EASY CURRIED TOFU SCRAMBLE

This curried tofu scramble is tasty, protein packed and so easy to prepare. It's a vegan staple that always pops up at health food cafes, so after many trips to Wise Cicada (they make a killer scrambled tofu!) it dawned on me that I should probably figure out how to make my own version in my own kitchen!

Whether it's breakfast, brunch or lunch, one serving of this scramble has you sorted for 40% of your daily protein requirements. It is a fast, flavourful breakky that will give you energy to burn.

pressing tofu

But first things first, I was at a Japanese kitchen the other day and the chef taught me one essential step that makes good tofu great.

Tofu needs to be "pressed." Because it's packed in water, and it's a lot like a sponge, you must press out the old water to make way for your cooking flavours. This way you get better texture and better flavour in your tofu meals (We are talking about the extra-firm, water-packed tofu, not the silken kind):

• Open the tofu and drain out the water. Cut tofu into slices.
  
• Lay a clean tea towel on a tray and place some paper towels on top of it.
  
• Spread the slices of tofu out in a single layer on top of the towels. Layer more paper towels and another tea towel on top of that. 
  
• Place a heavy object on top (like a another tray and some cookbooks)
  
• Leave it alone for at least 30 minutes, but preferably a couple hours.
  
• Uncover; leave as "tofu steaks" or cut into cubes, marinate and/or cook according to your recipe! For us, this means crumbling the tofu with your hands as you would feta cheese, into pieces as small or large as desired.

Curried Tofu Scramble

Ingredients

1 block firm tofu, drained and pressed while you prep your other ingredients.
1/2 brown onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2  tsp cumin
1/2  tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional - it gives your scramble a real flavour kick)
Chopped breakfast veggies of your choice - capsicum, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli florets etc.
A handful of fresh coriander, basil or parsley
Sea salt & cracked pepper if desired

Serves 2-4

Method

Press your tofu (see instructions above).

Add oil to a medium hot frying pan, and saute onion and garlic until onion is cooked and clear. Add your breakfast veggies of choice and stir regularly, for 2 - 3 minutes. Hard veggies will take longer to cook, and I like to stir leafy greens and herbs in at the very end so they don't wilt.

Using your hands, crumble tofu into pieces, directly into the frying pan. Add curry powder, cumin, turmeric, tamari and nutritional yeast. Mix thoroughly, until the tofu and veggies are evenly coated with the spice mix.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until some of the tofu begins to brown. If the mixture looks dry, sprinkle a little water or sesame oil over it to keep it from charring.

Remove from the heat and stir in baby spinach, cherry tomatoes and herbs. Mix gently until combined. Season with a little salt and fresh black pepper if desired.

Serve immediately and enjoy!