dalthauser

Please forgive the lack of cuts (JOEBANKS.....)  :-)

I took advantage of the extra time off for New Years to make a new batch of Tempeh.  This time I remembered to take some pictures.

Parboiled, cooled, and air dried cracked soybeans - mixed with Tempeh innoculant (I can't remember the actual name, and I'm too lazy to look it up).  This time I mixed in raw Sunflower seeds as well.  From here they get packed into snack sized zip lock bags with holes poked in them.



The bags are placed in the incubator (it's a Hova Bator egg incubator!) and left there at 88F to ferment (about 3/4 of the way through they start generating their own heat - so you have to remove the lid and sometimes put a fan on them so they don't heat up too much). 



Twenty-Four hours later they are done.  You can tell because there is a white coating of mold (the cheese kind not the "OMG I left my sandwich in the work fridge for a month" mold).  They smell a lot like mushrooms when they are finished.





Once it's done you need to stop the growth of the mold, so I steam it to heat it through.  Then I pack them up indivually in foil and freeze them (I leave two in the fridge - they are so much better "fresh" - but they are fairly perishable).

Sierra woke up New Years Day (hung over....another story) and I asked her if she wanted breakfast.  She took one look at the Tempeh I was steaming and said "FRIED TEMPEH!!".  Hahaha.... she hadn't had any in a couple of years.  This is the kid who usually is only interested in eating food from places that have a mascot..... 



With Ceasar Dressing dip (it's good with Ranch too.....and BBQ sauce, and Gravy, oh - and Ketchup) :-)


Most of my LJ friends know what Tempeh is, but here is some links for those that don't:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempeh
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=126
http://soyfoods.com/soyfoodsdescriptions/Tempeh.html

Oh yes, and I roasted a big bag of Poblano peppers and froze them ($5.00 for a small can of roasted chiles is a very good motivator)


So yeah..... :-)

I made Tempeh this weekend, and I always fry up one batch right away because I love it fresh more than anything.

Here is one way to prepare Tempeh - it's not the only way, but most people will try Tempeh if you prepare it this way for them.

This is not a low calorie or low fat recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1	Cake	Tempeh (7 or 8 ounces)
2	Each	Large Eggs
X	3/4"	Oil (whatever you usually use to Fry is fine)
1	Cup	Flour (Rice works good, but whatever you have is ok)
		Assorted Spices (I change mine up every time)
1	Tsp	Salt (more or less - whatever, you can salt the final product too)

Mix Flour, salt, spices and put in shallow container. Beat eggs (preferably with a cute whisk for best results)


Slice Tempeh as thin as possible. Previously frozen Tempeh can't be sliced as thin as fresh or chilled Tempeh.



Preheat oil in a frying pan at this point. 350F is a good temperature (or wait until it starts smoking - if it catches fire and burns your kitchen down, it's too hot)

Dip Slice of Tempeh into Egg and let excess drip off.


Gently drop egged (is that a word?) slice into flour mixture


Toss it around a little to coat well (dang, my hand looks swollen like it got stung by a swarm of bees.... scary)


Gently shake off excess or tap on the side of the container.


Repeat with all the slices

Get a plate ready lined with paper towels for when the slices will come out of the oil.

Now, drop the slices in the oil and brown on both sides (don't do too many at a time because you won't be able to keep up and some might burn)


Let drain on paper towels and serve right away if possible. They will keep in a warmer. You can also refrigerate and freeze them for eating later.


My daughter used to dip these in ranch dressing for added fat and cholesterol. I like them dipped in bbq sauce.
You can also chop them up and put them in a salad (hot or cold) or make a sandwich out of them.

I'm working on more Tempeh stuff as I find myself getting back to working with food.