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Ingredient

Tempeh starter

Rhizopus oligosporus

Also known as: Rhizopus oligosporus, tempeh culture

Cultured *Rhizopus oligosporus* mold spores — the ingredient that knits cooked beans into tempeh, the dense Indonesian protein-rich fermented food. Unlike koji, tempeh culture grows *between* whole cooked beans (rather than enzymatically pre-digesting starch), binding them into a sliceable cake of mycelium-permeated bean. Originally and traditionally on soybean (the canonical Indonesian preparation); also works on cooked chickpea, black bean, lentil, and grain mixtures. The right ingredient for plant-based protein with deep umami, integrated digestibility (the mold breaks down phytates and trypsin inhibitors), and a long-keeping cake form. ~$3–10 per packet from cultures-supply houses; one packet inoculates 5–10 lb dry beans.

Inputs / outputs

  • Substrate: cooked, dehulled, slightly-vinegared beans (soy traditional; [[chickpea|chickpea]], [[common-bean|black bean]], lentil work)
  • Inoculation: ~1 g starter per 1 kg cooked bean (read packet)
  • Conditions: 86–88°F (30–31°C), 24–48 hours, perforated sealed bag or wooden tray
  • Output: firm white-mycelium-bound cake, sliceable, 3–5 days refrigerated, 6 months frozen

Solves / unlocks

  • Plant-based whole-protein staple (~20% protein by weight, full amino-acid profile from soy)
  • Phytate breakdown (mold enzymes increase mineral bioavailability)
  • Long-keeping protein in tropical climates (the Indonesian context — tempeh is more shelf-stable than the cooked beans it’s made from)
  • Mixed-bean tempeh — cultivar variety in single cake ([[chickpea|chickpea]]-and-lentil combinations)
  • Bean ferment that doesn’t require commercial koji infrastructure

Constraints

  • Temperature precision — too cold = no growth; too hot = ammonia smell and bitter flavor.
  • Bean dehulling — soy and [[chickpea|chickpea]] hulls inhibit mold contact; dehull or split for best results.
  • Light vinegar acidification of cooking water (1 tbsp/qt) discourages competing bacteria.
  • Black-spot or grey patches — usually safe (mold sporulating); off-smells (ammonia, putrid) = discard.
  • Wood vs plastic incubation — traditional banana leaf or wood box gives best airflow; plastic-bag method works but watch humidity.

Source

See also

Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.

  • Parallels: [[koji]]
  • Member of: [[ingredient]]
  • Combines with: [[salt-cure]]

What links here, and how

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Scientific

parallels

Practical

parallels

  • Koji both are mold-based protein-substrate ferments; koji is enzymatic pre-digestion, tempeh is whole-bean knitting

contains

3 inbound links · 3 outbound