Tempeh

Homemade, bare-bones tempeh.

Tempeh, the "Brie of Beans"

What does tempeh, the relatively new kid on the mainstream Western vegan-eating block, have in common with the fancy French cheese? While brie (and many other cheeses) are made of dairy milk and cultured with molds to improve flavour and change texture, tempeh is a cultured soya bean product that also is made with edible, healthy molds that transform the humble bean into a nutritionally-transcended delicacy.

Originating in Indonesia, tempeh is made of soya beans (and possibly other grains and legumes) that have been cultured with either Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae and left to ripen. The mold sticks the beans together into a cohesive loaf with a very unique flavour (which is, much like moldy cheese, an acquired taste) that can easily be cut and sliced for sandwiches, stir-fries, and curries.

Tempeh is unique in that it has a strong flavour profile of its own, and stands out more against marinades and sauces than tofu or seitan. You can buy it ready-made, make your own (time-consuming at first, but not entirely difficult) or get various tempeh products like "bacon" or seasoned slices at the supermarket.

If you make your own tempeh, you don't have to use the usual soya beans- you can use, for example, chickpeas or black beans, and add ingredients like wheat berries or barley, to make for more variety and nutrition.

Nutrition
Tempeh is really, really high in protein- 19 grams per 100 gram serving. It also contains the same nutrients as other soya products, like calcium and iron. An added bonus is that it's less processed than tofu, and because of this retains a lot more dietary fiber than tofu does (4 ounces has about half an adult's recommended daily intake of fiber).