Bristol-based Tempeh Meades is the brainchild of Benedict Meade who learned his craft, the traditional methods of making tempeh, in West Java. Here, he telles us more….
For anyone who doesn’t know, can you explain what tempeh actually is?
Tempeh is made by forming cooked soya beans into a block and adding a culture to initiate a fermentation process. The end product has a firm texture, a nutty taste and is highly valued for the protein and fibre content. It has been a staple of Indonesian cuisine for centuries.
How do you use it?/What sort of dishes would you use it in?
The benefit of tempeh is that it can be used in so many dishes, I quite often start the day with scrambled tempeh, you can use it in sandwiches (in place of a BLT) or add it to the BBQ, the possibilities are endless. Tempeh does need to be cooked first, but it takes on flavour really well.
Is there just one type of tempeh or many variations?
The traditional soya bean tempeh is probably our most popular but we have also branched out by adding some more interesting flavours. These add an extra dimension to the dish, depending on what you are cooking. We offer a seeded batch tempeh, a four bean tempeh, tempeh with red quinoa and tempeh with Cornish seaweed.
Does tempeh have any particular health/nutritional benefits?
Absolutely, tempeh is high in fibre, high in protein and contains prebiotics which are known to help aid digestion. It is also packed with minerals (like iron & calcium) which are more bioavailable than traditional plant based foods thanks to the double fermentation. It is great as part of a nutritious diet, a particularly good plant based source of protein.
When and why did you first learn to make tempeh?
I started making tempeh whilst living on the Kenyan coast but with mixed results. So, before moving back to the UK, my wife and I travelled to Indonesia so I could learn to make tempeh from the masters.
What drove you to start Tempeh Meades?
In Indonesia, tempeh is eaten every day and bought fresh from the local market, whereas in the UK I could only ever find longer life, pasteurised tempeh. And the difference is substantial: fresh tempeh is simply more delicious, and has a much firmer texture. My plan was to make that fresh, Indonesian-style tempeh available to order across the UK.
Is it easy to find all the ingredients you need?
You can make tempeh with just about any pulse, grain or seed, although I have yet to find anything that tastes better than without including the soya bean. We source our organic soya beans from Italy but try to get the majority of our other ingredients from within the UK: our red quinoa comes is grown near Bath, and our seaweed is from Cornwall, for example.
What’s the biggest challenge in tempeh production?
Temperature control! The culture used for tempeh thrives in a hot & humid environment (i.e. Indonesia and not the UK!) so it needs to be kept warm. The flipside is that once the fermentation is active, you need to make sure the tempeh doesn’t overheat and whilst also ensuring it doesn’t cool too much. It’s a real balancing act and requires a lot of supervision over the 2 day fermentation.
Has your tempeh been well-received locally?
It’s been embraced incredibly well in Bristol, where we make our tempeh. Our initial plan was to primarily sell to cafes and restaurants but we started the business just before Covid hit so had to dive straight into home deliveries. We were absolutely thrilled with the response. Bristol has a very strong foodie community (both vegan and omnivore) always keen to try new things, and who were happy to keep us going by stocking their freezer with our tempeh! And through this, we have built a loyal customer base locally.
Available to order online from www.tempehmeades.com in various sizes, starting at 250g (approximately 3 servings) from £4.50. For inspiration and recipes visit www.tempehmeades.com/recipes