Hello Everyone,
I have been trying very hard for the last few months to successfully make tempeh. Unfortunately, I'm allergic to soy products so I can't consume tempeh that is sold in the stores. I have more or less failed on my first 5 attempts to make tempeh, which is causing a lot of frustration. I am attaching pictures of my last tempeh batch as well as my incubator setup. I hoping that someone can help guide me in the right direction.
The attached photo shows my setup (Pic 2). I am using a cooler partially filled with water along with a aquarium heater. The heater is set to 89 degrees. The temperature generally swings between 85 and 92 degrees.
I am using white Navy Beans for the tempeh and a tempeh starter that I purchased online. As a side note, I don't know how to efficiently dehull the beans. I've seen videos of people just rubbing their hands together under running water. These hulls require a lot more pressure to remove than just rubbing between the hands. I am spending a tremendous amount of time trying to pop the hulls off of the beans. If anyone has any better ideas, please let me know!
I am also using a silicone bag to ferment the beans. I am trying to get away from using plastic to ferment the beans. (Please see attached Pic 4). You will notice that there is a gap at the end of the silicone bag. Perhaps this is what is causing the black mold that I am concerned about? Maybe there is an air gap problem?
After 3 days in the incubator, my latest batch had some black mold growing. I don't know if it is safe or desirable to consume?!? See attached Pic 6. Does anyone know what is causing this? I have more pics, but I am at the 3 attachment limit.
I have tried very hard to study and practice tempeh making. At this point, I am at the end of my rope. I have had to toss 5 batches now. As a last resort, I even tried making the tempeh in my Insta Pot on yogurt mode. That failed as well!
Thanks in advance for anyone that can help.
Terence