|
Indonesian Tempeh Online Store.
Tempeh is a traditional soybean cake unique
to Indonesia. Made by fermenting whole soybeans
with a unique culture, the cake has a rich smoky
flavor and nutty texture. A very good source of
protein, tempeh is also an excellent source of
vitamin B-12.
Europeans have cheese, San Franciscans have
sourdough bread -- Indonesians have TEMPEH,
an everyday food made from fermenting soybeans
in a plastic bag (or banana leaves) with yeast
in a hot, humid room.
Typically you buy
TEMPEH
ready-made, even in Indonesia. And if you live
there, buying it is like hunting for a loaf of
bread; it is widely available, cheap, and most
importantly, freshly produced. And since it has
a savory taste and dense texture, it easily
replaces meat which is typically very expensive.
Here in the U.S. however, you'd be hard pressed
to find fresh
TEMPEH anywhere. It's
only available in a frozen state at Asian
markets. These frozen blocks are a decent
substitute, but only until you've had a freshly
made batch of tempeh.
Whether you make your own tempeh or buy it
frozen, you have a myriad of ways to prepare it.
It can be used in stir fries, stews, or grilled
like a hamburger patty. My favorite way is deep
frying after marinating in mashed garlic and
salt.
The flavor is probably unlike anything the
western palate has tasted before. It is chunky,
with an alarming soft pebbly texture. The flavor
is meaty with a little bit of tartness --
somewhere between a ripe mushroom and tofu. When
deep fried, the outer skin gets crunchy and
harbors the full intensity of the seasonings you
put into it.
Now you know what to look for! Tempeh is
certainly not widely available...we can show you
the way at Tempeh Online!
|