Spicy Tofu Scramble | Vegan

A spicy tofu scramble with fresh tomatoes, walnuts, aubergine and deep spices that makes a perfect breakfast, side dish or light meal.

Have you ever smelt asafoetida? Well, if not, I wouldn’t recommend it. In fact its name derives from the latin foetidus meaning ‘fetid’ which the smell truly is. Once cooked in a little oil however, asafoetida is transformed and it becomes a completely different story with the spice giving off a beautiful garlicky aroma. Asafoetida acts to harmonise sweet, sour, salty and spicy elements in a dish and it aids digestion. In this tofu scramble recipe it balances perfectly with the spicy sriracha for a full flavoured dish.

When cooking, this dish needs stirring constantly as you would scrambled eggs, adding a new ingredients every few minutes. You do not need to be too precise, as technically you could add most of the ingredients into the pan all together. I wanted the aubergine (eggplant) to brown a little and for the tomatoes to soften so I added the ingredients in stages – doing it this way you can see as each one cooks then add the next one. To replicate a texture similar to that of scrambled eggs, press the tofu for at least an hour.

This tofu scramble is perfect served as it is or on toast for breakfast, wrapped up in a tortilla for a breakfast burrito or served as an accompanying side dish to just about anything. It also makes a perfect light meal in itself to have at any time of the day. It might not be the prettiest of meals but it is satisfying and versatile!

Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 block tofu, well-pressed then crumbled

1 onion, chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 aubergine, cut into cubes or strips

25g walnuts, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1tbsp olive oil

1/2tsp ground cumin

1/2tsp oregano

1/4tsp asafoetida

1tbsp sriracha sauce (or chili sauce of your choice)

Sea salt/pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the asafoetida, heat the spice for around two minutes, stirring frequently. Add the onion to the pan, still stirring frequently. Once the onion has browned after a couple of minutes, add in the aubergine and cook for a further few minutes (at this stage you might need to add an extra tsp of olive oil if the aubergine soaks it up too quickly).

2. Once the aubergine has begun to cook through, add in the garlic, tomatoes and cumin. Continue to stir frequently and after around three minutes, add in the crumbled tofu. After cooking and stirring for a couple of minutes, add in the chili sauce and oregano. Mix well and cook for a further couple of minutes.

3. Serve with an extra dash of sriracha!

In search of more breakfast tofu ideas? How about a smoky Tofu Bacon recipe!?