Tempeh 101 with Club Cultured

We are Club Cultured. Tempeh missionaries and fanatical fermentalists that believe in the power of prebiotic, probiotic natural fermented foods to have unprecedented positive impact on human health and create the best environment for our gut in order for us to thrive.

What is Tempeh I hear you ask?

Tempeh is the future of the protein market, but it isn't anything new, it was said to have been discovered around 700 years ago in East Java by pure chance. The legend has it that some discarded soybeans from a tofu factory mixed with wild spores and then one brave fellow came along and thought it looked like a delicious lunch. We can all agree, what a hero!

If you've ever been to the magical place that is Indonesia, you will have seen these beautiful white blocks of fresh Tempeh being sold on the streets or served in every warung (local street food shack) that you will come across. Like many fellow travellers this was our first ever encounter with Tempeh and it's safe to say it was love at first bite.

And what's so great about Tempeh?

Fast forward to the present day and Tempeh is now being enjoyed all over the world as people wake up to this fantastic fermented plant-based protein. One of the reasons Tempeh is now coming to the fore is people are realising how amazingly nutritious, tasty and versatile Tempeh is compared to the likes of tofu, jackfruit, seitan and mock meats. Not forgetting that Tempeh is a whole food, gluten-free and packs a punch delivering a whopping 20g of protein and 6g of fibre per 100g serving!

Making our Tempeh

After building quite a reputation for our Organic Tempeh we started receiving wholesale orders - and a lot of them! Too much for our secondhand fridge to handle (aka Bridge the fridge - our first successful fermenter!) So, all three of us took a trip back to the Tempeh motherland Indonesia and had traditional training in the art of Tempeh making by our master and now lifelong friend Amita.

Upon our return to London we have innovated and modernised the ancient art of Tempeh, making and growing our customer base, which allowed us to open London’s first ever Tempeh Factory in Hackney Wick in December 2019.

It is a magical process that cannot be rushed, using just 2 ingredients; Italian Organic Soybeans and Ragi (Indonesian for starter culture). It takes 4 days from full bean to full block with 2 stages of fermentation; one being a hot 24-hour soak and the other a 40-hour low and slow ferment for the mighty mycelium to weave its magic. This forms the naturally meaty texture of our famous Tempeh that you can enjoy and savour in the Detox Kitchen Rendang.

In the current conditions there has never been a more important time to nourish ourselves with gut friendly, unprocessed and immune boosting ferments, as 70% of our immune system resides in our gut - Mother Nature knows best.

If any of you have any Tempeh related queries or just want to chew the fat over ferments, then please feel free to slide into our DM’s on Instagram (@CLUBCULTURED) and we will be more than happy to share our knowledge with you.

Peace, Love & The Club Harry, James & Connor

#KEEPITCULTURED

-

If you'd like to try Club Cultured's delicious tempeh, you can find it on the menu of our Meal Plans and Vegan Fridge Fill.