4 ms·

Tempeh is noted in the study as a good exception; the fermentation process breaks down phylates which normally inhibit iron uptake. So, eat more tempeh!

cjoelrun 4y ago
Try making your own once rather then buying from store. The flavors developed are rich in comparison.
- notesinthefield 4y ago
  Know of a good recipe? My regular grocer's tempeh stock has steadily dropped recently.
  - lapetitejort 4y ago
    I've made black bean tempeh a few times. I bought a starter pack online. I cooked the beans in an instant pot and waited for them to cool to room temperature. I mixed in the powder (fungal spores, essentially) and let it warm in the instant pot for 24-48 hours. There will be a white mold in and around the bean mixture. The mold should be enough to bind the beans into a loaf. No one else in my family ate it, so I gave up after two batches. I want to restart using banana leaves as a wrapper, the way they make it in Java. I've also wanted to try out natto, another way of fermenting beans.
    - aradox66 4y ago
      Instant pot sounds like a good idea! My housemate built a custom incubator in a styrofoam cooler. We made some good tempeh. We had one batch of good natto, then it went south. When natto goes wrong, it goes REALLY wrong. It's already pretty borderline :P
lapetitejort 4y ago
Fermented foods need to be the next diet fad. The fermentation process acts as a pre-digestion mechanism, breaking down complex structures to be more easily digestible. I recently started an oatmeal "starter" similar to a wheat sourdough starter. I began with a 1:1:1 ratio of rolled oats, water, and active yogurt. I let it sit for 36 hours. Then in the morning I take out half, and replace it with a 1:1 ratio of water and oats. It smells yeasty and tastes as if it's been cooked. I have no source on this but I'm hoping that the process nets me more nutrition than cooking. I also don't have to heat or refrigerate it. Everything operates at room temperature. If I ever go out of town I can put it in the fridge.
- nanomonkey 4y ago
  Any reason why you don't cook your oatmeal after fermenting it overnight? An overabundance of yeast isn't entirely desirable in your digestive system. Also, it tends to improve the flavor and do more digestion. I do something similar with my beans, use some sourdough starter, or slop from the previous soaking of beans. I let them soak, ferment (they bubble) for a few days, rinse and cook as normal. It improves the flavor and I don't get as much gas. It also gets rid of so called "phytotoxins" which bind to minerals, etc. You can also use koji to break down grains and legumes prior to cooking. It's quite amazing how sweet rolled oats will become when you let them sit with some koji rice. Koji is full of amylase and protease (enzymes that break down starch and proteins respectively).
  - lapetitejort 4y ago
    I'll try cooking them some time. They only sit for 24 hours and the fermented taste is not overpowering (I've let some sourdough starter sit too long on the countertop and know what that smells like). The oats are completely soft though, as if just boiled. I tried adding steel cut oats, but they're too thick to soften overnight. For flavor I add a pinch of salt, nuts, and raisins. Do you cook the raw beans before mixing with the starter? Or cook afterward? Is the bean starter raw or cooked?
    - nanomonkey 4y ago
mercutio2 4y ago
This is great advice except for the part where I, and approximately 50% of my vegetarian and vegan friends, find the flavor of tempeh disgusting. Occasionally can be consumed with enough barbecue sauce that I don’t prefer going hungry, but only rarely. I wonder if it’s a genetic/tastebud thing like goat’s milk; my daughter and I are happy to eat pretty much any cow cheese, but if goat cheese is involved at almost any concentration in a dish, it’s spit-it-out-and-find-something-else time. Tempeh isn’t quite that bad.
- neuralRiot 4y ago
  Probably is an acquired taste. I love tempeh but the flavor can overpower other seasonings making all your the meals made with it taste the same. Good choices are teriyaki or curry.
  - mercutio2 4y ago
    I lived on a vegan commune for seven years, our neighboring commune manufactured tempeh. If I didn't acquire the taste in that time, I'm confident I never will ;)
- jhanschoo 4y ago
  It's an acquired taste... similar to how cheese is an acquired taste that East-Asians used to be repulsed by. For low-effort, I love eating it in broth where it adds complex nutty smells. It's typically marinated and then baked or battered and fried.
- JeremyNT 4y ago
  I don't enjoy plain tempeh but have you tried taco seasoning? I find it works really well. You could also try a BBQ dry rub. In either case a little msg makes it really pop.

cjoelrun 4y ago

Try making your own once rather then buying from store. The flavors developed are rich in comparison.

notesinthefield 4y ago
Know of a good recipe? My regular grocer's tempeh stock has steadily dropped recently.
- lapetitejort 4y ago
  I've made black bean tempeh a few times. I bought a starter pack online. I cooked the beans in an instant pot and waited for them to cool to room temperature. I mixed in the powder (fungal spores, essentially) and let it warm in the instant pot for 24-48 hours. There will be a white mold in and around the bean mixture. The mold should be enough to bind the beans into a loaf. No one else in my family ate it, so I gave up after two batches. I want to restart using banana leaves as a wrapper, the way they make it in Java. I've also wanted to try out natto, another way of fermenting beans.
  - aradox66 4y ago
    Instant pot sounds like a good idea! My housemate built a custom incubator in a styrofoam cooler. We made some good tempeh. We had one batch of good natto, then it went south. When natto goes wrong, it goes REALLY wrong. It's already pretty borderline :P

lapetitejort 4y ago

Fermented foods need to be the next diet fad. The fermentation process acts as a pre-digestion mechanism, breaking down complex structures to be more easily digestible. I recently started an oatmeal "starter" similar to a wheat sourdough starter. I began with a 1:1:1 ratio of rolled oats, water, and active yogurt. I let it sit for 36 hours. Then in the morning I take out half, and replace it with a 1:1 ratio of water and oats. It smells yeasty and tastes as if it's been cooked. I have no source on this but I'm hoping that the process nets me more nutrition than cooking. I also don't have to heat or refrigerate it. Everything operates at room temperature. If I ever go out of town I can put it in the fridge.

nanomonkey 4y ago
Any reason why you don't cook your oatmeal after fermenting it overnight? An overabundance of yeast isn't entirely desirable in your digestive system. Also, it tends to improve the flavor and do more digestion. I do something similar with my beans, use some sourdough starter, or slop from the previous soaking of beans. I let them soak, ferment (they bubble) for a few days, rinse and cook as normal. It improves the flavor and I don't get as much gas. It also gets rid of so called "phytotoxins" which bind to minerals, etc. You can also use koji to break down grains and legumes prior to cooking. It's quite amazing how sweet rolled oats will become when you let them sit with some koji rice. Koji is full of amylase and protease (enzymes that break down starch and proteins respectively).
- lapetitejort 4y ago
  I'll try cooking them some time. They only sit for 24 hours and the fermented taste is not overpowering (I've let some sourdough starter sit too long on the countertop and know what that smells like). The oats are completely soft though, as if just boiled. I tried adding steel cut oats, but they're too thick to soften overnight. For flavor I add a pinch of salt, nuts, and raisins. Do you cook the raw beans before mixing with the starter? Or cook afterward? Is the bean starter raw or cooked?
  - nanomonkey 4y ago

mercutio2 4y ago

This is great advice except for the part where I, and approximately 50% of my vegetarian and vegan friends, find the flavor of tempeh disgusting. Occasionally can be consumed with enough barbecue sauce that I don’t prefer going hungry, but only rarely. I wonder if it’s a genetic/tastebud thing like goat’s milk; my daughter and I are happy to eat pretty much any cow cheese, but if goat cheese is involved at almost any concentration in a dish, it’s spit-it-out-and-find-something-else time. Tempeh isn’t quite that bad.

neuralRiot 4y ago
Probably is an acquired taste. I love tempeh but the flavor can overpower other seasonings making all your the meals made with it taste the same. Good choices are teriyaki or curry.
- mercutio2 4y ago
  I lived on a vegan commune for seven years, our neighboring commune manufactured tempeh. If I didn't acquire the taste in that time, I'm confident I never will ;)
jhanschoo 4y ago
It's an acquired taste... similar to how cheese is an acquired taste that East-Asians used to be repulsed by. For low-effort, I love eating it in broth where it adds complex nutty smells. It's typically marinated and then baked or battered and fried.
JeremyNT 4y ago
I don't enjoy plain tempeh but have you tried taco seasoning? I find it works really well. You could also try a BBQ dry rub. In either case a little msg makes it really pop.