Savory Scrambled Tofu Made Right!

Before adopting a plant-based diet, one of my most beloved foods was eggs. I could eat them morning noon and night. Most any preparation would suit me – boiled, poached, fried or scrambled, with the latter being my absolute favorite. My husband was right there with me. So when the vegan veterans we spoke to mentioned scrambled tofu as a viable substitute, I set my sights on mastering this luscious dish. And mastered it, I did. To all the newbie vegans who are wondering how you could ever possibly go without eggs, just follow these tips and trips:

Press Your Tofu!

Start by pressing your blocks of extra or super firm tofu to drain the excess water. There are several ways to do this. One of the simplest is to place a paper towel lined colander on top of a sheet tray. Place the blocks of tofu inside the paper towel. Use another paper towel to cover the top as well. Then place a cast iron skillet or some other flat heavy object on top of the tofu. A more sophisticated method is to use a tofu press. I recently purchased this one on Amazon because I wanted to achieve an even greater press for making chicken fried tofu. And let me tell you, it worked wonders! Either way, let the tofu sit and drain for 30 minutes to an hour as you prepare your veggies for the scramble.

Bring on the Veggies

Select your favorite veggies.

Of course you could scramble the tofu by itself and it would be perfectly delicious. But I have found using fresh veggies and aromatics make for a much more hearty and enjoyable dish. You can use most any veggie you like for this scramble. I have certainly experimented with many – tomatoes, carrots, spinach, arugula, shallots, eggplant and zucchini. However, one of the most delightful combinations I have found is mushrooms, red peppers, scallions and Vidalia onions. I’m an Alabama girl and you know we love our sweet onions.

After chopping your veggies, add olive oil to a skillet and proceed to lightly sauté all except the scallion. It’ll take the other veggies a couple of minutes to break down, so we’ll hold the scallions back and introduce them with the tofu.

Sauté your veggies in extra virgin olive oil to impart a robust flavor into your scramble.

Season to Perfection

Speaking of tofu, those little lovelies should be ready to go by now. Place the blocks in a bowl and use your potato masher to crumble the tofu. This tool is perfect for the job and will get your tofu to just the right consistency. Add the tofu to your skillet, along with the scallion, a little soy sauce, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, turmeric for that peppery taste and yellow egg color and mock chicken seasoning. You can use any brand of mock chicken seasoning you like. I use McKay's Chicken Seasoning and I’m telling you this stuff packs some good flavor. I use it in my veggies, rice, potatoes. My cupboards are never without it.

But for this dish my fellow egg lovers, the quarterback is none other than. . .drumroll, please! BLACK SALT. Yes, I said black salt. If you’ve never heard of it, no, it’s not the opposite of white salt. Black salt is a rock salt found mostly in the Himalayas. And this, my dears, is the ingredient that delivers that egg taste we all know and love. And you won’t have to charter a plane to the Himalayas to get it. Black salt is just a few clicks away on Amazon. I found this 7-ounce bag for under $5 and it really makes a difference in giving me that distinct egg taste in my scrambled tofu.

Scramble and Serve

So with all of your ingredients in the pan, you proceed to sauté the scramble a few moments more until the tofu is fluffy and has completely taken on that beautiful yellow color of the turmeric. Serve your scrambled tofu up with a side of fruit or for a more hearty breakfast, try potatoes or grits (there’s nothing like grits and eggs in the South!). This dish is chock full of protein and will give you the satisfaction and energy you need to really start your day.

Now grab some tofu and your favorite veggies and get to cooking this scrummy dish!