When I decided to focus more on plant-based foods, I thought cheese was going to be the hardest thing to give up. However, it turns out that adding avocado instead of cheese to dishes was as good if not better-tasting! The hardest thing for me to give up was actually eggs. There’s no substitute that is as easy or as convenient as the avo for cheese swap.
After a lot of experimentation, I’ve found what I think is the closest substitute for scrambled eggs. This dish does require some specialty items, but I think it’s worth it in the long run. The dish takes a bit of planning, but it’s become one of my staples for breakfast!
The most important and most difficult ingredient to find is called Kala Namak, or Himalayan Black Salt (though not actually black in color). It smells and tastes like sulfurous rotten eggs. I know that doesn’t sound very appetizing, but the weird smell and taste are actually really important for making this dish reminiscent of real scrambled eggs. Just be careful not to spill and to keep it stored in an airtight container, or your house will forever smell of farts.
If you’re lucky enough to live near an South Asian specialty store, you may be able to find it there, but I just ordered mine online.
The first step is to press your tofu. Almost every time you’re working with non-silken tofu, it should be pressed before it’s cooked. Since you’re squeezing all the water out, it gives the tofu a heartier, meatier texture, helps the tofu stay intact, and prevents your dish from getting watery. There are fancy tofu presses out there, but given enough time, you can just use stuff you find around the house.
Generally I’ll drain the tofu, wrap it in a paper towel, wrap that in a clean kitchen towel, then put a container filled with cans on top of that. I highly suggest you leave it there for several hours, but at minimum, the tofu should be pressed for one hour.
Once the tofu is ready, heat up the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Crumble the tofu up into dime-sized pieces and add to the oil. The crumbles don’t need to be perfect, or even consistent. In fact, I think that the inconsistency makes it more like real eggs.
Add your spices. The turmeric gives the scramble its color, the kala namak gives it an eggy taste, the smoked paprika gives it a smoky depth of flavor, and the garlic powder… is delicious! You can also add your salt and pepper to taste here. Just make sure to go easy on the salt and only add a little at a time, because the kala namak is also salt. You can also add some nutritional yeast to give the scramble a cheesy flavor.
Stir until the color is evenly distributed and the tofu is heated up, about 10 minutes.
After that, you’re ready to serve! For me, this recipe makes 3 breakfast servings if I eat it with a side like with my Crispy Oven-Baked Country Potatoes, but you can also make it into bigger portions.
Tofu Scramble
Servings: 3
Active Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 block firm tofu
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp kala namak (Himalayan black salt)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: 1/2 tsp nutritional yeast
Instructions:
- Press the water out of the tofu: Drain the tofu and wrap it in a paper towel. Then wrap it again with a clean kitchen towel. Place heavy items like cans on top of the tofu and allow it to sit for at least an hour.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Crumble the tofu into dime-sized pieces and add to the skillet.
- Add spices. Stirring frequently to distribute the spices, cook until heated through for about 10 minutes.
- Serve with a side of potatoes or fruit for a light breakfast.