Tofu breakfast scrambles are a dime a dozen. In my experience, it’s all too easy to toss some tofu in a pan, call it a “scramble,” and wind up with a perfectly average meal. Don’t get me wrong, a perfectly average tofu scramble is still a good meal, it’s just not amazing, incredible, mind-blowing, or any other superlative you would use to describe a dish deserving of such praise. However, with the right technique and the right blend of ingredients, you can take a tofu scramble from ordinary to outstanding.
When you get to the ingredients, you might pause for a moment and think, “curry powder… say what???” I know curry powder might not sound like an ingredient that should be going into a southwestern style dish, but trust me, it works. Not only does it give the tofu a yellow tint that resembles scrambled eggs, it adds a lot of flavor that works well with the other ingredients. I like to think of yellow curry powder as a season-all rather than something that’s only for Indian food. If you look at the ingredients in yellow curry powder, it’s easy to see they are just common spices that are used in virtually all styles of cooking – cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, and so on… I find that for most intents and purposes, it’s just easier to have all those spices in one large bottle instead of several tiny ones.
The seasoning that really gives this dish a distinctive southwestern flavor is smoked paprika. Regular paprika is a great spice that can add a lot of flavor to just about any dish, but smoked paprika is an entirely different animal. It’s much bolder, and too much of it can easily take over a dish; but when used in moderation, it can add that special something to a dish that may be lacking, and that’s exactly what it does to this scramble.
To create a realistic egg flavor, we used Indian Black Salt. It’s high sulphur content makes tofu taste just like eggs. Black Salt is not the type of thing most people have on hand, so if you don’t have any, regular sea salt or table salt works just fine. If you want to get some, you can find it on Amazon.
Ingredients
- 1 pkg Firm Tofu
- Veggie Bacon – we used Lightlife Smart Bacon
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
- 1/2 Red Onion, chopped
- 1 Green Onion, chopped
- 1 Garlic Clove, finely diced
- 1 Fresh Jalapeno, deseeded, finely diced – or Pablano Pepper for mild version
- 1 tsp Yellow Curry Powder
- 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- Pinch of Indian Black Salt – optional – or Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Nutritional Yeast – optional
- Vegan Cheddar Shreds – optional – we used Daiya
- Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Add 1 tsp of vegetable oil to a non stick frying pan or skillet. Set to stove to medium heat and wait a few minutes for the oil to heat up.
- Add 6 strips of veggie bacon to the pan and fry until the bacon is crispy on both sides. This takes about 5 min.
- Remove veggie bacon from the pan and set aside.
- Add another tsp of vegetable oil to the pan. Break the tofu into bite-size chunks and add to the pan. Sautée for 10 min, occasionally stirring.
- Mix together curry powder, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, nutritional yeast and salt in a small bowl while the tofu is cooking, then pour over the tofu. Stir well until the tofu is evenly coated.
- Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
- Add another tsp of vegetable oil to the pan, then add the peppers, onions, and garlic. Sautée for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Break the veggie bacon into pieces, then add it back to the pan along with the tofu and vegan cheese.
- Turn the heat off and stir the scramble until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
Notes
You may be tempted to cook all the ingredients together at the same time. If you do this, your veggie bacon and tofu won't get crispy because the water from the veggies will make the scramble too soggy.
If your veggies look like they're drying out, splash a tbsp of water on them and give them a good stir.
It's very important that you remove the seeds from the jalapeño because this dish will be too hot for the average person if you don't.
Adjust the amount of jalapeño you use to scale the heat up or down for your preference. We don't recommend more than 1 pepper, which producers a rather spicy scramble – medium-hot. If you can't handle spicy food, use a pablano instead. You can also use pickled jalapeños for a milder heat index.
We hope you enjoyed this vegan breakfast recipe. If you’d like to find more recipes like this one, check out more of VeganFoodLover.com.
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