Tempeh demystified

I have been given a privileged peek into the mysterious world of tempeh. How does that magical fermented soy matter come into the world? It begins with a soak and a massage to remove the skins of the bean.

...somebody let a FREAKIN clown in here. Let us pray that the tempeh survives.

After straining, and a bit of cooling on a towel, the beans are mixed with the "starter," made of the fungal spores of Rhizopus oligosporus, then put into a perforated bag (see above) where it can breathe while fermenting

And allowed to sit some place hot (like near the ceiling of your much-used community kitchen)

About thirty hours later, you've got tempeh

All that's left is fryin'

Seasonin' (shoyu, ginger and mushrooms in this case, & probably more that I can't remember)

And use in your fave recipe

For the record (as you may have guessed) this home made tempeh is at least 1,000,000 times more delicious than any tempeh I have ever had, a completely different universe of taste.