For a long time, I’ve been incredibly intrigued by the Indonesian Tempe Movement. People have been making their own tempeh at home and adding their own twist to each batch. One of the people that got me completely hooked on this is none other than Jessica Halim, the owner of Demibumi—a local zero-waste brand selling all sorts of plastic alternatives. She often posts about local produce from her own garden, exposing me to all sorts of unique ingredients and intriguing recipes. The past few months have seen her giving tempeh workshops to her team and frequently making tempeh at home—in various shapes, sizes and compositions. It got me incredibly intrigued too!
So imagine my glee when I found out that Demibumi provides tempeh kits for beginners like me. Without much hesitation, Agung and I decided to buy it and try our hand at this whole tempeh making business. And this is the story of how it went.
For a long time, I’ve been incredibly intrigued by the Indonesian Tempe Movement. People have been making their own tempeh at home and adding their own twist to each batch. One of the people that got me completely hooked on this is none other than Jessica Halim, the owner of Demibumi—a local zero-waste brand selling all sorts of plastic alternatives. She often posts about local produce from her own garden, exposing me to all sorts of unique ingredients and intriguing recipes. The past few months have seen her giving tempeh workshops to her team and frequently making tempeh at home—in various shapes, sizes and compositions. It got me incredibly intrigued too!
So imagine my glee when I found out that Demibumi provides tempeh kits for beginners like me. Without much hesitation, Agung and I decided to buy it and try our hand at this whole tempeh making business. And this is the story of how it went.
Our First Tempe Experience
We bought Demibumi’s Tempeh Kit 1, which includes white soy beans, black soy beans, tempeh yeast and palape (natural tempeh preservatives)—and its very own manual. Since this was our first time, we thought it would be easiest to just try with the original ingredients—soy beans. The instructions are pretty straightforward, to be honest, but careless ol’ me missed out on the initial steps. You see, the beans need to be soaked for two days before we could even begin the process of making the tempeh. Since I was unprepared, it was pushed back a few more days.
The beautiful thing about making your own tempeh is that you can make it look like anything you want—which is what we took full advantage of. We intentionally used fun-shaped containers for our tempeh, although not too fun. We also mixed the white and the black soy beans for each tempeh, just to see what they will taste like together. As it was our first time, we didn’t think we should modify the recipe just yet—we stuck to it word for word. At the end of the day, we let it ferment for around 48 hours and hoped for the best.
Our First Tempe Experience
We bought Demibumi’s Tempeh Kit 1, which includes white soy beans, black soy beans, tempeh yeast and palape (natural tempeh preservatives)—and its very own manual. Since this was our first time, we thought it would be easiest to just try with the original ingredients—soy beans. The instructions are pretty straightforward, to be honest, but careless ol’ me missed out on the initial steps. You see, the beans need to be soaked for two days before we could even begin the process of making the tempeh. Since I was unprepared, it was pushed back a few more days.
The beautiful thing about making your own tempeh is that you can make it look like anything you want—which is what we took full advantage of. We intentionally used fun-shaped containers for our tempeh, although not too fun. We also mixed the white and the black soy beans for each tempeh, just to see what they will taste like together. As it was our first time, we didn’t think we should modify the recipe just yet—we stuck to it word for word. At the end of the day, we let it ferment for around 48 hours and hoped for the best.
When it was ripe, we were super happy to see how the tempeh turns out. Don’t they look gorgeous? Many people were amazed at the unique shapes and sizes, which also melts my heart at the sight.
That being said, they all end up looking and feeling very different from the usual tempeh we would buy at the farmers’ market. They’re whiter and has more of a spongy texture. The beans don’t hold very well together and will fall off upon being cut. Our respective mothers believe this is due to giving too much tempeh yeast to the mixture, allowing for more fungi to form between the beans. Also, it’s possible we’ve still got some room in each container, allowing the fungi to roam free and conquer.
However, I do love the texture and consistencies of this batch very much. It tastes almost like Brie cheese—which I’ve always thought tasted like tempeh. It’s so good to eat raw on its own too.
When it was ripe, we were super happy to see how the tempeh turns out. Don’t they look gorgeous? Many people were amazed at the unique shapes and sizes, which also melts my heart at the sight.
That being said, they all end up looking and feeling very different from the usual tempeh we would buy at the farmers’ market. They’re whiter and has more of a spongy texture. The beans don’t hold very well together and will fall off upon being cut. Our respective mothers believe this is due to giving too much tempeh yeast to the mixture, allowing for more fungi to form between the beans. Also, it’s possible we’ve still got some room in each container, allowing the fungi to roam free and conquer.
However, I do love the texture and consistencies of this batch very much. It tastes almost like Brie cheese—which I’ve always thought tasted like tempeh. It’s so good to eat raw on its own too.
Hand-me-down top + purse + earrings // thrifted skirt // old socks + jacket // Nappa Milano loafers //Our Picnic in the Rain
Now comes the most exciting part: tasting the tempe! Agung and I were so excited about this that we even decided to go on a picnic—which happens to be something we’ve been meaning to do for years. Originally, I was going to cook the tempe in various ways to go alongside a sorghum risotto, but we didn’t end up incorporating sorghum at all since it’d be too much of a hassle. Instead, I whipped up some guacamole—using this recipe—for easy and light eating. Agung’s job was to pick up some tortillas and drinks to complete our picnic meal.
The tempe itself ended up being served in three different ways: deep fried, coated and fried, and raw. Yes, I said raw. That’s another beauty of making your own tempe: you can eat it raw since you can guarantee its hygiene. Personally, I love it raw as well. Agung loved the deep-fried ones—he even finished the whole batch. I preferred the coated ones—extra zest thanks to the green onions. Oo yum!
Now comes the most exciting part: tasting the tempe! Agung and I were so excited about this that we even decided to go on a picnic—which happens to be something we’ve been meaning to do for years. Originally, I was going to cook the tempe in various ways to go alongside a sorghum risotto, but we didn’t end up incorporating sorghum at all since it’d be too much of a hassle. Instead, I whipped up some guacamole—using this recipe—for easy and light eating. Agung’s job was to pick up some tortillas and drinks to complete our picnic meal.
The tempe itself ended up being served in three different ways: deep fried, coated and fried, and raw. Yes, I said raw. That’s another beauty of making your own tempe: you can eat it raw since you can guarantee its hygiene. Personally, I love it raw as well. Agung loved the deep-fried ones—he even finished the whole batch. I preferred the coated ones—extra zest thanks to the green onions. Oo yum!
For this picnic, we got all worked up—discussing our outfits in advance, going out of our way to order a picnic mat and even planned out the location. If that doesn’t show you exactly how excited we were, I don’t know what will. Agung went with his trusted combo and ended up looking cool in an all-navy look. Doesn’t he look like he just jumped out of the pages of a Japanese fashion magazine?
As for me, I decided to don this hand-me-down top that my stepmom gave me three weeks ago. The colour definitely screams to me—I mean, it’s literally the same colour scheme as this space. Add to that my favourite skirt since the start of this blog—whose waistband I just had replaced last week—topped off with this heart headband because tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day. Last but not least, I added a twist to this outfit with these hoop earrings that I found in my room—I think it used to belong to my sister—just to see how it looks on me. Agung ended up loving it so much! Expect to see more of these babies in the near future.
For this picnic, we got all worked up—discussing our outfits in advance, going out of our way to order a picnic mat and even planned out the location. If that doesn’t show you exactly how excited we were, I don’t know what will. Agung went with his trusted combo and ended up looking cool in an all-navy look. Doesn’t he look like he just jumped out of the pages of a Japanese fashion magazine?
As for me, I decided to don this hand-me-down top that my stepmom gave me three weeks ago. The colour definitely screams to me—I mean, it’s literally the same colour scheme as this space. Add to that my favourite skirt since the start of this blog—whose waistband I just had replaced last week—topped off with this heart headband because tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day. Last but not least, I added a twist to this outfit with these hoop earrings that I found in my room—I think it used to belong to my sister—just to see how it looks on me. Agung ended up loving it so much! Expect to see more of these babies in the near future.
Oh, whoops! The jig is up. Okay, yeah, the day didn’t end up gong as we have planned—despite our excitement. For starters, it rained earlier that day and that really put a damper on things. Due to the weather, the park we wanted to have picnic at was closed—much to everyone’s dismay. I was so ready to throw in the towel, despairing our foiled plans of a nice day in the sun, but Agung would have none of it. He suggested we take a seat at a semi-abandoned location nearby—which we’ve been to before, but that’ll come in a later post—and enjoy our meal. We ended up spreading the mat for the food and have our makeshift picnic under the shade, should it rain again.
No, it wasn’t conventional and it probably didn’t look aesthetically pleasing, but it was fun and we enjoyed it immensely. We talked about all sorts of things in solitude. We savoured our meals among the crowding ants—which were more cute than imposing, I would say. We took some great photos to bring home. But, most importantly, we still get to soak in each other’s company. Honestly, this make-do attitude is what shapes my whole life and this blog in particular. I guess a traditional picnic would’ve been fun, but I’m also glad we got to have this unique experience that not a lot of people have the chance to enjoy. There’s always next time anyway.
Oh, whoops! The jig is up. Okay, yeah, the day didn’t end up gong as we have planned—despite our excitement. For starters, it rained earlier that day and that really put a damper on things. Due to the weather, the park we wanted to have picnic at was closed—much to everyone’s dismay. I was so ready to throw in the towel, despairing our foiled plans of a nice day in the sun, but Agung would have none of it. He suggested we take a seat at a semi-abandoned location nearby—which we’ve been to before, but that’ll come in a later post—and enjoy our meal. We ended up spreading the mat for the food and have our makeshift picnic under the shade, should it rain again.
No, it wasn’t conventional and it probably didn’t look aesthetically pleasing, but it was fun and we enjoyed it immensely. We talked about all sorts of things in solitude. We savoured our meals among the crowding ants—which were more cute than imposing, I would say. We took some great photos to bring home. But, most importantly, we still get to soak in each other’s company. Honestly, this make-do attitude is what shapes my whole life and this blog in particular. I guess a traditional picnic would’ve been fun, but I’m also glad we got to have this unique experience that not a lot of people have the chance to enjoy. There’s always next time anyway.