Learning to Make Tempeh From Scratch at This Family-Run Indonesian Spot
“This is the first time you ever tried tempeh, you should come here and try it,” Guy declared after biting into the crispy, golden fritters at this funky little Indonesian joint. Run by mother Anna Jojo and her daughters Melia and Diana, this place serves up authentic Indonesian home cooking that traces back to Anna’s days running a restaurant at the Indonesian embassy in New York.
When Guy asked the daughters how they’d describe Indonesian food, the answer revealed the complexity: “A cross between Indian and Thai. We have influence from the Chinese. We also have some Dutch influence.” That multicultural heritage shows up in every dish—including the tempeh fritters that had Guy calling them dynamite.
The Ancient Art of Making Fresh Tempeh
What makes this spot special is that they make their tempeh fresh—something Guy noted is “really unusual to get in America.” The process is a thousands-year-old tradition, and Guy got the full lesson.
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It starts with soaking soybeans overnight, then boiling them for about two hours while skimming off the foam. As the hulls float to the surface, Guy had his lightbulb moment: “So the holes float. I knew there was going to be a method to the madness.”
After draining and boiling again to soften, the beans must be completely dried—critical because wet beans won’t ferment properly. The yeast gets mixed in, everything goes into a bag with holes poked for breathing, and then it sits for about two days. “Gonna funk up and then turn into a big old loaf,” as they explained. The fermentation process actually generates its own heat, breaking down proteins and adding layers of flavor that sets tempeh apart from its processed cousin, tofu.
The Fritter Batter and Spicy Pickled Veggies
The batter comes together simply: flour, a little turmeric for color, garlic powder, salt, pepper, one egg, water, and sliced scallions. The tempeh gets sliced—you can see the whole beans bound together by the white mycelium—dipped in batter, and fried until crispy.
Alongside the fritters comes achar, Indonesian spicy pickled vegetables. The pickle combines sugar, salt, water, vinegar, cabbage, cucumber, red peppers, carrots, and canned pineapple—”we like the juice,” they noted. It sits for a few hours to develop that tangy punch.
Guy’s verdict on the combination? “It’s got delicious texture, it’s a bit nutty. I love the batter with the green onions, you get that little herbaceous kick. A little pickled veggie, that little acid kick—fantastic.”
Tips From the Kitchen
Dry your beans completely: If the soybeans are wet when you add the yeast, fermentation fails. Patience here is non-negotiable.
Poke holes in your fermentation bag: The yeast needs to breathe during those two days of transformation.
Let the achar sit: Those pickled veggies need a few hours to marry and develop the acid brightness that cuts through the fried tempeh.
This episode showcases the kind of authentic, family-driven cooking that makes Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives worth watching. Like the *Sinful* Bone Marrow in Minneapolis or the Dungeness Crab with Black Bean Garlic Sauce, it’s the personal stories and traditional techniques that elevate a dish beyond the ordinary.
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