Scrambed tofu and other vegan treats on a sample plate from the Big Veggie Brunch.
We had a wonderful time running the Big Veggie Brunch last week as part of National Vegetarian Week in Todmorden, offering free vegetarian and vegan breakfast foods to all. One of the most popular dishes was Andrew’s scrambled tofu. Here is the recipe for you to try it yourself!
Ingredients
Large block of plain tofu (cheaper stuff, e.g. from Chinese supermarket, works better for scramble due to higher water content)
Sunflower oil
Turmeric
Soy Sauce
Seasoning
Method
Scramble the tofu using a fork on a chopping board (or directly in a wok)
Heat in a large wok and mix in 1 tablespoon of oil
Heat on a medium flame for approximately 12 minutes, stirring often, until most of the water has evaporated and it has started to (very, very slightly) brown. The consistency should look like scrambled egg.
Stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/3 teaspoon ground turmeric and other seasoning (e.g. ground salt/chilli/garlic) to taste
The yellow colour of turmeric with the salt of the soy sauce helps to make this look and taste a bit like scrambled eggs (but better, in our opinion). Feel free to change the flavours to whatever you like, perhaps Mediterranean herbs or Chinese five-spice.
Cooking scrambled tofu (photograph by Estelle)The Big Veggie Brunch photo collage (images by Estelle and Phil)
On a low heat, add the oil to a large pan, then add the tofu and fry for 10 minutes, stirring very regularly. Add turmeric, salt and soy sauce at the end and fry for one more minute.
Serve on toast or with vegetables.
Variations
Mediterranean (add garlic and herbs like thyme and oregano, plus sun-dried tomatoes and olives, when nearly finished cooking)
Indian (add garlic and garam masala (curry powder), plus chopped onions)
Here’s a Mediterranean variation, with tomato, leaves and French dressing
2 tblsp non-dairy milk of choice (soya, rice, almond, other)
1/8 tsp salt
8 to 10 oz plain chocolate (without milk ingredient)
2-3 tablespoons agave or other sweetener (optional)
optional: extracts, flavourings or liqueurs
Instructions
Melt the chocolate (either over a pan of water on a stove or in a microwave).
Put all ingredients into a food processor together and blend until super-smooth.
Pour into a pie crust or biscuit base as desired. Put in the fridge to chill. The filling gets firmer the longer it sits. (It’s firmer if you use firm tofu and more like mousse pie if you use silken tofu.)
Vitalite or other non-dairy marg, for spreading on the bread
Method
Prepare the bread and slice the tomatoes.
In a large pan, warm some oil, add the slices of tofu with some soy sauce. Gently fry both sides of the tofu for about 10-15 minutes per side. Meanwhile, add some mayo to the bread and wash and chop the greens.
Make up the BLTs on the bread, in the order Vitalite, mayo, tofu, tomato, lettuce, more mayo. Serve immediately.
A vegan BLT can be called a TLT – tofu, lettuce and tomato. Here, it is made with locally grown lettuce and tomatoes (
