Tofu Scramble

My usually very genial personal trainer Nina recently said to me "I just cannot cope with vegans". She said it with such passion and determination that I had to laugh. Especially because she's a vegetarian...

I've got too many vegans among my in laws to be able to say that and whilst I doubt I'd ever tread the vegan path (I love eating meat and seafood too much), our normal dinner rosters include many vegetarian offerings and even the occasional vegan one will slip in too. One of my favourites is the tofu scramble.

The first time I had a tofu scramble was at a cafe in Darlinghurst many years ago. I was surprised at how similar the tofu was to scrambled eggs in texture and made it several times thereafter. They used turmeric to colour the normally white tofu a sunny yellow and there was a bit of flavour from using a little curry powder.

Cut to many years later where I saw that Yen made a tofu scramble on her blog and I decided that I had to revisit it. it's ludicrously easy and you can throw in any vegetables that you want into it. You can make it with firm or silken tofu although you will have to treat each differently when you cook it. Firm tofu is best when it is drained of much of the liquid whereas silken can be blended with soy or regular milk to give it a creamy texture. The quantity below makes a very filling serve for one-guilty as charged! I ate it all and then wasn't full until way past my normal dinner time.

So tell me Dear Reader, are you a fan of tofu? And how often do you forego meat?

Tofu Scramble

Serves 1-2 people, 2 if you serve it with bread but for 1 it is a very filling meal

• 300g/10.6ozs tofu (firm or silken)
• 50ml/1.7 fl ozs. soy milk (if using silken tofu)
• 2 teaspoons oil for frying
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions or 1/2 a red onion, sliced (I prefer red onion)
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and sliced
• handful baby spinach leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/3 teaspoon curry powder
• salt and pepper
• Bread to serve

Step 1 - For firm tofu, drain the tofu by placing in a sieve for at least 20 minutes. Place it under a weight to hasten the process. For silken tofu, blend with the soy milk (there's no need to strain it).

*Possibly one of the least exciting photos on the blog :) *

Step 2 - Heat a frypan on medium high heat and add the oil. Fry the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent and then add the spinach leaves and stir to wilt. Add the tofu and sprinkle with the turmeric and curry powder. Gently stir and then season with salt and pepper. Serve with bread.