Your stories and questions

Your stories

This page is for you - the Your stories page is a shared resource for ideas, problem solving and sharing your successes.
I love seeing what is being created and the novel solutions to tempeh and tofu issues.
Please email me the questions, pictures, stories and recipes you would like to share and I will happily publish them all.

Okara & Rhizopus

Christine at Thousand Mile Tofu has made a successful block of okara tempeh using rhizopus starter, as did Helen, below.

Helens' Okara

Here's my okara tempeh made in brown baking paper and incubated in a bamboo steamer.
Its incredibly delicious and creamy. Esp with sriracha chilli sauce.
Your red product hasn't arrived yet. I'll use it next time.

Thousand Mile Tofu

Thousand Mile Tofu are using calico bags to ferment tempeh. Look for her products at the Albany Farmers Market in WA or see on Facebook here .
Look at how the rhizopus thrives in fabric, compared to plastic.

This is Christine's tempeh made from okara.

Tempeh in Glass

Hello Nirala,
Tried the tempeh fermenting in the glass tray......it worked. Here are some pics.
I didn’t cover the glassware at all except it being in the incubator and being covered by the lid of the esky.

Bunny

No bags!

Luke from NSW has come up with an alternative to single use perforated bags. It looks fabulous and he assured me it passed the taste test!

Great result Luke!

Can I use tofu to make desserts?

Yes, there are some really quick and healthy recipes for sweet treats.
Here are a few.

Tofu Baked Cheesecake

Is there an alternative to soybeans for making tempeh?

Yes, absolutely!
Most legumes are suitable for tempeh making, some with the added bonus that they are available as splits (pre hulled).
Try combinations of split peas, chick peas, mung dal, lupin, lentils. You can also add small amount of cooked rice or sunflower seeds.

Fried slices of lupin tempeh

Red Oncom Experiments

This is Sebs story: I attempted my first batch this week. I used a 200g block of Okara and half the oncom starter so that I can make two separate batches to further experiment. I followed the instructions but I don't think it went very well.
I've attached a before and after photo of my Okara block. It looks like the mycelium didn't get a chance to grow as much as I've seen in other pictures. Is this starter for the orange or black Oncom? I got a mix of light orange and dark brown colours.
I incubated at 35°C for 36 hours. I then left it another 12 hours to see if I could get a stronger growth but it doesn't seem to have had much of an effect. The smell became quite strong towards the last half of the fermentation.

Thanks Seb, it seems that 30 degrees might be a good temp to start it.
I have seen a site where they dry the okara with a towel first like beans.
Mixing in a tablespoon of vinegar to the okara can help.
No one has cracked it yet...
We will all keep trying!
NOTE: black spots are signs the fungi have sporulated and are not a huge problem. I don't recommend you eat any product that smells strongly (unless it is meant to!)

Kerrys' cooking

Kerry O was lucky enough to have banana leaves to experiment with. Turned the result into a delicious dinner of sticky tempeh (the recipe is in the book!)

Luke T's tempeh is a winner!

I just wanted to say thank you and to share my results with the tempeh starter! As my incubation temp was a little cooler it took around 48 hours for the rhizopus to appear but when it did I had great results and an amazing flavour! I'm going to be buying more starter soon!

Banana leaves

Banana leaves are the traditional wrapping used for tempeh fermentation and give a great result if you can source them.

What happened?

Lukes third batch had problems. I asked Raprima for help with this and this was the reply:
This got too hot in the centre, killed the spores....open the lid for ventilation and cool air once it starts to produce heat...... environment of 25 Celsius is ok for finishing, cold take a bit longer but heat spoils.

Tofu plus Tempeh

This photo was sent to me by Simone, who came across this product in a wholefood store in NSW. She says: The packaging shows all the traditional ingredients of tempeh and tofu along with some tamari. By the taste of it, I’m assuming they make the tempeh, crumble it then marinate it in tamari before dropping it into the tofu curds before pressing. Fabulous flavour and texture. Made vegan rendang with it last night; just scrumptious!

Imogens' first

Another first

I am seriously impressed with Joes first batch of tempeh: soybeans, chickpeas and black beans, ready after 24 hours.

Milla asks: What is the problem?

What has happened is that the tempeh has been left too long and the rhizopus has fruited. The grey are the spores (just like a mushroom).
Once the white mycelium begins to appear, the tempeh needs to be cooled. It generates its own heat. You may need to open or take the lid off remove before the mycelium totally covers the beans or the high temperatures kill the rhizopus.
If you put it in the fridge (not in a stack) it will continue growing till firm.
If it smells fresh and nutty, you can still eat it. If it smells a bit like ammonia, don't.

Burgers by Daniel

First attempt with my latest batch of MR tempeh starter. Split peas, yellow & green, plus channa dal = Excellent result! Sliced in half to be used in a tempeh burger.
Thank you Daniel, looks great.

Do you know what this is?

It's firm tofu marinated in miso paste then fermented known as tofu misozuke or tofu cheese. It can be flavoured with tea, chilli or herbs, and it is the only non dairy cheese I have tasted that actually taste like cheese. Delicious! Have you tasted it? What did you think?
Here's the recipe

Tony's tempeh

Another great result! Tempeh loves the summer warmth.

Can I add flavourings to tofu when I make it?

Seaweed, dried herbs, chilli flakes and grated vegetables can be added to firm tofu before coagulation. Chopped walnuts are often used in traditional tofu making for special occasions.

Favoured tofu for sale in Vietnam