The Beauty of Scrambled Tofu

In my pre-vegan days eggs were often my go to ingredient for a quick dinner. Now that I’m vegan, I still make some of the same convenience foods except I use the magic of tofu, instead of eggs.

Scrambling tofu is surprisingly similar to scrambling eggs in that the excitement comes from the add-ins. (Be honest, the picture above looks pretty close to regular scrambled eggs.)

In addition to a plain tofu scramble, you can use this in other recipes where scrambled eggs traditionally show up. Fried rice, moo shu veggies, huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos, Singapore noodles, etc. Make sure to keep an eye out for your next opening to add in some eggy tofu.

The tofu torture device below is a Tofuxpress that will press the water out of the tofu to give it a firmer texture. It works on all firmness, and the longer you press it the firmer it gets. If you don’t have a fancy tofu press you can do it the old-fashioned way.

One ingredient you need for a picture perfect scrambled tofu is turmeric because it colors the tofu that yellowish color everyone expects to see. The other important addition is kala namak which is a salt that has less sodium, but has a sulfur taste that mimics the flavor of eggs.

Like many dinners I make when I’m too tired and have no time, this one is a little free form. It’s a perfect way to use up the last of your CSA veggies, or you can raid your emergency bag of frozen veggies.

What’s in the Fridge Tofu Fried Rice Recipe

My next favorite way to use scrambled tofu is to make it plain, with only turmeric and kala namak, and use it in fried rice. Leftover rice that’s cold in the fridge is what you want to use in fried rice so it’s a perfect last-minute meal and it uses up your leftovers!

Press the tofu as above and crumble in a bowl. Then mix in the turmeric and kala namak to make it look scrambled. You’ll add it in later to the mix to cook it. Make sure to taste it to see if you get that eggy taste or you need to add more kala namak. If you use coconut aminos later on instead of soy, you can make this part saltier.

Heat a couple of tablespoons oil (or water if making this oil-free) in a large skillet or wok. Add onion and sauté until translucent, then add the rest of the veggies (about 2 cups of carrots, peas, bell pepper, etc.) and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes more or until all the veggies are tender but not completely cooked through. (You don’t want them to be mushy!)

Add some grated ginger, soy sauce or coconut aminos, and add about 3 to 4 cups cold, pre-cooked brown rice. Mix well and add the tofu mixture. (I also added in some crumbled tempeh bacon to give it a smoky flavor.)

Add extras like hot or regular sesame oil, sriracha to spice things up a bit. Serve on the side if your family has different heat tolerances.