Well hello there, vegan scrambled eggs. Believe it or not, you can make tofu feel and taste like scrambled eggs. The key ingredient is the incredible Indian black salt called kala namak, which has a distinctive sulphur smell just like hard boiled egg yolks. The key process is enabling the tofu to absorb a collection of powders, spices and liquids to reach a certain consistency. And finally, the key technique is a gentle ‘lift and flip’ of the tofu which creates the right texture.
The result is a delightful velvety texture with the distinct taste of eggs. Also, make sure you use hard tofu that’s sealed with water. Drain it well but don’t bother pressing it. Retaining the moisture in the tofu is what helps create that velvety texture that scrambled eggs have.
After my first go at making vegan scrambled eggs, I made an adjustment on the level of heat and amount of time the entire mixture cooked for. This can be down to personal preference; you may like scrambled eggs quite wet or moist, while others might prefer them a bit dryer.
We all grow up thinking chicken eggs are ours for the taking. That meals like scrambled eggs, boiled eggs and soldiers, and sunny side up are all part of the human diet. Yet, many people fail to think about the fact that chickens exist for their own reasons (like every other animal) and that exploiting their reproductive systems involves some inherently cruel practices. Chickens are actually considered the most abused animal on the planet, be it for their flesh or their eggs, while any financially “useless” male chicks are macerated on day 1 of their life.
While billions of these poor ladies are horrifically treated and exploited, consuming their eggs also has implications for human health in terms of cholesterol. Why participate in that when you can eat a far healthier version of scrambled eggs without the cruelty and cholesterol?
| Servings: | 4 serves | Prep Time: | 10 Minutes | Cook Time: | 10 Minutes |
Ingredients for the Vegan Scrambled Eggs
- Block of water-stored hard tofu (500g)
- 2 tbsp Nuttelex butter
- 2 tbsp soy milk
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast
- 1 heaped tsp kala namak
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Crushed peppercorns, to serve
Steps for Making the Vegan Scrambled Eggs
- In a small bowl, create the seasoning mixture by combine the nutritional yeast, kala namak, smoked paprika, turmeric, onion and garlic powder. Mix together and ensure there’s no lumps.
- Next, drain the tofu well and place the block onto a cutting bench. Using a large kitchen knife, slice off very thin pieces of tofu—they don’t have to be perfect and all the same shape, this recipe works better when the tofu slices are messy and uneven in size and will look more like scrambled chicken eggs in the end.
- On a low heat, melt the Nuttelex butter in a fry pan, then pour in the soy milk, and finally sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the liquid using a spatula to incorporate it. There should be a suitable amount of liquid so that the seasoning mixture doesn’t take over and dry it out—if for some reason you find there’s too much dry ingredients, add a splash of soy milk to balance it out.
- If you’re having toast, put the toaster on now.
- Keep the heat on low while you add in the sliced tofu pieces, ensuring they are evenly distributed across the melted butter and milk in the fry pan. The goal here is to ensure all of the tofu pieces come in contact with the liquid and begin to absorb it.
- Increase the heat to medium. Using a large spatula, lift the tofu and gently flip it over. Again, the goal is to make sure all of the tofu pieces come in contact with the liquid. You’ll know this is happening as the white tofu will all begin to turn yellow. The tofu will also begin to break up a little more as it absorbs the liquid and gently cooks down. This should take approximately 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with crushed peppercorns, lift and flip to incorporate. Now, taste test the mixture. If you’d prefer it to be more “eggy”, sprinkle a pinch of kala namak salt, and lift and flip the tofu.
- When ready, serve immediately on toast, sprinkle with crushed peppercorns and with a few slices of tomato.