I have an interest in tempeh using lentils.
I have made some lentil tempeh, but am not pleased with the results. The mycelium doesn't penetrate the beans. Only the outside of the lentil bean is surrounded by mycelium. I have narrowed the problem down to the beans not becoming soft enough when cooking. The beans are always too hard or they become mush. All the lentil tempeh shown on the internet is lousy IMO.
I make soy and chickpea tempeh, which is always perfect. Checking closely I find the chickpea and soy beans are always soft to the center when cooked so the mycelium can do its job with no problems.
My question. Has anybody used lentils and have they a method of cooking that allows the beans to retain their shape and be soft as are the chickpeas and soy?
It is possible to buy lentils that are de-hulled and split. They can also be de-hulled easily similar to doing soy and chickpeas. It is astonishing just how much of the lentil bean is hulls. But is is convenient buying this process already completed.