the differences between the kinds of tofu.
Buying and storing
You find tempeh on the refrigerated shelf of health food stores and well-stocked supermarkets, at an Asian grocery store often frozen, and online. Store it unopened in the refrigerator until the best-before date. Wrap opened tempeh tightly and use it within three to four days. Tempeh freezes well; put frozen slices straight into the steamer basket.
Tempeh made from soy contains the allergen soy. Some producers mix in grain such as barley, and then the block contains gluten. If you have an intolerance, check the ingredient list.