HEALTHY FOOD OF TEMPEH

 ONE OF INDONESIAN TRADITIONAL SOYBEANS CUISINE

ALTHOUGH NOT AS POPULAR AS TAHU OR TOFU, TEMPEH ( /ˈTƐMPEɪ/; JAVANESE: TÉMPÉ ) IS A TRADITIONAL FOOD FROM INDONESIA. IT  IS ALSO MADE FROM SOYBEANS, WITH A DIFFERENT MAKING PROCESS. IF TOFU  LOOKS LIKE WHITE OR YELLOWISH FROZEN JELLY CAKE WITH SMOOTH TEXTURE, TEMPEH WITH WHITEGREYISH COLOR HAS A ROUGHER TEXTURE AND IT IS HEAVIER. IT ALSO HAS AN EARTHY FLAVOR WHICH BECOMES MORE PRONOUNCED AS IT AGES. 

THIS SOY FOOD PRODUCT IS MADE WITH A MORE COMPLICATED PROCESS THAN TOFU BECAUSE IT IS MADE BY A NATURAL CULTURING AND CONTROLLED FERMENTATION PROCESS THAT BINDS SOYBEANS INTO A CAKE FORM, SIMILAR TO A VERY FIRM VEGETARIAN BURGER PATTY. TEMPEH'S FERMENTATION PROCESS AND ITS RETENTION OF THE WHOLE BEAN GIVE IT A HIGHER CONTENT OF PROTEIN, DIETARY FIBER, AND VITAMINS. TEMPEH  IS  ALSO SPREAD THROUGHOUT OVERSEAS SINCE SOME LAST CENTURIES AND ALSO POPULAR AS AN ALTERNATIVE  HEALTHY FOOD.

ACCORDING TO HISTORY, TEMPEH IS ORIGINATED CAME FROM THE ISLAND OF JAVA, INDONESIA. THE EARLIEST KNOWN TEMPEH PRODUCT WAS FOUND IN 1815 IN THE ANCIENT JAVANESE CULTURAL MANNERS BOOK OF SERAT CENTHINI COMPILED BY ORDER OF SUNAN PAKU BUWANA IV FROM SURAKARTA SULTANATE. THREE DETAILED, FULLY DOCUMENTED HISTORIES OF TEMPEH, WORLDWIDE, HAS BEEN WRITTEN, ALL BY SHURTLEFF AND AOYAGI (1985, 1989, AND 2001).

SPECIALTY TEMPEH CAN BE MADE FROM OTHER TYPES OF BEANS AS WELL, WHEAT, OR MAY INCLUDE A MIXTURE OF BEANS AND WHOLE GRAINS.  IN PRESENT TIME, TEMPEH IS USED WORLDWIDE IN VEGETARIAN CUISINE, WHERE IT IS USED AS ALTERNATIVE FOR MEAT, AND OF ITS NUTRITIONAL VALUE. THIS  FOOD IS CONSIDERED UNIQUE AMONG MAJOR TRADITIONAL SOY FOODS, SEEING THAT IT IS THE ONLY ONE THAT DID NOT ORIGINATE FROM THE SINOSPHERE CUISINE.

THE SOY CARBOHYDRATES IN TEMPEH BECOME MORE DIGESTIBLE AS A RESULT OF THE FERMENTATION PROCESS. IN PARTICULAR, THE OLIGOSACCHARIDES ASSOCIATED WITH GAS AND INDIGESTION ARE GREATLY REDUCED BY THE RHIZOPUS CULTURE. IN TRADITIONAL TEMPEH-MAKING SHOPS, THE STARTER TEMPEH CULTURE OFTEN CONTAINS BENEFICIAL BACTERIA THAT PRODUCE VITAMINS SUCH AS B12 (THOUGH IT IS UNCERTAIN WHETHER THIS B12 IS ALWAYS PRESENT AND BIOAVAILABLE).

IN WESTERN COUNTRIES, IT IS MORE COMMON TO USE A PURE CULTURE CONTAINING ONLY RHIZOPUS OLIGOSPORUS, WHICH MAKES VERY LITTLE B12 AND COULD BE MISSING CITROBACTER FREUNDII AND KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE, WHICH HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT LEVELS OF B12 ANALOGS IN TEMPEH WHEN PRESENT. WHETHER THESE ANALOGS ARE TRUE, BIOAVAILABLE B12, HAS NOT BEEN THOROUGHLY STUDIED YET. THE FERMENTATION PROCESS ALSO REDUCES THE PHYTIC ACID IN SOY, WHICH THEN ALLOWS THE BODY TO ABSORB THE MINERALS THAT SOY PROVIDES.

  

CURRENTLY PROCESSED USING  PLASTIC FEEDBAGS

TEMPEH MAKING PROCESS PRODUCE A MILD ACIDULENT, WHICH USUALLY KNOWN AS VINEGAR. IT MAY BE ADDED TO LOWER THE PH AND CREATE A SELECTIVE ENVIRONMENT THAT FAVORS THE GROWTH OF THE TEMPEH MOLD OVER COMPETITORS. A FERMENTATION STARTER WILL PROMOTE THE GROWTH OF FUNGUS RHIZOPUS OLIGOSPORUS SPORES. LATER, THE BEANS ARE SPREAD INTO A THIN LAYER AND ARE ALLOWED TO FERMENT FOR 24 TO 36 HOURS AT A TEMPERATURE AROUND 30°C (86°F). IN GOOD TEMPEH, THE BEANS ARE KNITTED TOGETHER BY A MAT OF WHITE MYCELIUM.

THE TRADITONAL  WAY PROCESSED USING  A BANANA LEAF WRAP

TEMPEH BEGINS WITH WHOLE SOYBEANS - SOFTENED BY SOAKING, AND DEHULLED, THEN PARTLY COOKED IN INDONESIA, TRADITIONAL TEMPEH PRODUCTION ARE USING BANANA LEAVES ( HIBISCUS TILIACEUS ). THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE LEAVES ARE COVERED IN DOWNY HAIRS KNOWN TECHNICALLY AS TRICHOMES, WHERE THE MOLD RHIZOPUS OLIGOSPORUS CAN BE FOUND. THE SOYBEANS ARE PRESSED INTO THE LEAF, AND STORED. THIS FERMENTATION WILL THEN BECOME TEMPEH.  IN LOWER TEMPERATURE OR HIGHER VENTILATION, GRAY OR BLACK PATCHES OF SPORES MAY FORM ON THE SURFACE—THIS IS NOT HARMFUL, AND SHOULD NOT AFFECT THE FLAVOR OR QUALITY OF THE TEMPEH. THIS SPORULATION IS NORMAL ON FULLY MATURE TEMPEH. A MILD AMMONIA SMELL MAY ACCOMPANY GOOD TEMPEH AS IT FERMENTS, BUT IT SHOULD NOT BE OVERPOWERING. IN INDONESIA, RIPE TEMPEH (TWO OR MORE DAYS OLD) IS CONSIDERED A DELICACY.

TEMPEH BURGER IS A ONE NUMBER OF INOVATIVE FAVORITE MENU

THERE ARE VARIOUS WAY TO PROCESS THE TEMPEH INTO OUR DISHES. TEMPEH IS OFTEN PREPARED BY CUTTING IT INTO PIECES, SOAKING IN BRINE OR SALTY SAUCE, AND THEN FRY. COOKED TEMPEH CAN BE EATEN ALONE, EAT WITH CHILI, STIR FRIED, SOUPS, SALADS, SANDWICHES, AND STEWS. TEMPEH'S COMPLEX FLAVOR HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS NUTTY, MEATY, AND MUSHROOM-LIKE. IT FREEZES WELL, AND IS NOW COMMONLY AVAILABLE IN MANY WESTERN SUPERMARKETS, AS WELL AS IN ETHNIC MARKETS AND HEALTH FOOD STORES. TEMPEH CAN ALSO BE GRATED WITH A CHEESE GRATER, AND THE GRATE CAN BE USE IN THE PLACE BELOW THE BEEF (AS IN TACOS). WHEN THIN-SLICED AND DEEP-FRIED IN OIL TEMPEH OBTAINS A CRISP GOLDEN CRUST WHILE MAINTAINING A SOFT INSIDE, ITS SPONGE-LIKE CONSISTENCY MAKES IT SUITABLE FOR MARINATING. DRIED TEMPEH (WHETHER COOKED OR RAW) MAY BE USED AS A STEW BASE TOO. AND MANY MORE..

VARIOUS FLAVOURS OF KERIPIK TEMPE OR TEMPEH CRACKERS