Tempeh originally comes from Indonesia and is made by fermenting cooked, lightly swollen soya beans with an edible mould. The beans bind together into a firm, sliceable block that visibly contains whole pieces of bean, unlike the smoother tofu. Because the whole bean is used, tempeh also contains more fibre than tofu, which makes it additionally firm to the bite.
Fermentation changes the flavour as well as the consistency: tempeh tastes stronger and slightly nutty. The protein content is of a similar order to that of tofu, sometimes slightly higher, as the whole bean is used in production. In the kitchen, tempeh is usually fried, steamed or marinated and used just as versatilely as tofu. Before cooking, tempeh is often briefly steamed or marinated to round off its strong flavour.
A direct comparison with production from soya milk can be found in the entry Tofu, and another plant-based product with a different base is described in the entry Seitan. Ideas for preparation are offered by the page Recipes.
