I'm going to try making natto and tempeh. Natto is from Japan and tempeh is from Indonesia. I've tried both and decided to try making them myself.FrozenInTime wrote:What are you making with the soybeans? I can get all I can haul for free straight from the fields. I can also get all I can hall of corn/wheat/barley. I've thought about getting barley and try to malt some at home but I don't know how this GMO crap in the fields around here would do.bpgreen wrote:, I'll get some soybeans next weekend (I'm assuming I can get them pretty cheap at a farm store) and use one of the remaining packages as a starter to make more.
I've bought some tempeh from Trader Joe's, but it's fully cooked, so I need to buy some tempeh starter to make my own.
Other fermentation?
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Re: Other fermentation?
Re: Other fermentation?
RE: the soy beans:
Tempeh I like, I will BBQ it or such.
But Natto to me is like eating the pellicle. I could force myself to learn to like it, but it's not high on my list of things to do.
You can make your own Tofu too. It's not fermented as such, it's more like making curd cheese... And Tofu gets a bad rap, but that's because folks get that silken crap which is only good for making "pudding" or such. But if you make you own, it will have a lot of texture, then you can press it to get as much moisture out of it as possible, then marinade it in something, it can become quite awesome. From a nutritional standpoint it's best to sprout the soy beans (just like sprouting barley) before using them to make it.
Tempeh I like, I will BBQ it or such.
But Natto to me is like eating the pellicle. I could force myself to learn to like it, but it's not high on my list of things to do.
You can make your own Tofu too. It's not fermented as such, it's more like making curd cheese... And Tofu gets a bad rap, but that's because folks get that silken crap which is only good for making "pudding" or such. But if you make you own, it will have a lot of texture, then you can press it to get as much moisture out of it as possible, then marinade it in something, it can become quite awesome. From a nutritional standpoint it's best to sprout the soy beans (just like sprouting barley) before using them to make it.
Re: Other fermentation?
See all this ^^^^ great info in this thread!!!!
Now if we had a FOOD AND FITNESS Section it would have been posted there and all of us would know where to go when we needed the kafir recipe or the kimchee recipe....
just sayin'
Now if we had a FOOD AND FITNESS Section it would have been posted there and all of us would know where to go when we needed the kafir recipe or the kimchee recipe....
just sayin'
Sibling Brewers
Re: Other fermentation?
On a related note, if anybody wants kefir grains, let me know. I think I've got some dehydrated, vacuum packed and frozen.MrBandGuy wrote:bp was kind enough to send some kefir last year. We did it or about 6 months, but couldn't keep up. Life got in the way.
Re: Other fermentation?
I was at a winco today and found bulk soybeans for $.85/lb so I bought a bunch. Later went to an asian store and found them for $.79/lb so I'll check there when I run out.
Re: Other fermentation?
I forgot to mention that I read that you can make natto with pinto beans, so before I found the soy, I started soaking some pinto beans and they're boiling now. I'll use soy next time.
Re: Other fermentation?
I made a batch of natto with pinto beans. I used part of a package of frozen natto soaked in boiled and cooled water as a starter. I stuck it in a glass baking dish in my dehydrator (yet another item that I bought for brewing that proves indispensable for other uses) set at 104F and let it go for about 20 hours.
I used star san to sanitize anything that didn't get boiled (some places say that you need to boil everything, others say to use "clean" utensils, so I split the difference).
It's not the same (some may consider that a good thing). It's kind of gooey, but not nearly as stringy or sticky as "the real deal" is. Maybe it would have been better with soybeans and maybe it would have been better if I had let it ferment for a full 24 hours (or longer?) but I wanted to go to bed. Next time, I'll use soybeans and let it ferment for a full day (or more if necessary).
I don't have any hot mustard, so I just cooked some rice and mixed it in. I ate some for lunch and it's definitely different from regular pinto beans and rice, but also different from natto and rice. I will probably use a "fresh" frozen package of natto for starter for the next batch, but then will try to reuse part of each batch (sort of like harvesting yeast), and only use "new" natto occasionally.
A sample package of tempeh starter came in the mail today. I opened the Kitchenaid grain mill wide and ran 500 g of soybeans through it and they're soaking now. Most of the instructions I've read say that you should discard the hulls, but some say that you can leave them in for extra fiber, and some imply that you only need to remove them if you use whole beans, so I'm leaving them in. In the morning, I'll boil them, then strain them through cheesecloth, add the starter and stick them in ziplocks that have been perforated, then stick the ziplocks in the dehydrator set at 86F.
I used star san to sanitize anything that didn't get boiled (some places say that you need to boil everything, others say to use "clean" utensils, so I split the difference).
It's not the same (some may consider that a good thing). It's kind of gooey, but not nearly as stringy or sticky as "the real deal" is. Maybe it would have been better with soybeans and maybe it would have been better if I had let it ferment for a full 24 hours (or longer?) but I wanted to go to bed. Next time, I'll use soybeans and let it ferment for a full day (or more if necessary).
I don't have any hot mustard, so I just cooked some rice and mixed it in. I ate some for lunch and it's definitely different from regular pinto beans and rice, but also different from natto and rice. I will probably use a "fresh" frozen package of natto for starter for the next batch, but then will try to reuse part of each batch (sort of like harvesting yeast), and only use "new" natto occasionally.
A sample package of tempeh starter came in the mail today. I opened the Kitchenaid grain mill wide and ran 500 g of soybeans through it and they're soaking now. Most of the instructions I've read say that you should discard the hulls, but some say that you can leave them in for extra fiber, and some imply that you only need to remove them if you use whole beans, so I'm leaving them in. In the morning, I'll boil them, then strain them through cheesecloth, add the starter and stick them in ziplocks that have been perforated, then stick the ziplocks in the dehydrator set at 86F.
Re: Other fermentation?
The tempeh turned out really well. I used the dehydrator, but put a bowl of water in since I didn't want to dehydrate, just control temperatures.
500 g of soybeans ended up as 1200 g of tempeh. I broke it up, vacuum sealed and froze it.
When I open the last pack, I'll decide whether I want to harvest or pay it safe and order starter.
500 g of soybeans ended up as 1200 g of tempeh. I broke it up, vacuum sealed and froze it.
When I open the last pack, I'll decide whether I want to harvest or pay it safe and order starter.
Re: Other fermentation?
In case anybody is interested, I made another batch of natto, this time using soybeans, but I don't think I cooked them long enough. The natto still wasn't really stringy, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. This batch was a pretty big batch, so it will be quite a while before I do it again. I Vacuum sealed most of the batch and will thaw it and use it a bit at a time.
I've decided to buy tempeh starter for future batches, because it's pretty inexpensive and I've read that it's easy to screw it up if you try using your own tempeh to create new batches.
I've read that raw tempeh MUST be cooked, but I've also read that the fungus that ferments it is a beneficial probiotic. I read that people have gotten ill eating a lot of it raw, so I started eating REALLY small amounts raw, then gradually increased. I've had no gastric distress, so I guess I'm doing it right.
I've decided to buy tempeh starter for future batches, because it's pretty inexpensive and I've read that it's easy to screw it up if you try using your own tempeh to create new batches.
I've read that raw tempeh MUST be cooked, but I've also read that the fungus that ferments it is a beneficial probiotic. I read that people have gotten ill eating a lot of it raw, so I started eating REALLY small amounts raw, then gradually increased. I've had no gastric distress, so I guess I'm doing it right.
Re: Other fermentation?
I've always cooked tempeh, never tried it raw. Just never thought to do so.
Re: Other fermentation?
Wow, this is quite an interesting discussion. My wife has made kimbuchu(?), kefir, cheese (with our goat milk), and is currently making fermented veggies including cortido(?), sauerkraut, peppers, garlic, etc..
Bailey's Billy Goat Brews
Re: Other fermentation?
I think it tastes better cooked. The reason I'm eating some raw is for the probiotics.mashani wrote:I've always cooked tempeh, never tried it raw. Just never thought to do so.